NHL 17 News Post

NHL 17 Beta Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here!

05:09 PM - July 27, 2016 by RaychelSnr

EA Sports today announced the arrival of the NHL 17 Beta, available now to NHL Insiders. So basically if you get the NHL Newsletter and if you signed up for the beta by July 7th, you can get it today -- a full 24 hours earlier than expected.

The Beta will be available to everyone else starting tomorrow and will last through August 4 and features several modes for you to get a kickstart on your upcoming season:

Hockey Ultimate Team: Build. Collect. Compete. The most played mode in EA SPORTS NHL gets even better! Introducing HUT Synergy, an all-new �Team Building� system designed to challenge the way you build and play as your Ultimate Team. Pair player strengths together to create synergy in your roster and grant perks across your lineups. The all-new HUT Dynamic Sets mechanic takes collecting to a new level that replicates the biggest real-world hockey moments. Collect sets to unlock rewards, including new thematic sets, to constantly build and improve your team. With Dynamic HUT Sets, if it happens hockey, it happens in NHL 17.
EA Sports Hockey League: Take your EA SPORTS Hockey League team to the next level and build your brand by completing games, and leveling up your player and team to unlock customization items. Give your uniform a unique look or use the all-new Arena Creator to build the home ice you�ve always wanted.
Online Versus: Play NHL 17 online in a one vs. one environment. Own Every Zone with more end-to-end control with authentic goalies featuring positional awareness and Reactionary Save Intelligence, all-new Net Battles for offensive and defensive zone play, and dozens of thrilling new goal celebrations.

EA Sports is seeking feedback and opinions from the community about your playtime with the Beta. Be sure to leave impressions and thoughts on what you are playing in the comments below!

Game: NHL 17Reader Score: 8/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS4 / Xbox OneVotes for game: 5 - View All

NHL 17 Videos

Member Comments

# 241 Gangrel @ 08/03/16 10:46 AM

I assume most of the new commentary is franchise specific, so there was no need to include it in the beta.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

# 242 speedtrucker @ 08/03/16 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djhallberg38


	Well, I respectfully disagree. We know they are holding back to a certain extent, if they only let you play online EASHL games. I like playing online, don't get me wrong, I think you experience more realistic outcomes and gameplay that way. However, I also enjoy playing my own season games in Franchise mode. It just would have been nice to see taste a little of the offline modes as well. I really hope your wrong about them not holding back on the presentation and celebrations, etc. Because if you are right, that means that there isn't a whole lot that has changed in that area and that would be disappointing.

They aren't limiting to just EASHL, there are other modes available in the beta

# 243 mikeq672 @ 08/03/16 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djhallberg38


	Well, I respectfully disagree. We know they are holding back to a certain extent, if they only let you play online EASHL games. I like playing online, don't get me wrong, I think you experience more realistic outcomes and gameplay that way. However, I also enjoy playing my own season games in Franchise mode. It just would have been nice to see taste a little of the offline modes as well. I really hope your wrong about them not holding back on the presentation and celebrations, etc. Because if you are right, that means that there isn't a whole lot that has changed in that area and that would be disappointing.

I really dont get how people can complain about presentation and celebrations when the gameplay is a train wreck. Also you can play EASHL, Versus, and offline and online HUT so not sure what youre talking about.

# 244 brandon27 @ 08/03/16 02:14 PM

Here's my impressions... I had initially posted this in the poll comments, but figured I'd put them here also with a little bit more info/rambling.

Personally, I found it to be the same as last year basically. There's a few things I've noticed that are different and come across as better, but overall, it's not anything extremely important. At least not for me, as an offline GM/franchise player.

Goalies do look better, their movements look a lot more natural, and better positioning etc. So, that's a plus.

My first game (HUT against the CPU, because as I said, I'm an offline player and that's the only way the Beta would allow me to play the CPU) the CPU took about 5 penalties. I was excited. The next two games I played, No CPU penalties. Huh?

Played 3 games, won 5-3 (w/an empty netter), 4-2, then 6-0.

Visually, it's still very nice to look at. I found it... smoother though. Could be that I haven't played hockey in a while on my X1, but it seemed to move a lot better, like the frame rate was much better. Maybe I'm crazy.

The CPU AI seems a bit more aggressive if I just come up ice and carry in to the zone, but if you get around that one aggressive D-man, it's smooth sailing to the net quite a bit of the time.

For the talk about skating differences, it seemed the same to me.

Stick/net tie ups look pretty cool. I didn't figure out how to do it on my own, but saw the CPU doing it to my guys a lot. Adds a nice touch.

Did I mention goalies looked and played better/more realistically? Because they do, and it's cool to see.

Player AI/CPU guys seemed a bit better/more aware defensively, but not a huge improvement, they don't play like their CPU team counterparts IMO.

Speaking of the CPU players, they still have moments of super human abilities. Whether it be speed, enhanced puck control, or lack of physics/momentum on their agility. They seem to be able to move quicker, accelerate quicker,, turn quicker/sharper than my own player or AI controlled players. Which is no real surprise for me with the NHL series as of late.

I know the beta is mostly centered around online play. So me playing strictly against the CPU probably isn't that helpful of an impression, but I just refuse to play this game online, and most sports games in general because of the way some people choose to play them. So, hopefully the player vs CPU Hut mode that was in the beta isn't fully reflective of the final version.

At this point, did I enjoy it? Yeah. I mean, EA's NHL can be fun to play if you're willing to overlook some of it's issues, and lets face it, as players, we all know them and are used to those issues by now because they never seem to go away fully, but if you can overlook them, you can play a fun game of hockey. It may not be fully representative of what you see in a real NHL game, but it can be fun and enjoyable as long as you don't let the frustrations kill it for you.

Also, goalies are improved, and it's awesome.

Bottom line for me... It's not getting a pre-order for me this year. I'm going to wait until the EA Access trial on the full game later in the year, then make my decision on buying or not when I see how things are affected with sliders, and get a good look at how GM mode is since that's where I spend all my time.

# 245 CanuckJ @ 08/03/16 04:03 PM

I got a chance to play it this morning and I enjoyed it (won 5-2), didn't really seem all that different from NHL 16 to me but I enjoy NHL 16 so that's a non issue.

I was fooling around with the create-a-team feature and it's really cool, they FINALLY added some new custom logo's which is what I've wanted for years and adding different font's is a nice touch. I like how I can customise all the colours on the jerseys which is something I've also wanted for years from EA seeing is that feature was on wayne gretzky hockey back on PS2 so I've always known it was possible.

If I were to create a team in franchise mode does anybody know if that same team will carry over if I buy the full game?

# 246 speedtrucker @ 08/03/16 04:15 PM

No it won't. Beta stats etc will not carry over.

# 247 scitychamps87 @ 08/03/16 06:35 PM

I have to say, full disclosure, I have bought every single EA NHL game since NHL 08. I have played 2k's NHL games as well. After playing the beta in head to head and HUT, the subtle changes that EA made to various aspects of the gameplay including defense, goaltending, skating, and teammate AI have absolutely transformed the game. These subtle changes intensify when in conjunction with each other. Presentation is slightly improved in terms of crowd noise and smoothness. However, I still do not feel Doc Emrick is being used to his full potential. Overall, this is a better game and will yet again be a day one purchase for me.

# 248 Simple Mathematics @ 08/03/16 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandon27


	Here's my impressions... I had initially posted this in the poll comments, but figured I'd put them here also with a little bit more info/rambling. Personally, I found it to be the same as last year basically. There's a few things I've noticed that are different and come across as better, but overall, it's not anything extremely important. At least not for me, as an offline GM/franchise player. Goalies do look better, their movements look a lot more natural, and better positioning etc. So, that's a plus. My first game (HUT against the CPU, because as I said, I'm an offline player and that's the only way the Beta would allow me to play the CPU) the CPU took about 5 penalties. I was excited. The next two games I played, No CPU penalties. Huh? Played 3 games, won 5-3 (w/an empty netter), 4-2, then 6-0. Visually, it's still very nice to look at. I found it... smoother though. Could be that I haven't played hockey in a while on my X1, but it seemed to move a lot better, like the frame rate was much better. Maybe I'm crazy. The CPU AI seems a bit more aggressive if I just come up ice and carry in to the zone, but if you get around that one aggressive D-man, it's smooth sailing to the net quite a bit of the time. For the talk about skating differences, it seemed the same to me. Stick/net tie ups look pretty cool. I didn't figure out how to do it on my own, but saw the CPU doing it to my guys a lot. Adds a nice touch. Did I mention goalies looked and played better/more realistically? Because they do, and it's cool to see. Player AI/CPU guys seemed a bit better/more aware defensively, but not a huge improvement, they don't play like their CPU team counterparts IMO. Speaking of the CPU players, they still have moments of super human abilities. Whether it be speed, enhanced puck control, or lack of physics/momentum on their agility. They seem to be able to move quicker, accelerate quicker,, turn quicker/sharper than my own player or AI controlled players. Which is no real surprise for me with the NHL series as of late. I know the beta is mostly centered around online play. So me playing strictly against the CPU probably isn't that helpful of an impression, but I just refuse to play this game online, and most sports games in general because of the way some people choose to play them. So, hopefully the player vs CPU Hut mode that was in the beta isn't fully reflective of the final version. At this point, did I enjoy it? Yeah. I mean, EA's NHL can be fun to play if you're willing to overlook some of it's issues, and lets face it, as players, we all know them and are used to those issues by now because they never seem to go away fully, but if you can overlook them, you can play a fun game of hockey. It may not be fully representative of what you see in a real NHL game, but it can be fun and enjoyable as long as you don't let the frustrations kill it for you. Also, goalies are improved, and it's awesome. Bottom line for me... It's not getting a pre-order for me this year. I'm going to wait until the EA Access trial on the full game later in the year, then make my decision on buying or not when I see how things are affected with sliders, and get a good look at how GM mode is since that's where I spend all my time.

Thank you for this great review. I am an offline/franchise gamer as well, so this was very useful for me.

From what I am gathering from most of the reviews, the small improvements are very welcomed, but it doesn't seem like they made that large of a difference. I am still very interested to see what the 100-point sliders can do. That is the major selling point for me this year.

# 249 speedtrucker @ 08/04/16 09:47 AM

Again another 5 games last night and only 1 game with >3 goals, a 2-1 OT win. The other 5 were 7-5, 3-6, 1-4, 5-2, 6-5...

The AI goalies have more animations but they are constantly being beaten with high cross-body shots on fly-bys and extremely soft wristers from the blue-line.

Additionally the new tactic we saw is this;
Face-off tie-up
Outside winger tries to win the tie-up
Inside winger skates backwards to far post.
If outside winger wins puck- perfect tape-to-tape pass
Goalie is so out of position outside winger has easy open goal.
We had maybe 1/3 of the goals against us scored this way, despite every attempt to block the passes.

# 250 actionhank @ 08/04/16 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simple Mathematics


	Thank you for this great review. I am an offline/franchise gamer as well, so this was very useful for me. From what I am gathering from most of the reviews, the small improvements are very welcomed, but it doesn't seem like they made that large of a difference. I am still very interested to see what the 100-point sliders can do. That is the major selling point for me this year.

Same here. I've been disappointed in the videos I've seen so far. Too much braindead AI back on defense, still.

But, the sliders have the potential to really shape the game.

# 251 brandon27 @ 08/04/16 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedtrucker


	Again another 5 games last night and only 1 game with >3 goals, a 2-1 OT win. The other 5 were 7-5, 3-6, 1-4, 5-2, 6-5... The AI goalies have more animations but they are constantly being beaten with high cross-body shots on fly-bys and extremely soft wristers from the blue-line. Additionally the new tactic we saw is this; Face-off tie-up Outside winger tries to win the tie-up Inside winger skates backwards to far post. If outside winger wins puck- perfect tape-to-tape pass Goalie is so out of position outside winger has easy open goal. We had maybe 1/3 of the goals against us scored this way, despite every attempt to block the passes.

This was money last year too.

# 252 nddurst @ 08/04/16 10:59 AM

For me, this beta is still not enough of a replication of real NHL hockey for me to justify buying this game.

Neutral zone pressure is still mostly non-existent.

Defensive AI is still lacking, albeit improved, and the lack of proper board play and tie ups (in places other than in front of the net) really kill the realism for me.

I simply have no fun playing a game that is skate north, shot attempt. Skate south, shot attempt. Repeat until game is over.

It's possible the plethora of sliders (if they work) could fix some of these issues, but until I see/read proof of that being the case, NHL 17 will unfortunately be a pass for me. That would be 4 out of the past 5 iterations I would not be purchasing. (I broke down and bought NHL 16 last year, and stopped playing after about 2 weeks.)

I should add that I play primarily offline against the AI. I don't care for playing this game online.

# 253 speedtrucker @ 08/04/16 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandon27


	This was money last year too.

Strange, guess our defense was just better in 16 because we didn't have this frequency of face off goals.

On a separate note, our top scorer in 16 had 80-ish goals in around 20 seasons of EASHL. He has almost 40 in about 20 games in the beta EASHL.

# 254 Caniac94 @ 08/04/16 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nddurst


	For me, this beta is still not enough of a replication of real NHL hockey for me to justify buying this game. Neutral zone pressure is still mostly non-existent. Defensive AI is still lacking, albeit improved, and the lack of proper board play and tie ups (in places other than in front of the net) really kill the realism for me. I simply have no fun playing a game that is skate north, shot attempt. Skate south, shot attempt. Repeat until game is over.

This is what I was afraid of and if that's the case this will definitely not be a buy for me at least not initially. I'm mainly an offline gamer but I would like to give EASHL a try this year since I'll be moving to a place with great internet next week. Aside from that I don't see any reason to get the game this year. Without neutral zone pressure and AI that doesn't properly know how defend and gap up it's pretty useless for me to play. There's a lot of simple things missing from this game that resembles real world hockey that could be a game changing thing.

# 255 Gerg04 @ 08/05/16 01:23 PM

I love the unpredictability of passes/lose and bouncing pucks. While not perfect its way better than in the past.

Repeating myself here but it's worth it: the offensive zone play back against the blue line is phenomenal. Should've been fixed long ago, yes, still very well-done and welcomed.

Not a perfect game. Definitely an improved and different game from 16'.

Sadly, for all the improvements, the AI is still horrendous at times.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

# 256 brandon27 @ 08/05/16 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedtrucker


	Strange, guess our defense was just better in 16 because we didn't have this frequency of face off goals. On a separate note, our top scorer in 16 had 80-ish goals in around 20 seasons of EASHL. He has almost 40 in about 20 games in the beta EASHL.

I should have clarified though... it was money against the CPU last year too. It got to the point where if you had a good faceoff man, you'd just push forward, the winger sweeps in to get the puck you can either pass it off to the other winger, or a quick deek on the goalie and it was in the back of the net on a regular occurrence while the D men would just spectate. I assume you're talking about online though. However I've done it just as easy in HUT games against the CPU. The D is a bit more effective this year, but not much.

# 257 stevostl @ 08/09/16 02:29 PM

beta turned off today?

EASHL was hopping online again

it seems this mode might be back this year and NHL is a worthy investment again

you can hit and score goals again now in the EASHL.. and one timers actually go in.. and goalies get beat

EASHL is fun again and back.. only reason to buy this game is for that for me

I will never touch another mode besides the EASHL... once you play it.. no other mode is even worth playing imo

EASHL in the NHL 17 beta gameplay is good! better than FIFA 16 Clubs... I hope they don't change much from the beta in terms of the EASHL.. if they don't.. they have will have hit again with the EASHL and it will be the best online sports mode to play

« Previous 1 2…5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1213Next »

More Links

NHL 17 Beta Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here!