And about time.
It’s nearly October, so you know what that means, EA fans: EA Sports FC. Or at least, that’s what EA Sports would have you believe. Ask a Canadian though, and this time of year is all about something else (and arguably far better): hockey. No “ice” qualifier required.
NHL 25 is now out for those who’ve splashed cash for early access, and we pulled out our wallet to be able to take a look as soon as possible. So far, things are coming together quite nicely.
25 marks the first year in a long while that the hockey series is out on one platform generation and one only — this one’s a current-gen affair, with releases on Xbox Series and PS5 consoles. Insert the yearly yearning for a PC release here, folks.
While this current-gen only approach instantly delivers benefits you’d expect, it’s not as noticeable as I’d like. There are certainly shorter loading times between NHL 25‘s numerous loading screens, but you’re still waiting around in menus more than I’d like. Honestly? I think the biggest visual difference with this current-gen only release comes through with new hair options. Talk about flow.
Outside of visuals, NHL 25 has promised advancements in CPU player AI. On this, EA has delivered. There’s far less grouping of players on the blue line, and less players getting in your way overall. Perhaps best yet, your AI teammates no longer will squander sweet, sweet passes into the slot. I repeat: you can set up your AI teammate and they’ll actually do what you’d expect.
There’s also a new perfect one-timer that I’ve been absolutely abusing in my single-player experiences today and yesterday. As you can see in the screenshot below, you’ll get a simple grey indicator around a teammate that’s in a perfect position for a one-timer. Make the pass and then make a shot motion (up on the right stick in my case) and you’ll send off a rocket that ends up in the back of the net more often than not.
Overall, the perfect one-timer is fun but overpowered — flashbacks of lacrosse goals last year, anyone — and seems like it could easily be manipulated in online play. I’m sure it will be the focus of some tuning down the track, as will most elements of the game between early access and proper release.
Hitting feels great this year — unlike last — and you’ll quickly notice that you can actually knock an opponent off the puck with a check right now. I think the speed of the game is slower than last year, and I really like where it’s sitting right now. Whereas NHL 24 can feel arcade-like at times, NHL 25 seems far more realistic.
On that note of realism, however, I’m still experiencing two to three stick breaks per game and that’s simply ridiculous.
It took me a couple games to really understand what the perfect one-timer was all about, and I chalk that up to a lack of a proper onboarding system. As in the last couple years, new enhancements are revealed in static screens rather than a proper tutorial. I really, really miss the old Team Canada training camps that used to feature so heavily.
In this early access period, I’ve notice a couple bugs, or features that aren’t quite working as I’d like. I had a horrendous time inside Hockey Ultimate Team — I kept crashing back to the main menu after actually finishing a game, finding when I went back into HUT that it didn’t count. New, highly touted drone cameras are covering quite a lot of replays, but in utterly wonky manners. As in the screenshot above, netting and a balcony get in the way of the action, making the feature useless.
While goal celebrations have been cut down from last year, EA has gone back a step by adding in unskippable cutscenes with coaches either showing frustration or elation. Because there are only two or three coaches models that I’ve seen, it’s also quite offputting — you’ll have an opposing coach cracking the shits at your success one game only to see that same person is now somehow your assistant coach the next.
Finally, I went through an entire CHL Be A Pro campaign — and yes, nothing has changed and yes, you still can’t skip the opening cutscene on the lake — with both teams starting in either whites, reds, or blues by default. It’s not difficult to swap out a different jersey, but you also shouldn’t have to go to the trouble.
There are smaller changes here and there — HUT Rush is now HUT Wild Card (though it’s basically the same thing), and unlocks in Ones Now will require you to play at least 10 games. We’ve also got a new score clock that I much prefer over the bottom-screen behemoth we’ve had for the last few years.
The biggest changes by far are in Franchise mode, though I’m more of a hockey player than a businessman and haven’t found the need to check them out.
The EA NHL franchise has seen of lot of change in the last few years, both positive and negative. Despite EA throwing terms like ICE-Q at us, it finally seems like big gameplay changes from the last few years are starting to gel with one another. X-Factors plus pressure systems plus smart AI? It’s a literal gamechanger. I’ve had a blast so far and I hope that continues in weeks to come.
NHL 25 heads to Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and PS5 on 5 October here in Australia; those who purchase its Deluxe Edition will gain access from 28 September.
NHL 25 was reviewed using a promotional code on Xbox Series X, as purchased by the reviewer. A promotional copy was later provided by EA. Click here to learn more about Stevivor’s scoring scale.
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NHL 255 October 2024PS5 Xbox Series S & X
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