EA Sports continue their new season of sports sims adding this year’s ice hockey extravaganza, NHL 18, to the line-up.

A favourite of mine, EA’s NHL series has been entertaining fans for practically 25 years. Whilst the initial current-gen iteration was a little feature-poor, in subsequent years the franchise has gone from strength to strength.The quick pace and at times vicious contact among players is what make EA Sports’ NHL games so thrilling. It is a game that has the depth of football, but the speed of basketball, all topped off together with the brutality of rugby.

But, whilst every year I appear forward for the new season of EA Sports title, it really is with some apprehension. Are we obtaining one thing new this year or is it just a roster update?

NHL 18 misses out on the campaign modes which might be presently en vogue amongst sports titles, that is a bit of a shame. In FIFA 17 and, most not too long ago, Madden NFL 18, the single-player story campaign has given the games a more individual touch. Regardless of this disappointing omission, NHL 18 still brings enough to the table to produce the latest entry in the franchise worth a look.

NHL 18 attributes all of your usual play modes, enabling swift games, NHL seasons, franchise management and, naturally, NHL Ultimate team.

New for this year is NHL Threes. The three-on-three gameplay opens up the ice for faster-paced arcade-style action. You can play a multi-city tournament, a single game or against a web-based opponent.

Threes pits two team of 3 players plus goalkeepers against one another with the first to score seven points getting the winner. Points are scored with each aim, but consecutive ambitions can score double points or even deduct the opponent’s points. This results in higher scoring games with teams requiring consist efficiency to win. Action comes quickly, with no face-off and penalties for infringements. The game continues with additional periods until one team hits the magic seven points.

Gameplay-wise there have already been some tweaks. Players seem to move far better on the ice, with more weight plus the deke controls is bit extra manageable. Needless to say, you may nonetheless go back towards the NHL’94 controls when you are feeling retro.

NHL 18 caters to newcomers by way of an incredibly complete set of instruction videos and interactive drills from team Canada. These tutorials are crucial if you’ve not played NHL ahead of, and also a very good revision tool if you’ve been away in the franchise for a when.

Visually, there’s not a lot distinction from final year. This can be possibly on account of NHL 18 nonetheless using EA’s Ignite engine. Madden NFL and FIFA have transitioned for the Frostbite engine, exactly the same utilized to power the majority of EA Games’ other titles.

Whilst a graphical overhaul would have already been nice, NHL 18 nevertheless options a slick TV-style presentation, complete with NBC branding and prime commentary from Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk. NHL Threes, notably, attributes an incredibly excitable un-named MC whose sole job will be to function the crowd into a frenzy.