Each year, EA Canada rolls out a new bag of tricks for its NHL franchise, and NHL 20 is no exception. While last year was all about the Real Player Motion Technology and NHL Ones, this year focuses on building up the former with the all-new Signature Shots.
The idea behind Signature Shots is that it should allow for more player immersion while playing. We’ve all had our player-controlled skater turn their body awkwardly from their smooth-skating animation to pull off a shot type that just doesn’t work from that position on the ice. According to an NHL 20 blog post, the Signature Shots should drastically improve on that.
“NHL 20 introduces the next major innovation in RPM Tech-powered gameplay with signature shots. Your favorite NHL stars now look and feel truly authentic with the trademark shooting-styles you recognize from the real world. Additionally, over 45 new contextual shot animations make shooting more lifelike as players use new tools to get the puck on net.”
In addition to the 45 new shot animations, 18 players are going to get their own. Auston Matthews, the NHL 20 cover athlete was a no-brainer, but as a Vancouver Canuck fan, I’m more interested in hearing if Brock Boeser will have his own custom animation. Knowing EA Canada is Burnaby, B.C., you’d think that they’d give the local team a bit of love, but only time will tell.
If you’re itching to see the new Signature Shots at work, be sure to watch the trailer embedded in this post. EA Canada doesn’t just cover the shooting, but also goaltenders and improved transitions. It’s a big breath of fresh air for a series that has spent far too long building new modes and not enough time on the gameplay that powers them. NHL 20 is looking like a good one so far.