Hockey fans have poured countless hours into EA's line of NHL video games. Thanks to the creation of the Be a Pro mode, fans have been able to live out their dreams of rising through the ranks to become an NHL star. NHL 14 aims to take that experience to an entirely new (and potentially nonsensical) level.
EA has introduced Live the Life mode, a feature which will allow fans to interact with the virtual versions of themselves away from the rink. No longer will the action end when the clock hits zero. You'll now have to focus on how your player handles himself in the media, with fans and with their organization.
Interviews, off-ice events, endorsements, fan likability, teammate and management likability and family likability are all areas the user will have to worry about in addition to their virtual pro's performance on the ice. All of your actions away from the rink will impact your play out on the ice.
Will this new mode be a hit with gamers? We'll have to wait and see, but it is an interesting twist on a now familiar concept. The key here will be how EA handled the new Live the Life mode. Depth is critical. It's easy to imagine interview questions and answers becoming repetitive and tedious after extensive play. The mode might be fun at first, but it may lose its luster as players figure out what they need to do/say to con the system.
NHL 14 arrives on September 10th.
