Last year's NHL 17 marked a return to form for EA's hockey franchise. It reinstated many of the series’ trademark modes that were removed in the transition to current-generation consoles and introduced an on-ice trainer that made the game much more enjoyable. NHL 18 offers modes with some new bells and whistles, but unfortunately, these few additions aren't significant enough to make NHL 18 stand out from the past.
Thankfully, the action on the ice still shines: handling the puck, skating down the ice, and taking that opportune shot is just as great as it was last year. You feel like you have just the right amount of control over the puck, and you're never left wondering why you lost possession, since taking the puck away from an opponent is also precise and fair. Playing goalie is very similar to last year as well, with intuitive controls that make it easy to drop into a butterfly stance, hug the posts, and move from one side of the crease to the other in an attempt to stop those tricky one-timers.
Gameplay can once again be accompanied by the augmented on-ice trainer--which displays information on the players and ice, such as face-off suggestions and shooting lanes--to help you learn all of NHL 18's tricks. It continues to be a fantastic tool for learning how to perform certain tasks, such as faceoffs and specific dekes, while also telling you why you succeeded or failed. If you went for the puck too early or late in a face-off, it'll let you know. If you lose a face-off that felt like it was a sure thing, the trainer will alert you as to why it happened and whether your player's skill was lower than his opponent's or it was just a toss-up. This information is indispensable. The in-game training system is also adaptive and will flip certain hints off as you learn new skills--and if you don't want to see the trainer, you can turn it off completely. As someone who last made their way through the trainer more than a year ago however, it quickly got me back up to speed and learning new skills in NHL 18.
The rest of the game's user interface has received some big improvements. The menus still look and feel like they’d work best with a touchscreen or a mouse, but navigation is now more responsive. Roster filters are now a lot more instantaneous, as opposed to the sluggish feeling of making your way through the team interface last year. The NHL games always have an immense number of modes and menus, so improvements in navigation are always appreciated.
One of this year's marquee single-player modes is Franchise, which replaces last year's Be a GM and adds a bunch of new numbers and menus to tinker with. In addition to cutting deals with free agents and trading for key players, you can raise and lower the price of your stadium's food, schedule promotional nights, and relocate your team to a new city. Changing the prices of popcorn or setting up bobblehead nights is a fun novelty at first, but not for long. Thankfully, NHL 18 allows a fair bit of customization across the game, and this carries into Franchise. Turning off specific elements of this mode allows you to focus on the aspects you want to get involved in, such as cutting a deal on a free agent or trading for a key player.
NHL 18 also reintroduces the World Cup of Hockey, which coincides with the tournament of the same name. The World Cup works just like any other mode, where you play as one team and compete against others in a number of games. The difference between this and the regular season or playoff modes is the presentation, with its majestic music and broadcast-worthy camera angles that are only marred by the in-game commentary repeating itself a bit too often. Unfortunately, this is where the presentation starts and ends--if you win the World Cup, you don't get to see your team awarded with the titular trophy. This is confusing and disappointing, since every other mode rewards players with a short video of your team hoisting the appropriate trophy.
(Welcome to 6cce.com the professional NHL 18 coins online store buy NHL 18 coins with cheapest price.)
|
