Trying to do this while I work is a little difficult. I get like 5-10 words in before the next call. This is going to take me an hour to write a few minutes post.
End post edit: This took me TWO hours, stupid work.
darthtiki said:
This is a stupid little bitch, but where the hell are the Ducks throwbacks? Overall the game kicks ass
You mean the Mighty Ducks Jerseys? Those logos are actually owned not by the NHL but by Disney, so you will never see them in a video game unless they somehow get imported or something via a third party. Sucky isn't it?
Now then, I got around to playing Be A GM and got through a full month of games even. Which for me is amazing and speaks a lot about the game, since I like stopping and going. There are certain things you can change, like how many points you get from the overtime loss, whether you want East vs. West or North America vs. The World for the All-Star game, how many penalties, etc. I like these little options to personalize these things. You can also swap out any team you'd like with a custom, or international team (if you wanna make the NHL really World Hockey League). One feature I really like, is the fact you can choose the length of how long your GM stint will be. 5 being the lowest, 25 being the most. You can also choose if you can be fired or not to make it GM or Owner mode.
I like the fact that you start at the draft, so you can draft the way you want. Though you would think that they would have the proper draft class for the first year. Though I guess they don't want to mess with things, though if you get the latest roster updates you'll need to by pass the draft. And by latest, I mean like right before the season begins. Thankfully it gaves you that option.
Though it really needs to be timed, the draft was easy to navigate. Its not as polished though as Madden's, though it at least functions well. The thing you need to watch out for though is just because has 8.0/10 for offense, 7.5/10 for defense and 8.0/10 for offense means how well off they are in those categories. You can still draft a terrible potential player if you aren't careful. Though I managed to draft 6 players who either had B or B-.
Unlike the NFL draft, you can find some damn fine gems after the draft. I got 3 players who were A- in potential after the draft. Though one player I picked up I think was a draft pick in the first round.
After finishing with the draft, you need to sign your draft picks, re-sign any players who are free agents, and buy-out of any contracts you don't wanna keep paying. You have a week to manage this and then you will hit free agency portion. Just remember you don't need to fill up all 48 roster spots. Your AHL team should be filled with your draft picks, but the team will also get filled up with free agents as well. So don't fret too much. Just make sure that any team you field is above the salary cap floor by October 1st, otherwise the game will do whatever is necessary to get you to the salary cap floor. Buyouts are spread out over a 2-6 year period. Depending on the players contract, you may be paying for a short period or long period, so you need to watch yourself. You'll also be told by a chart how much damage you'll take, how much you can afford to take, etc.
The free agency makes you scream in bloody murder. In a good way. There are players who many have a high interest in signing with you, but if you've got a ton of people at a certain position, they will say that they won't sign with you because there's no guarentee of cracking the line up. You can also get turned down by a player if you try offering them a contract that doesn't meet what they are looking for, though I hadn't managed to make someone sign with me for less than what they were looking for. I'm looking at you Marc-Andre Bergeron. Also there's tons of players on the free agency, so you can usually find some player who will fit what you are looking for. Though that doesn't guarentee that they will be good for you...
If you are like me and like to make your team your own, you can piss off every other GM out there by trading away established stars for what they consider to be less than quality returns and to devalue your own team. This will ruin your reputation and you'll have a harder time making trades and getting even deals. Since you start out with a GM Reputation of 1, you'll start off with two Blackberries, and you can build up to 5. The more you have, the more offers will come in and more people will be willing to trade to you and how much you'll get back. Even though you start off with two blackberries, you might as well have one, because your current GM Reputation will mean only your club's friends will trade with you for a good deal. The others will either not be listening to you, or trying to screw you royally. The trade rumors and block become essential in finding a really good partner.
Speaking of the trading block, this feature is the best thing I've seen in a long time. I've always complained that I could never tell the CPU what exactly I'm looking for. Now you can specify what you have surplus of (offense, defense, or athleticism) and what you need of, followed by how willing you are trade away or pick up youth/prospects (23 or younger), prime aged (26-32), or vets (33 over). You also get the choice of whether its a centre, winger (why do we even care left or right?), defensemen, or goalie. If you aren't sure of what your needs are, or don't really feel like filling it out, you just need to click triangle (I believe) followed by hitting L3 and it'll let the automated coach set it up. And trust me when I say it does the job in setting up so you don't need to worry.
However I wouldn't recommend trying to use it to set your lines. If you try setting the lines via the computer it'll move players through waivers and back to fix it to best lines for both your NHL and AHL teams. And if you lose a player via waivers, you do end up paying half the cost of the players salary still, so you'll need to watch for that. You can also set up for both teams how each team plays, though you should always set it to the strengths of your players. Most of my players on my AHL team are grinders, so a good style for most lines would be Behind The Net. You can also set up your defensive settings as well as power play and penalty kill. You can also set up the type of forecheck even (if you want to know how to forecheck trap style, its 1-2-2 Low). Thankfully they all explain what each one does, and you even get a little diagram to explain how it works.
As an off note, I'll also mention that you can get those same little diagrams happening while you play the game. I'm not sure how to get it to occur, I think I did it by accident, but its a pretty cool feature. It lets you know where to go, which spots are high scoring places (you'll see a circle), and you'll even be able to tell when you either change direction or make a pass. Very helpful if you aren't too familiar with how some plays work. It'll also help you learn the best spots to shoot for goals and when to pass. Which is always a bonus.
I'm probably forgetting a bit, but the Be A GM mode actually feels like being a GM. I even accidently simmed two games and didn't really mind, which is like the first time for me. Actually, I even liked the fact that although I'm running a very weak team, as long as I manage the strengths I can still win games. Currently my Hamilton Rebels sit 8th in the Western Conference with a record of 9-6-3. Now before you go "what? how come there are only 3 places for stats" its because its now W-L-OTL.
I must say that this is the most fun I've had with a sports game's franchise mode in a long time.
