NHL 18. is an ice hockey simulation game made by EA Sports. It was released on September 15, 2017. It sold 175,000 copies retail just in Canada alone. NHL 18 is the 27th instalment of the videogame’s franchise. The first game dating back to 1991 where it would be played on the Saga Genesis. Now NHL can be found on PS4 or Xbox One. NHL 18 offers plenty of game modes to guarantee the fun never stops. NHL these days is based on speed and skill and that is what this video game captures.
New Game Modes:
NHL is known for implementing or subtracting game modes every year. This year EA added a new mode called ‘Threes’. NHL Threes is inspired by fun, fast and skilled gameplay. It’s a arcade style game where the ice surface is shortened and there are two teams of 3 players and a goalie. NHL Threes has bigger hits; faster skating and more space for highlight dekes and goals. You can play online, offline and co-op. The games can be based on a goal limit or a timed system and 3 periods of regulation hockey. The only rules are penalties but other than that everything is ok. After being scored instead of a faceoff your team will regroup in your end of the ice and the other team will regroup in their end of the ice (team that just got scored on starts with puck). To make the game more interesting there is a feature that can be turned off an on called money puck. This puck has special abilities for example, if you score your goal amount will go up by two and your opponents will decrease by one. This money puck has a totally random order and figure amount. This new game mode really makes things more interesting and intense. You will definitely end up with a few broken controllers playing with friends.
“He Shoots He Scooreessssss”
With all-new creative offensive dekes like the between the legs shot, one-handed dekes, back hand toe drags and the famous Datsyuk deke really captures the realism of the NHL with the many skilled players. Also to counter the new Skill stick EA has made a all new defensive skill stick. Now you have complete control of your stick on defense, you can target where you want to poke check and you can swing your stick back and forth to cover more space and leave the attacking player less options.
Sometimes we just want to relax and play a friendly game against the AI. But everyone knows that EA has had troubles with the AI being too easy to play against even on the hardest difficulty. But they’ve really addressed that problem as the AI plays like an actually NHL team would. My first time playing NHL 18 I lost three games in a row to the AI, years prior I always killed them. They were pulling off tricks that made me a bit surprised. Like opening a gift on your birthday from a relative and it being something that you actually want.
With plenty of the old game modes still on NHL 18 this game really lets you pick your options between what you want to play and there’s a good chance nobody will get board of playing this game. This can be bought at any retail technology store or online in the PlayStation Store for $80 CAD.
Written by Justin Randhawa
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