My time with the EA Sports NHL franchise dates to NHL ’93, where I scored my first goal on a point shot from Jamie Macoun. That was back when the graphics were so basic that a white dot in the middle of the puck was necessary to see it on your television. The NHL series has come a long way since then, and NHL 18 has taken some significant steps over NHL 17, but also fails to address some holes that are overdue for filling.

Three-on-Three Hockey

NHL 18 comes with a lot of different game modes, but only four make up its core. Franchise Mode, Be a Pro and Hockey Ultimate Team are all back, but this year also sees the introduction of NHL Threes.

NHL Threes, like the name suggests, is a three-on-three game mode with a twist. It has a more arcade-like style to it, with penalties being toned down, offsides and icing a thing of the past, and custom rules that make it feel like a game of street hockey with your friends. It comes with both online and offline modes, including the option for co-op.

While I can’t see myself spending a lot of time with NHL Threes, I really appreciated the change of pace both in terms of gameplay and commentary. While I do have major beef with the regular commentary team of NHL 18 (more on that later), this felt like a cheap night of three-on-three hockey at your local arena with bowling alley announcers. It was magnificent. What I found, though, was that the gameplay was so over the top that I had trouble taking it seriously as a single-player mode. I’d fire it up for some couch co-op with friends while drinking wobbly-pops, though.

Hockey Ultimate Team is obviously back. It looks a lot like it did in previous years. There are new types of packs and collectibles, but the general idea is that you build the best team you can and fight your way through the divisions. For the competitive player who craves that PvP experience in their video game hockey, it’s somewhere you can spend a lot of time.

An Attention to Detail

It’s always tough to judge the gameplay of an NHL game from year to year. After all, you can’t reinvent hockey every 12 months. The mechanics are largely the same, but credit is due to the developers for the tweaks and adjustments made this year, especially with the introduction of the Defensive Skill Stick.

The poke check has always been part of the online meta with the NHL Franchise. You were either good at it or you lost. With the Defensive Skill Stick, though, gone are the days of blindly poke-checking to knock the puck loose. Now, players can control where their stick moves while on defense, blocking potential passing lanes with a precision that didn’t exist previously. This will change the way that HUT is played, and I feel strongly that skilled defensive players will have an edge over the more offensive minded.

The other welcome addition to the gameplay this year are the dozens of new sliders that allow you to tweak the frequency of each type of penalty. For example, with the Defensive Skill Stick in action, the potential exists for more tripping penalties. However, you can tune tripping penalties specifically, rather than just penalties in general. In fact, you can tweak almost every tiny detail of the game, allowing players to find the perfect combination of rules and settings for their style of play.

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