I’d wager that most Be a Pro fans, like me, tend to play aggressively in an effort to rack up gaudy stats. And in Be a Pro games, that dichotomy fits with the ethos of the mode, where you define what kind of player you are through your performance and play style on the ice.
The team/star framework makes sense in the context of hockey, which is so dominated by a team-first mentality that endless column inches have been dedicated to the idea that the sport would be more popular if the NHL could figure out how to market its stars better. The choices work far better for the in-game challenges than the other conversations. It’s a smart way to liven up a long-running element of the Be a Pro experience and make it feel so much more immersive. Instead of just getting a pop-up saying that your coach wants you to defend a lead, you’ll see an in-game cutscene of the coach calling you over to the bench and actually giving you that instruction. EA has integrated this conversation structure into Be a Pro’s existing Coach Challenge system. Your dialogue choices open up chances to boost your character’s skills and attributes. You can go a team route by choosing dialogue that follows your coach’s instructions to play within the system, or you can opt for the a star's path, putting your interests ahead of the team’s. Dialogue options (albeit without voice acting) will pop up in your player’s conversations with their coach or teammates, or interviews with the press, and all of them tend to be split into the two main paths that EA has set up. These new role-playing choices are designed to let you shape the kind of player you want to be and live the life of an NHL athlete off the ice, although the range of outcomes is limited.
The mode may look more like a RPG in NHL 21, with its new dialogue choices, but it’s sorely missing a more robust character creator with basic options like the ability to tweak skin tones and facial features.
The NHL series’ player creation suite remains essentially unchanged this year, which means that it’s still impossible for me to create a player who truly looks like my Indian self. Be a Pro’s introductory cutscene leads right into a familiar disappointment. And the more time I spent with the mode beyond that, the more it felt like the first year was an opulent facade on a creaky building. Yet the story, such as it is, ends up being limited almost entirely to your player’s rookie season in the NHL. The studio has now grafted narrative components of a sort in the mode, using flashy presentation elements like cutscenes and a radio show. That’s fine, but this year’s changes as significant as they appear to be just don’t go far enough in making the experience feel both new and improved in the end. It’s still about playing through the NHL career of a rookie player and improving their stats over time. NHL 21's EA hasn’t fixed basics of Being a Pro. It’s impressive at first but for just a season stretch, and fizzles after the very 1st season. But the long awaited refresh of fan-favorite mode ends up like a rookie created it. It’s NHL 21, EA reomoved it's career mode, to Be a Pro. NHL 21, EA reomoved it's career mode, to Be a Pro. This year, we’re introducing Ranked Seasons - where you’ll compete across each of the four modes to earn rewards and play in the new EASHL Club Finals. World of Chel makes it easier than ever to jump in, and play solo or connect with friends on your way to wins and rewards. Recognize Future with Be A Pro in NHL 21. Impress the front office, go early on draft day, and chase greatness as you earn your spot on the first line, compete for the Stanley Cup, and become the league’s next best. A brand new Be A Pro experience gives you the chance to live the life of an NHL player, on and off the ice.
Recognize Revolutionary with Gameplay in NHL 21. With innovative moves and massive improvements on both sides of the puck, players have more options than ever before to take control of the game and impose their playstyle on opponents. Recognize Revolutionary with Gameplay in NHL 21 has gotten smarter, faster and a whole lot flashier.