EA Sports released its closed beta demo for NHL 17 on Wednesday and it's massive. The entire download was 19.2 GB on Xbox One and its one of the larger pre-release demos you'll find.
You have access to EA Sports Hockey League, Hockey Ultimate Team as well as the team and player customization tool. I've spent time in each mode over the past 24 hours and here's my initial impressions.
Visuals And Animation
The overall look of the game is top notch. From a visual standpoint, NHL continues to be one of the most attractive sports games available.
There appears to be an increased amount of accurate face scans for players and the lighting is spectacular. The action is also smoother than before.
The skating has improved steadily over the years and that aspect of the gameplay is at its peak in the beta.
My only issue with the animation in NHL 16 and this beta release occurs after some of the one-on-one collisions. The way players hit the ice in some instances still looks choppy and doesn't match the animations in other areas of the game.
Still, when it comes to visuals, this is like a slight scratch on the hood of a Rolls Royce. Most everything else looks great.
Smarter Teammates, CPU Opponents And Great Connectivity
Players are fun to control and that's the way it should be. Flying up the ice with a player like Marian Gaborik (the fastest skater I had on my HUT squad) felt exciting.
Using the dekes and various shot options made me feel as though I was getting the most from the best players.
That said, it felt as though defenders were able to disrupt players with the puck a little easier—even the guys who are more skillful.
I liked that, although I can see some users complaining about the increased stick-to-puck sensitivity.
For me, it put a larger emphasis on stick handling and puck control—somethings I definitely need to work. While it frustrated me a bit, I acknowledge it helps to add realism.
Defensemen seemed to get back better and also pick up their assignments during rushes. It can be a little frustrating if you're used to scoring goals with passes across the crease regularly, but I liked the challenge.
Another positive for the beta is the quick connectivity with online opponents, and the performance once you're in a contest.
Yes it's a closed beta and the servers aren't carrying a full load, but if this is an example of the performance NHL 17 will deliver, it'll be a hit with gamers who primarily play online.
EASHL Is Cool But The Creation Options Are Limited
This mode remains solid for fans who have a crew to play with, but it's still frustrating when you're just dropping in. That's just a conceptual issue that is likely impossible to remove.
It's akin to some of the negatives in playing online in any capacity. You're subject to folks who make the game less than fun.
The customization options for your player aren't plentiful.
The number of hairstyles is limited and you're confined to just under 200 face templates. The amount of templates isn't the issue; it's that you can't alter any of the facial features of your player.
Almost every sports video game with a useful creation tool offers more options beyond the initial template. See EA Sports UFC or NBA 2K for examples of more complete player-creation tools.
Similarly, the team creation options leave something to be desired as well. I hate to keep comparing the game to others, but it's hard not to.
NBA 2K, NCAA Football 14 and MLB The Show (within Diamond Dynasty) offer tons of options when creating a team.
First and foremost, you're able to upload logos. You can also stretch, rotate and manipulate the default and custom options.
In the NHL 17 beta, you get about half the alternatives when creating a team.
Aspects Of The Presentation Are In Need Of An Upgrade
The commentary from Doc Emrick and Ed Olcyzk is beyond stale and outdated. Many of the same lines are being repeated from the last four versions of the game.
Many sports video games have taken to having their voice talent record their lines in-studio together to generate a conversational quality. That doesn't appear to be an approach the NHL team has taken.
The pre-game visual intros also need a few layers. Real-life shots outside the arenas are a bit of a disconnect for me when playing a sports video game.
It's far more impressive to see recreated versions of the commentary, or animations inside the virtual arenas. That could simply be a matter of preference as others may like the moving-postcard approach.
The one noticeable enhancement in presentation is the improved fan reaction. In some of the more notable venues like The United Center in Chicago, it gets pretty loud.
You can feel and hear the crowd and that adds to the immersion.
The Menus are Problematic
I like the in-game feel of Hockey Ultimate Team and the exploding card effects during pack openings, but the new menu systems is really confusing.
There's one or two unnecessary steps involved when changing or creating lineups.
You select a position to fill, then you're brought to a search screen where you can specify several details to find the right player for the position.
I understand this is designed to allow you to quickly scroll through what could be a large collection of cards, but there has to be a better way than adding in this extra step.
As it is now, it's tedious and discouraging.
Overall Assessment
I thought very highly of NHL 16 and much of that praise was based on strong and addictive gameplay. I expect to have the same level of fondness for the retail version of NHL 17 for similar reasons.
It's clear, gameplay is going to be the strong suit of this release. There's time to make a few changes to the functionality of the in-game menus and there may be room to add in some options to the creation tools.
If the retail version can plug those gaps, we could have one of the best games in the series' history.
However, if little is changed, NHL 17 will be a title that plays a beautiful game of hockey, but lags behind the competition in some of the fringe aspects of sports game development.
