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Re: NHL 19 Trial For EA Access Subscribers Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here
Simple review - this is the biggest leap I've EVER seen a sports game make in a year!
Gameplay - The skating, physics, puck pick-ups, collisions and hit changes are truly game changers.
Poke check spammers will now pay dearly for doing so. You have to play real hockey. Your positioning and timing are crucial in not tripping your opponent.
The AI is much improved. They actually use the boards to pass the puck! They seem to play much smarter than previous games. This includes offense and defense. They also finally actually commit penalties! Not too little and not too much! Great changes here. The sliders finally matter.
The physics make the puck kind of unpredictable (this is a great thing). The board play is much better because of the changes to physics, collisions, and hits. You can now push someone out of position and even make them lose the puck. There is a lot to see when it comes to collisions and hits. The little hits are where they should be and so are the big hits. Everything feels and looks very natural.
The skating has lived up to the hype. It just feels good. It feels and looks like actually skating on ice! The cuts, turns, and skating are the best we've ever seen!
Puck pick-ups are FINALLY very much revamped. You can finally pick up the puck and it feels natural. The new puck physics make it even better. It's not automatic or frustrating as it used to be. The puck is finally it's own object. You can have a little trouble picking up the puck by fumbling around with it, but in a true to life way. Basically, picking up, fumbling or missing the puck feels natural. It finally feels real and frustration free.
Positioning is very important in this game for every reason I listed. You have to play hockey. REAL hockey. This is definitely a SIM experience. It's honestly like playing a brand new hockey game that was built from the ground up.
Goalies still need a lot of love, but they are playing much smarter and better than they have ever played. I know it's not saying much. However, all the other gameplay changes make up for this. They need an overhaul, but it's good enough when combined with everything else.
This is the best hockey game ever made as far as gameplay.
Gameplay - 9
Game modes - I think NHL is on the right track as far as game modes go. I've been able to enjoy each game mode. Be A GM is a very solid mode it just needs more user control. If we could get that then I'd be elated! We need 32 team control as well as the choice of being a coach, player or owner. Basically, CFM. BUT! Don't get me wrong, the NHL team has done a great job of giving every fan something to enjoy. This game as far as game modes go is for every type of player. I would score this higher if Be A GM had the options I mentioned.
Game modes - 8.5
Features - We desperately need community files like Madden and 2K. Please give us custom rosters, sliders, and draft classes at minimum. Community files would be HUGE if it also had created teams, jerseys, logos (using a logo creation tool), and custom goalie mask.
Instead of reviewing what is in the game I had to make a wishlist instead. There's not much here this year.
Features - 5
Presentation - Needs a lot of love. The commentary is still bad. Why can't these guys have hundreds of names recorded already? I'm sick of hearing all the generic lines. Where is dynamic commentary? Where are more stat overlays? These things seem to remain almost completely untouched. Any changes are very subtle and lack substance.
We FINALLY have 5-man celebrations just like in real life. The celebrations are much better because they chose to be true to life. Which is always a good thing.
The menus are a breath of fresh air. It feels so smooth. This is extremely important because of EA NHL's history of very sluggish menus. The UI is beautiful. Saving the game doesn't feel like torture anymore. It's actually pretty quick.
The presentation is receiving a bump only because of the new celebrations, menus, and UI.
Presentation - 6
Graphics - The game definitely looks beautiful in 4K. The graphics won't blow you away, but they still look beautiful. Despite NHL 19 not being in HDR the colors still really pop and they look fantastic! The lighting and stadiums are well done. Player models and lack of face scans very much takes away some of the immersion factor. Because of the lack of player scans, this department will take a hit in my ratings. Even still, this game really pops and it's absolutely beautiful.
Graphics - 7.5
Customization - This isn't getting as much love as it should. Player creation and editing are still meh. Didn't expect much change this year, but was hoping it would with the new game mode. The limited amount of logos and preset goalie mask are very depressing. We desperately need a logo creation suite like 2K for example. There isn't enough variety of logos or goalie mask. I'm tired of the limited amount of logos and mask. Give us at LEAST 5 EA preset goalie mask for each team including all leagues and a creation suite like 2K. If not, I'll honestly take either one at this point. Again, it would be HUGE if these things could also be shared in community files. This has potential, but there's just not much different this year.
Customization - 7.5
Final thoughts - This game really shines when it comes to gameplay and a variety of game modes. Are there fixes needed in these areas? Absolutely, but it's a very good foundation. As I mentioned, the lack of presentation, features, and customization is holding the game back. However, the gameplay, Be A GM and the variety of game modes makes up for it quite a bit. The gameplay alone is enough to warrant a purchase. Though there's plenty of good game modes to keep you coming back. Anything else is icing on the cake. Especially, if you haven't bought NHL in a while. You'll be wowed if you bought this after many years of being absent. I buy it every year and so far I'm beyond wowed even with no break. Gameplay truly has made massive leaps in just a year. So much so that it really bumps the games score up. If you're a guy who likes SIM or even arcade hockey, it's absolutely a MUST buy.
Score - 8.5
Last edited by TheBuddyHobbs; 09-08-2018 at 09:38 AM.
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09-06-2018, 04:48 PM
