Though EA Sports’ NHL series doesn’t have any direct competitors in the hockey video game market, it does, by nature, have to stack up to the other impressive sports franchises, such as FIFA, Madden, NBA 2K and MLB: The Show. And while all of those games have been worthy of praise with their impressive strides in gaming, it seems that NHL has been stuck in a bit of a rut lately. It felt like EA got too complacent and too comfortable with its hockey product somewhere around NHL 13 and was busy patting itself on the back while it fell behind in the arms race that is sports gaming.While other franchises were putting out new games with awesome new features and incredible amounts of depth and detail, it felt like NHL was pushing out glorified roster updates and trying to sell us on game modes and features that were previously taken away and repackaged under the guise that they’d never been seen before. But hey, look, they added mascots, too!So to say that EA and NHL need a winner with NHL 17 is a bit of an understatement. They don’t just have to make up ground on the superior franchises blazing the trail in front of them. They also have to worry about keeping the fans that haven’t given up on them yet and get back in the good graces of the frustrated ones who have. Fortunately, NHL 17 is a pretty good game.

RYAN AND DADDY (BLUE JACKETS) VS JOHN (LIGHTNING) PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU ENJOY OUR.

But is it good enough?What’s better?Gameplay: Every sports video game hinges on its ability to bring fun and challenging gameplay to those behind the sticks. As the NHL series has taken aim at bringing a more realistic hockey experience in recent years, it’s run into some issues in the gameplay department. Gone were the days where you could blaze down the ice and change direction on a dime, but skating also felt clunky and too frustrating, as did the passing mechanics.This year, though, the gameplay has been refined and things feel much smoother in several departments. Skaters no longer feel like they’re stuck in quicksand when changing direction or on their initial few strides. Passes often go to their intended target, not the guy 40 feet behind him that you didn’t even know was there.

It’s actually possible to cycle the puck. Earthbound beginnings cia. AI is improved and players are smarter. Battles in front of the net and along the glass don’t feel as manufactured. Big hits still exist, but you can actually get knocked off the puck without being taken completely out of the play.Also improved is goaltending, which has needed work for awhile. Goalie movements are more natural and realistic, which leads to most saves feeling realistic as well.

Though netminders can still make the occasional outrageous eyebrow-raising denial, it doesn’t happen so often that you’re left shaking your head.As a whole, the game plays pretty smooth and authentic. Penguin diner 2 cooking games. It finds a nice medium between fun and realism, and that’s a great base to build off of.Menus: One of the most annoying issues with NHL 16 was its clunky, disorganized and sluggish menu system that would often leave anybody trying to navigate the game frustrated. That's been fixed this year with a newer menu layout that is not only prettier, but also more responsive and convenient. Players can get to where they want to go — whether that be some quick gameplay or into a game mode — in about half the time as it took last year. Also, it's worth noting that the menu experience is also made more enjoyable thanks to a very awesome soundtrack this year.Arena atmosphere: One of the selling points of last year's game was that it brought unique arena settings and atmospheres for each NHL team. It was pretty overdue and didn't make up for the gameplay deficiencies, but it was important to the future of the franchise. This year, EA built on that by adding more team-specific elements such as goal horns and songs. Big moments and clutch goals feel more intense with appropriate crowd atmosphere.