Plain and simple, the game delivers. It’s not going to blow your mind in the way you think it should, but that’s exactly how EA Sports wants it. Like the forgotten rookie flying under the radar with an 80-point season, it’s impressive, but only if you know what you’re looking at.
I am currently in season 6 of my "franchise mode". I love being able to play the farm team as well. In franchise mode, you must manage and balance the NHL Team, the minor league team (optional), salary cap, draft picks, and the arena. I find managing and maintaining the arena a frustrating part of the game. You can also change the difficulty level of the opponent. I love this game. There is always a challenge.
With some new depth, the already strong NHL series has remained solid. The product on the ice is great in almost every aspect, but the feature set could still stand to add layers...That said, NHL 17 is still a game virtual hockey fans of all different levels should have in their collections. It’s fun and deep enough to provide long-term entertainment.
NHL keeps doing the same thing every year and that is a good thing. They have a strong formula that works which they keep interesting by adding new game modes and perfecting the game even more.
At the end of the day just playing a few matches in season mode is a lot of fun whether you want that deep experience or just want a simple arcade-like hockey game.
NHL 17 is providing an interesting experience, in spite of being classic and not really groundbreaking. Some new options will delight the fans and will enable them to enjoy their favorite sport.
One is tempted to cut & paste last year's verdict, but while the last year was fixing the mess, this one just polishes the well-frozen ice. [Issue#267]
Franchise mode is awesome. The AI gameplay tweaks have done the trick. Career mode and create a team are huge, detailed features. This game is as close to perfect as you can come, in my opinion.
At first I was impressed with this game but I am changing my glowing initial review. The more I've played it, the more I've realized it is lacking in many areas. Career mode is bush league when you compare it to NBA 2K or even FIFA 17's career modes. There is no story involved and the story is what makes any game -- even a sports game -- great. The hockey action is decent, a little better than the last instalment, but they need to put much more effort into career mode if they want to keep up with the best sports titles. RIght now EA's NHL franchise leaves you hoping 2K will jump in to develop a hockey game at long last. Don't get me wrong, it's hockey and it's fun to play but it could be so much better. I won't spend another 80 bucks on this game next year if they do not create a revamped and much improved career mode.
Needs a otp kick vote for s*** like Jordanbrak. Eashl and online is where it's at. Sports game don't care gbghu8i66666666666666666666666666666666666666666788898862122i.
Welcome to EA Sports Rec Hockey 17! We have included many new and fancy features that make NHL players look like your drunken uncle playing in a pond hockey tournament.
Key Features:
To make the game realistic, we've made sure that over half your team will be unable to catch a pass or make a pass. They also won't know how to play positions and seemingly follow each other around playing herd hockey like children. Want more? Oh you got it. We've made the goalies this weird mix of inhuman god/blind grandmother. This way, it's easier to score shooting from the red line than completing a perfect cross ice one-timer on a 2 on 0. Like big hits? We sure don't. Many rec hockey leagues are none contact so we've followed suit by removing any hit power that NHL players would have. Don't forget to work out your pointer finger before playing the game as you'll spend more time spamming poke check than actually skating. Seriously, just skate around tapping R1 on defense. Or, don't even play defense and watch as your defenseman seemingly block every pass and shot regardless of skill level. However, our favorite new feature involves the addition of weird rubber-attracting magnets to each player's stick. In this way, the puck will randomly stick to the wrong player at all times. You'll never know where it's gonna go! Much exciting! So real!
The good side:
Many of the modes that were in past NHL games are now present again. The roster of players is quite comprehensive. Gameplay in this iteration is atrociously bad at times but more slider options have made it somewhat fixable in offline modes. That's unfortunately about it... I gave this game a 4 because it's at least playable and the offline modes can be fun. Seriously EA, please remove your heads from your buttholes and realize that this is the least accurate NHL game yet. Next Gen has not been kind to many EA sports franchises and NHL is no exception.
EA is making really good work on making a game you can't enjoy. Online games and against AI there's no way to win if it's not your turn. Bots start getting penalties. No way to control your players. Passes go straight to opponent or it's icing. Trying to kill penalty? Well %###%% you. Attackers can stop slap shots that are chest high with their sticks and continue attacking.
Online games are just awful.
On the other hand. Games with friends in the same console it can be fun.
SummaryNHL 17 introduces three new modes that connect you to the sport to live out your hockey fantasy. The new Draft Champions mode introduces the fantasy draft with fast rounds of superstar picks. For the first time in EA SPORTS NHL history, the World Cup of Hockey game mode lets you take to the ice on a global stage and compete with your nat...