Now, I don’t mean to sound like a big ‘ol Electronic Arts (EA) basher.  They make some great games, from the phenomenally polished and unconditionally fun Burnout series to the hot-selling Madden titles.  They are the game developer and publisher to watch year in and year out, and as a result, they own most of the marketplace.  That makes them very popular and very rich, and in some cases that seems to be affecting the level of quality placed in some of their titles.

Let me reiterate: I am not anti-EA.  Heavens knows there are many such individuals out there (mostly in wake of their purchase of the NFL license and subsequent elimination of any competition).  But, they’re getting sloppy.  My most recent purchase for my Xbox 360 was NHL 07, a game that has become a September preseason purchase tradition since the days of Genesis and Super Nintendo.  I’m certainly not the only Canadian or hockey-loving American to continue with this traditional buy in the autumn months, and that’s what’s so sad about some of the steadily decreasing value being placed in the NHL titles.

Here’s why I’m ticked.  Last night Gizmo editor Wayde and I sit down to a good ‘ol bout between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs.  Without a doubt the greatest rivalry in hockey and arguably the greatest in sports, it’s a matchup that is sure to be played out on many consoles this fall.  However, it didn’t take long for some strange technical issues to railroad our attempt at an enjoyable hockey game.

Not long into the first period, Mr. Saku Koivu, captain of the Montreal Canadiens, takes a wrist shot, which was duly stopped by Toronto goaltender Andrew Raycroft.  The latter wisely holds the puck with Canadiens players buzzing all around.  Thus, an offensive zone faceoff for Montreal is the result, and both Wayde and I prepare for the draw. 

However, when the screen comes back for the faceoff, much to our surprise there are no centers to take it!  Even more absurd is the fact that there are now TWO goalies in the Toronto net, with Raycroft playing directly in front of backup goaltender Michael Tellqvist.  Once the puck is dropped, more insanity ensues.  The puck flies – like a spooked little black mouse – across the ice to the Toronto center who is now in the neutral zone.  When the Canadiens recover the puck and return to the Maple Leafs’ zone for an offensive chance, the two goalies remain, making it quite difficult to score!

Although the next whistle returned Toronto’s relief goaltender back to the pine, subsequent stoppages in play throughout our game saw Toronto’s backup return, with the exact same situation following. 

To be fair, EA is trying some new features this year with the Xbox 360 version of NHL 07 (which is what we played).  A new physics engine means that goals are generally more realistic and the puck ricochets and deflects in ways that are entirely new to the series and refreshing for hockey fans tired of impenetrable goalies.  But, this impenetrable?!  Other sites have reported on awkward goals and strange goaltender behavior, but thus far no one seems to have run into our problem.

What do we ask?  That EA take some time with its product and play-test popular gaming circumstances.  When making a hockey title, developers should be pretty sure that a multi-player game between Montreal and Toronto is going to go down.  That’s a given.  Now, make sure it’s polished. 

NHL 07 may not show the same profits that the Madden NFL games provide Electronic Arts.  Still, the company charges the same amount for each title, and thus, should provide the same quality.

Am I right?  If anyone has experienced similar problems in NHL 07 or EA games, please let us know.