Phlyercrawtch

I just wanted to submit some feedback on the Beta from a goalie standpoint (I started playing in NHL 16 and found that game to be VERY buggy from the goalie position) and have to say I'm thoroughly impressed so far. Here is my list of pros and cons: Pros: - In NHL16 the goalie post to post was VERY glitchy. Sometimes you would hug a post, and attempt to slide to the other only to have your goalie do a 360, or move to the top of the crease in the post hugging position. I have to say that this is no longer the case. I found the post play very smooth, and they even slide at a decent rate allowing you to defend against those guys who reverse direction behind the net constantly. - Nicer goalie movement (for the most part). If you watch the computer goalies, they can move around their crease with relative ease and it looks so smooth. The player goalie needs to be inched across and it's almost like they're moving from block to block, not sliding seamlessly. It is definitely much better than 16 however, you can keep yourself in good position with relative ease. - Desperation saves work very nicely. I have to say that in NHL16 if you played against a team who was able to slide passes across the crease in front of you, you stood virtually no chance of reaching the puck. I've played roughly 60 games between drop ins and team play, and have to say that the goalies are actually MUCH more competitive against this type of play. It's a nice change, especially when you have defencemen who refuse to take the pass away. - The overall feel of being a goalie is much nicer in NHL17, you can actually have a bit of confidence knowing that you're going to be making that save if you are able to position yourself properly and read plays. Cons: - Falling on your arse and being unable to stand up easily. This bug is by far the worst for a goalie in my opinion. Sometimes your goalie will stretch out for a save and end up falling backwards onto his butt, and he's stuck. He doesn't shuffle, he doesn't roll to the side, he doesn't do anything. You have to push the "A" button as though you're going to skate out of the crease in order to get him to stand. This is a big problem if you're busy watching the play in front of you after making a save, and don't notice you've fallen into this position and can't react to a rebound. It would be nice if you could maybe have him roll onto his side by moving your left thumbstick at least. This way you can get up and back into the play. - Getting behind the net is still a challenge, you need to make quite a sweeping arc outside of your crease to actually get behind the net, otherwise you just run into the post and you're stuck leaving yourself vulnerable. - Goalie interference calls are still a nuisance. I know it often works in my advantage if a player lightly bumps me and they score around me, but sometimes it feels as though if the wind blows just right they'll get a penalty. It's frustrating for the players I'm sure, and it's really frustrating watching it happen to your team from the other end of the ice. Maybe there's a way to change the amount of contact necessary for a penalty? - I had one instance where my goalie was skating out of the crease and got frozen mid-stride. I couldn't turn, lay down, dive, anything. All I could do was hold "A" and continue skating forward until a whistle happened. Not sure why this was, and it only happened once, but it sucked. I have seen forwards freeze and drift into the boards on occasion and not be able to move as well. - Artificial-Retardation. The computer players are not smart, not even a little. If a player calls for a pass from a D-man behind my net, instead of wrapping it up the boards like a real player would, they fire it across my crease, off my pads, and sometimes to the opponent. As well, if a computer defenceman is facing a 2-on-1, they will never take away the pass like a smart D-man would, they simply hover in the center of the ice, and sometimes crash into me! That's a little ridiculous. You can't even adjust team strategies to help with this. It would be nice to see computer D who actually help out, not hinder a team. The Game In General I'm purely a goaltender in the NHL games now, and I have to say I LOVE it. This game is a major step forward in comparison to NHL16. - The arena customization is awesome, I think it'll be a hit when the full game launches, I love playing in the small "industrial" rinks like I grew up playing in. - The dressing room that you enter following a game with your team is a fantastic idea, making it much easier to friend and continue playing with solid linemates. - Being able to pre-select a position prior to launching an EASHL game is very nice, but you should add a "No Preference" option so if you don't really care you can find a game anyway. Because perhaps you want to play goalie, but can't find a game that needs one, but if you joined a game with no preference and a goalie quit the lobby, you could easily grab that spot, saving time. - The commentators, PLEASE CHANGE THEM. This is 3 or 4 years (maybe wrong?) with the same ones. Could we please get some new commentary as this just feels like recycled trash. It would help make the game feel more like an upgrade instead of a roster change as some people call it. I feel like the game is more fluid, there is no longer a glitch where if you join a drop-in game you need to pause or else the game freezes (THANK YOU!), and as I mentioned before, you can be confident as a goalie that most goals that do get by are usually a very good tip/deflection, you were out of position, or the shooter out-played you. I can't speak for the new player classes as I have yet to play a game out of the net, but I've heard great things. Overall I am very excited for the full release, and have to say thank you for the many upgrades we've seen so far. See you on the ice!