More problems arise when players use the right thumbstick to hold the puck away from their bodies. Even while on the powerplay, this play, and others like it, are in the realm of fantasy to achieve because there are no lanes to pass, and pucks always magically end up on an opposing stick no matter the tactics used to get away from them. This one-timer play is impossible to execute in NHL 21 with any consistency.

If the game wants to highlight Ovechkin, his ultimate signature move is the one-timer from his office at the top of the left circle. When players are on the offensive side of the ice, they circle a lot, but not to a particular spot. When players break out of their zone, they have no purpose. In All-Star and Superstar levels, it should feel closer to an actual NHL game. In keeping with the Be A Pro mode, playing each game feels like a mess where players continuously bump into each other, and they never generate any speed to make a play. It's an action so simple that NHL players, and even amateurs, can basically do it in their sleep - but it becomes an impossible task from the easier Rookie to challenging Superstar levels.

Another example is breaking out of the defensive zone, which should be a simple pass from the defenseman to the waiting forward in the slot to move to the neutral zone. If players manage to get lucky enough to cross the blue line, the action in front of the net is the same as a rugby scrum with no room to make any plays. For example, in Be A Pro, playing in All-Star mode, there is no moment where multiple opponents are not breathing down players' necks, stripping away pucks that no player should have any right doing in the NHL. NHL 21 has enormous issues with how an enjoyable hockey game looks and should feel on the ice no matter the difficulty level. Related: NHL 94 Rewind Revives Beloved Retro Classic With Updated Rosters In saying all of that, if the original copy is broken, then each subsequent copy will be equally, if not more, broken, and that's the case here, as the NHL series remains stagnant throughout another year. Some new features that NHL 21 is touting are the revamped Be a Pro mode, HUT Rush, and some new player moves like slip dekes and 'The Michigan' lacrosse goal. Putting those shiny new features aside and looking at the game itself in all its soul-crushing glory first, it is, quite simply, a clone.

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