Depending on where you grew up likely has somewhat of an impact as to whether or not you’re a hockey fan. For me, it was never a sport that I followed. It was only after I went to a few games that I became more interested in the game. I mean, what’s not to love? It’s a fast-paced, aggressive sport that so many people cherish across the globe. After going to a few games in person, I started getting into hockey video games as well, including this past year’s NHL 20.
Whereas football I know all the ins and outs of the game, my knowledge of hockey is minimal, to say the least. While I’ve picked up on certain rules and regulations, I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to the sport. (Why is elbowing a penalty? You can punch someone in the face, but god forbid you use your elbow to check someone?)
That being said, I like hockey and enjoy the video games because they are quick, fun, and violent—I don’t need to know every aspect of the sport to have fun. For those of you like me who just want to wreak havoc and have a good time, I’ve written this article explaining which NHL 20 settings to change that will help you amp up the physical nature of the game without spending all that time in the penalty box.
Overall Settings – That’s puck to you
For NHL 2020, there are a number of different gameplay presets that can be used to start the game. Players can choose either Arcade, Traditional, Competitive, or Full Sim. These presets come with particular settings for game rules, period length, and gameplay sliders that will offer a different playing experience based on what is selected.
NHL 20 Gameplay Presets Options
While these are good starting points, these settings can be adjusted further to your liking. While I had the difficulty set to semi-pro, I bumped it up higher after discovering it was too easy for my liking. Each setting has its own unique intent from fast arcade play to realistic simulation.
Do whatever works best for you. Maybe you feel more confident to play on a more difficult level. Or maybe you’re like me and want a challenge, but don’t want it to be excruciatingly tough to win a game. Either way, you know your skill set better than anyone, so the choice is up to you. You can always adjust these settings later.
Rules – Throw them all out the window
I have never been one who has historically messed with gameplay sliders in sports games. Besides occasionally turning off “offsides” in football games when I was younger to get some more sacks or have a better chance to block a field goal, I’ve pretty much left them alone. Typically, I just messed with the overall gameplay settings and difficulty.
As for rules here, though, I suggest setting the whistle to relaxed and turning the fighting all the way up. I also turned icing and offsides all of the way off while leaving injuries on. This will help make fights more likely to occur in game. Penalty scaling determines how long a player will spend in the penalty box for committing a penalty. I left mine at a two, but if you don’t want to be penalized for the few ones you might get, this can be turned down to zero.
A list of the Gameplay Sliders Settings for Penalties in NHL 20.
As for the actual gameplay sliders, adjust them each as you see fit. The main thing I suggest is to turn all the penalties for “human” players to 0. If you don’t want any penalties called, then turn it off for the CPU as well; however, I still wanted a little realism, so I left these where they are.
I still am not completely sure if turning them to 0 completely turns the penalties off or if it just makes it very, very unlikely to get a penalty called. Also, note that if you are playing in certain game modes, if you commit a penalty then switch your player, that penalty still might be called if you leave penalties as is for the CPU. Regardless of your choice, I have found that this allows for better gameplay for me, since I don’t understand all the rules of hockey. I just want to body check people into oblivion, win fights, and score goals without repercussions.
The Results – A Violent Arena for Fun
If you make these simple changes as I did above, you can make NHL 20 a more relaxed and fun play. Without having to worry about your gameplay slowing down after committing a penalty or the game being too confusing for you, you are free to get into the game as you please. Doing so creates a violent arena for fun where you can easily take out opponents without repercussion.
There are many ways to play sports games. Some like a challenge while others just want to have a good time. While I enjoy hockey, I am not an avid fan as I am of other sports. Again, if you’re an avid hockey fan or expert at NHL games, these changes aren’t for you. But for those new to the series or the sport, I believe these adjusted settings could give you the best playing experience you could possibly ask for. If you want to try these settings out for yourself and don’t have the game, NHL 20 can be purchased on the EA website for PS4 or XB1.
Sports fans have all sorts of game setting preferences. What are some of your favorite changes you’ve made in sports games? Feel free to comment below or start a thread in our forum.
