EA Sports NHL 25 released worldwide yesterday with multiple changes from NHL 24.
I had the opportunity to play the game early and wanted to share my thoughts on the newest game.
My opinions on the game will almost certainly change as the player count increases and patches are made throughout the year but my initial thoughts and rating are below.
Pros:
The most noticeable change as soon as you hop onto the ice is the improvement to skating. It feels significantly smoother and more fluid than last year.
Along the same lines the game speed has been slowed down, so far I have found this allows for more hockey plays, less speed bursting around players on the outside and more passing. This helps emphasize the difference between high and low overall players.
This along with the Reactive Actions has resulted in less collisions, weird and unintended animations/hitches while along the boards, and easier puck pickups.
Franchise Mode underwent some of the biggest changes in the history of the mode, and is significantly more immersive. The HUB is notably improved and the stat tracking is much more in-depth, giving players options and interactions they have not had in past iterations of the mode. Coaches being more animated and involved in cutscenes is a cool addition.
The high scoring setting allowing for players to put up ridiculous numbers is fantastic, and the new contract features are a phenomenal addition. The new conversation feature could become repetitive but is intriguing right now.
The AI is much improved, there has noticeably been less collisions in high-danger scoring areas. While they still do not always make the plays you want they are much more reactive compared to recent NHL games.
Hitting is much improved, it is not as easy as it was in NHL 24 and smaller players can no longer obliterate players significantly bigger than them. Body checking as a whole felt like a crutch last year but now requires players to be more strategic.
Similarly, stick lifts feel usable for the first time in awhile and are no longer automatic penalties.
The re-introduction of L2/LT as a viable option in both the offensive and defensive zones is a big improvement, some players may not be fans of L2/LT keeping your player locked on the net but like any new mechanic I think it will catch on throughout the year.
It is noticeable that this is the first NHL game to release on new generation consoles, the graphics are sharper and there are small cosmetic details that were not possible on older consoles.
So far during my in-game experiences the replay system has been much better at displaying the highlights of the game, I would like to see penalties in World of Chel shown after an infraction as opposed to defaulting to a scoring highlight.
Related: EA Sports NHL 25 Out Now
Cons:
Hockey Ultimate Team rewards and the XP Path do not seem worth the time, there are less rewards than previous years and not enough for the game time required to achieve them.
HUT does appear too tailored towards microtransactions and utilizing Pucks to unlock packs. Wildcard Mode is a good addition and will help those who do not have the time to commit to HUT but I am not sure it will be enough.
The Skill Based One-Timers are a great addition to the game but they are currently overpowered, it does seem that AI players are slightly biased towards setting up a one-timer in the offensive zone.
The Full Pressure System still favors the offensive team a little too much and CPU goalies are almost useless once Full Pressure is active.
EA Senior Creative Director Mike Inglehart and Senior Producer Chris Haluke explained to The Hockey News the difficulties of addressing each mode in a one-year development cycle, but it is still disappointing to receive no major updates to Be A Pro again.
Additionally, I think the game needs some kind of major addition to the presentation of the game to allow for a more varied playing experience, whether that be more unique intro scenes like what they are trying with Grudge Match or some kind of dynamic crowd noise/pressure situation like College Football 25.
Similarly, some kind of improved arena customization options that are visible during play would be a fun option for players.
I am personally not a fan of the goal celebrations that focus on an individual player while the rest of the team lingers in the background but I understand that the personalized celebrations cater to a certain audience.
Matchmaking in World of Chel has been extremely difficult, whether that is because of low player count or difficulties connecting with players in different regions remains to be seen but more consistency is needed.
Summary:
Ultimately the gameplay is significantly improved and in the best place it has been in several years, giving the game a strong base and an interesting core product. The game has the opportunity to improve with a few minor tweaks and with player feedback.
It is a good first entry into the new generation console-only cycle that sets up the game for more improvements in the future. The changes to skating and Franchise Mode can steadily be improved on game after game.
Initial Rating Score: 7.5/10
The Hockey News will do an updated NHL 25 review after the first significant update and when players have dedicated more time to the game.
NHL 25 Standard Edition is available for $89.99 CAD on the PlayStation and Xbox stores and wherever games are sold.
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