EA's Madden NFL series dropped Jim Nantz and Phil Simms from the franchise's broadcast booth in favor of lesser-known, more youthful commentators in recent years. Not only that, but Doc and Eddie were likely expensive, given their history in the league.ĭoc and Eddie are two of the biggest and best-known commentators in hockey, so some fans will surely miss them, but this is not uncharted territory for EA Sports. Doc and Eddie are based in Chicago, and this was not very convenient for EA. Not only that, but they were able to record 300 hours' worth of commentary compared to 30 hours for Doc and Eddie due to their relatively busier schedules. Ho, the game's creative director, tells GameSpot that EA went with new commentators because they better represent the kind of youth and energy that fans want to see. The new commentators are Ray Ferraro (who appeared in previous NHL games as a rink-side analyst) and hockey broadcaster James Cybulski. Famed NBC commentators Eddie Olczyk and Doc Emerick are out, and the entire NBC licensing package is gone. On the presentation side, EA is changing things up substantially. Additionally, goalie AI has been changed with a "full offensive threat analysis" so players won't get as many cheap or scrappy goals. The overall aim is to replicate the speed of the real NHL, Ho says. Creative director Will Ho tells GameSpot that EA's playtests show that the speed of play feels faster, even if it actually isn't in practice. But now, these happen faster and more fluidly, according to EA Sports. In the past, players had to slow down to execute passes or perform skill moves.
#NHL 20 COVER UPDATE#
What could be a bigger update are changes to passing and puck pick-ups. Overall, EA Sports is promising "hundreds" of new shot animations. Alexander Ovechkin's smooth-as-butter one-timer has also been brought into the game for NHL 20. Moving to new gameplay features, EA Sports updated its Real Player Motion (RPM) technology with new "Signature Shots." This brings the unique shots of NHL superstars into the game, including Matthews' toe-drag wrist shot and PK Subban's heavy and powerful slapshot. In February 2019, the Leafs invested heavily in Matthews' future on the team when they signed him to a five-year, $58 million deal. He had a monster debut season, scoring 40 goals and taking home the Calder Memorial Trophy for best rookie. 1 overall draft pick-graces the cover of 2019's game. Auston Matthews is NHL 20's cover star NHL 20 Cover StarĪuston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs-a three-time All-Star and 2016 No.
#NHL 20 COVER PS4#
That includes its September release date on PS4 and Xbox One, new battle royale mode, cover star, and much more. EA released a lot of details about NHL 20, and to help make sense of it all we've broken it down by section into the key categories of things you need to know. It appears to be one of the biggest and most substantial changes to the NHL series in years. The developer is promising some big changes for this year's instalment across gameplay, presentation, modes, and more. NHL ONES Upgrades – You can now play ONES in local multiplayer.ĬHEL Challenges – New weekly in-game events that you can play for rewards, character CP and other rewards.During the NHL Awards on Wednesday night in Las Vegas, EA Sports officially announced NHL 20, the next entry in its hockey video game series. You can play with up to 81 players in an elimination tournament to earn bragging rights. Hockey Ultimate Team Icons – There are new playable hockey icons that you can collect, bringing the roster up to over 400 players.Įliminator Mode – A new way to play NHL ONES or NHL THREES. You will see squads created by NHL players, musicians, hockey influencers and superstar athletes from other sports.
#NHL 20 COVER OFFLINE#
Hockey Ultimate Team Squad Battles – You can now play Squad Battles, a favorite mode from FIFA, that will let you compete in offline battles for big rewards. Upgraded Broadcasting – You’ll get a new play by play and new color commentary as well as upgraded scoreboards, overlays and motion graphics to bring you deeper into the game. New Goaltender AI – Smart goaltenders will do a better job evaluating the threats and positioning to better defend the goal. This also allows you to keep the skating pace while picking up the puck, taking shots and passing.
This is most evident when you look at Superstar players with distinct swing styles. Speed and Shooting Upgrades with RPM – The new RPM-Tech delivers a new look to players and animations.
Here’s a look at the new NHL 20 features. EA shares a collection of new NHL 20 features that players were able to test out in the Open Beta, and that you can expect to see in the game this fall.