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Tribune News Service



NHL 17
EA Sports
3 stars
Improving on an annual sports game franchise is tough, especially when it’s got a solid base from the previous year. Developers clearly want to improve the game from year to year, enticing loyal players to drop about US$60 for more of a similar game.
EA Canada, the team behind NHL 17 (for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One), certainly put in work on various modes and gameplay systems. There’s no question this iteration has more to offer than last year’s solid model, NHL 16.
So why doesn’t 17 feel like the must-own replacement for 16? It’s not improved enough, even though it’s still pretty good.


The big additional modes this year are Draft Champions and World Cup of Hockey.
Draft Champions follows the model established in Madden last year, allowing players to quickly draft a team to play a few games and earn rewards for the returning Hockey Ultimate Team mode. Drafting is fast and fun, and this mode will be standard fare in all sports titles very soon.
World Cup of Hockey obviously ties into the rekindled NHL-affiliated international tournament that begins this month. The bummer is it lacks fanfare if you take your national team of choice all the way.

Franchise Mode technically is a new mode, but it’s really a replacement for Be a GM that adds total team control. Want to revert the Carolina Hurricanes to the Hartford Whalers? It’s doable – and for hockey fans older than 30, it’s necessary. The level of customisation to arenas and uniforms is deep, but a lack of custom logos is a bit of a disappointment.
Mainstay modes such as EASHL are back for online junkies, and the progression and customisation systems gives even more reason for you and your friends to keep playing.
Unfortunately, Be a Pro mode seems to have been lost in the shuffle after taking a step forward last year. NHL 17 is beginning to lag behind when compared to other sports titles’ comparable modes.
For all the effort that seemed to go into improving the arcade-like feel by which the NHL franchise occasionally is plagued, it still struggles to achieve simulation-level play. Scoring bonanzas are frequent despite improvements to goal tending. It’s rare to achieve a 3-1 final score, win or lose.
At least the on-ice trainer is as strong as ever for those who don’t play NHL religiously.
Don’t worry, NHL 17 is a solid experience. Just think through whether this year’s changes are worth it for you.


Game review: NHL 17 – good, but hardly an improvement on last year’s offering

NHL 17 – more of the same from the franchise.

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Ice hockey game NHL 17 is a solid experience but struggles to achieve both simulation-level play and any improvement on NHL 16


Game review: NHL 17 – good, but hardly an improvement on last year’s offering

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Ice hockey game NHL 17 is a solid experience but struggles to achieve both simulation-level play and any improvement on NHL 16

Ice hockey game NHL 17 is a solid experience but struggles to achieve both simulation-level play and any improvement on NHL 16