The NHL franchise has had quite a bumpy transition to current-gen consoles. Ever since NHL 15 came out for the PlayStation 4 with next to no unique features to distinguish it from previous iterations other than its less-than-stellar, albeit next-gen graphics, fans have been looking for that console's respective counterpart to the amazing entries in the series that were NHL 12 through 14. With EA Sports taking its latest stab at raising the bar in releasing NHL 18, you would think they would have the formula figured out, especially as this year's version focuses on one major theme: expansion.
However, I must say, as an avid fan of hockey who is still getting the hang of hockey strategy and has joined the rest of the hockey world in figuring out how important speed and possession of the puck really are in today's game, that the last thing I need when playing yet another sports game is a bunch of distractions from the inner workings of the game, which is not only very familiar with the same game I just bought on sale three months ago for less than a third of the price I paid on launch day for NHL 18, but it also has just downright rotten quality control compared to years' past. When one of the first things your friends notice when you play this game for the first time is the fact that #1 draft pick Nico Hischier's picture is noticeably absent from his own profile, rather than the wealth of new modes and features that it provides this year, it just goes to show how much EA focused on hyping up a bunch of stuff that no one really wanted, and how little attention EA paid to not only the fine details that would otherwise make this game feel complete as is, but also to the cries of their fans. And that, to me, is what makes this game ultimately feel like a disappointment, even if the Defensive Skill Stick and Franchise Mode are actually great concepts that make you wonder why no one thought about them before. And even if Threes has managed a solid attempt of putting a breath of fresh air into a franchise that had begun to feel a bit too familiar and stale with every season that came and went in recent years, it's just downright heartbreaking to see how sluggish the developer has been in fixing major issues during the opening weeks of this game's release.
As someone who has mainly been playing Franchise mode as the Boarders from Surrey, BC and actually simmed my way through the entire 25-year campaign, I thoroughly enjoyed my simming and general-managing experience solely because of how well Franchise Mode presents itself, in spite of some suspect trends when simming such as how my team would end the season with a 12-game winning streak and go 12-1 in the playoffs only to blow a 3-0 lead in the Finals, not to mention the spectacle of proposing highly skewed trades only to be presented with a stubborn, AI-controlled GM of an opposing team who thinks it somehow isn't worth giving up a player on their block when you've given them everything they asked for and then some - as a matter of fact, I think the AI in this game flat-out stinks at making fair trades, and I think I've robbed it and given away inferior assets for far better returns more than once. But all those thoughts about the game are drowned out when you have simmed through the game for so long in one sitting, that the game stutters and slows down while still in the Franchise menus before freezing.
To top it all off, when I finished building the Surrey Boarders into the hockey empire they eventually became in the virtual world, I decided to make another franchise and essentially see how hockey in Seattle would pan out. Lo and behold, the latest patch from EA - a patch that has yet to be patched itself for almost two weeks now - makes it impossible to start up Franchise mode with a custom team, unless you like crashing the game before you even get to write your GM's name. It's never a good thing to see when a patch actually introduces crippling issues into the game it was meant to patch. This issue would not be a detriment to the score of this review if it had been quickly remedied, but the fact that it has not been resolved as of writing this is simply negligent.
The gameplay hasn't been changed too much, aside from aforementioned Defensive Skill Stick, which allows your defender to extend your stick to as far as your selected player can reach. It also allows the defending player you're controlling to swing your stick around in order to bat away a stray, loose puck. Both these aspects of the Defensive Stick add a bit of depth into a game that has traditionally made it hard to defend good offensive players, and I personally think having good defense in a hockey game is never a bad thing, even if all you want to see is people scoring amazing goals. And there's still plenty of that in this game, too. I felt like the movement in this game was very different from last year's - skaters feel more sluggish out of the gates, but they feel more elastic and realistic in NHL 18, even if the puck tends to get loose a lot more easily in this year's edition. The AI still feels a bit cheap, as the opposing team always seems to know where the puck is and react instantly with big wrist shots and slap shots that always seem to evade traffic and end up in just the right place to beat my goaltender, even when the shooter is in front of a big crowd. But the presentation values in this game, although they're also very similar to NHL 17 as well, are enhanced by the fact that you can fine-tune just about everything in Franchise mode to your liking.
One additional disappointment in this game, however, is the efficiency of Matchmaking. For the first couple of weeks, it felt like I couldn't even get a proper game connected in anything other than Threes in EASHL. The few games I have played have been smooth in spite of my wireless Internet connection, but the fact that I paid for PS Plus only to struggle to get an online game going has been disheartening. Not to mention that there are a lot of features I can see EA putting in either future patches or in NHL 19, including but not limited to being able to play custom teams online, having 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 Online Matchmaking in regular games, and more settings to fine-tune in online matchups that are easier to tinker, such as how many Pauses one can have in a scrimmage. It's safe to say that, in spite of the new online features, that NHL 18 is lacking in this department.
A lot of the music is either generic or the exact same as it was in NHL 17. Next to no new licensed tracks have been introduced into the library, and what you end up with is a game whose music volume I keep down at 0. Some of the generic tracks are actually well thought-out, and can really enhance the atmosphere of, say, my own Surrey Boarders' arena, "The Best Dome." However, one feature I would really like to see in future installments is the ability to put my own music into the game, so that I don't have to buy a hockey game with good music that isn't more than $80CAD after tax. It reminds me of another recent sports game, MLB The Show 17, in the sense that not only do you virtually not have any classic hockey songs in your game's palette whatsoever, but next to none of the music you do have makes me wanna get straight to playing a game of hockey. Perhaps a subjective remark to make in this case, but I still think the soundtrack is underwhelming and could use a bit of refining for next year.
Overall, while owners of NHL 17 may actually want to wait for NHL 19 instead of purchasing what is essentially a rehashed update to their favourite virtual hockey experience, but with a few extra toys and gadgets, those who are new to the NHL franchise are actually getting a great introduction into hockey games that provides a lot of variety for all demographics of hockey fans. It's just a shame that the game is not entirely functional straight out of the box, although that will inevitably be fixed with enough time. Regardless, many fans will surely find a reason to persuade themselves to make the jump to this year's latest bid as it provides players with a rough time off the ice, while still providing the same immersive and rewarding experience on the ice that would-be skaters and goalies alike can relate to and enjoy.