NHL 17 Critic Reviews

Plain and simple, the game delivers. It’s not going to blow your mind in the way you think it should, but that’s exactly how EA Sports wants it. Like the forgotten rookie flying under the radar with an 80-point season, it’s impressive, but only if you know what you’re looking at.

NHL 17 marks another step forward for the already great franchise, and is easily the best hockey game to date.

NHL 17 has everything in place to separate itself from the other sports titles with only a few cracks in the ice keeping it from a perfect slick.

If you’re looking for an authentic NHL game with excellent gameplay and plenty of modes, this is definitely the game for you.

For fans of hockey, NHL 17 delivers another cool experience. Recommended.

Most importantly, the hockey presented on the ice is dynamic and fluid, and it serves up an excellent version of the fastest game around.

With some new depth, the already strong NHL series has remained solid. The product on the ice is great in almost every aspect, but the feature set could still stand to add layers...That said, NHL 17 is still a game virtual hockey fans of all different levels should have in their collections. It’s fun and deep enough to provide long-term entertainment.

It has been upgraded and polished, for sure; but whether that justifies purchasing a whole new game is questionable. Last year, I had no hesitation in recommending that you buy NHL 16. This year, as great of a game as NHL 17 is, you might want to stay on the bench for this one.

NHL 17 continues the trend EA has been building lately, and it’s another quality title in the franchise. The problem I have with it is, I don’t see the game as an every year investment, unless you're a true diehard hockey fan.

Building on the strengths of last years damn good version in terms of mechanics this is the best NHL game out there. But having said that, virtually everything else is put on hold – especially in the careers that remind you more of spreadsheets than a world of ice hockey you can dive into.

Functionary and solid.

While last year’s game was coming off its very disappointingly bare bones predecessor, NHL 17 already had a very solid foundation to build upon at the start and is one that will be enjoyed by most any fan of the sport.

NHL 17 continues the overall trend of the series, but brings some much-needed new content that builds on what’s already there.

At the end of the day just playing a few matches in season mode is a lot of fun whether you want that deep experience or just want a simple arcade-like hockey game.

At its core, the game delivers. The gameplay — always the most important factor — is as good as it has ever been and the level of depth, customization and replayability makes this one a winner.

New modes, impressive tweaks to the AI to make things more competitive, and that stellar in-game presentation that does a darned good job of simulating the real thing mean that there's more than ever for the puck nuts to get their teeth into this time around.

Even if you don’t have a lot of experience with the franchise, the on-ice trainer will help get you up and running quickly. If you’re coming solely for Be a Pro mode though be prepared for a lackluster experience, but with the new franchise mode fleshing out the experience there should be plenty for most sports gamers to like.

NHL keeps doing the same thing every year and that is a good thing. They have a strong formula that works which they keep interesting by adding new game modes and perfecting the game even more.

The same thing as last year, with a couple of expected improvements. Nothing special, but enough tweaks to keep the series interesting.

NHL 17 plays and feels as great as always, but the improvements plateaued some years back and this year's gameplay tweaks...are welcome but largely inconsequential.