

I still love seeing the mascots dance around and fans getting pumped up after a goal, and the arena-specific items and effects keep that authentic feel. The presentation that was revamped two years ago still looks sharp, and it maintains the NHL series’ distinct look among modern sports games, even if there are no noticeable improvements over last year. Hockey seems very well suited for this type of instruction, and it just makes sense to start novice players with the basics and then occasionally remind them of an advanced technique. The return of “semi-pro” difficulty helps serve as a bridge for casual players, too. It’s nice to see specific zones that your player should be covering, and the projected bank path for saucer passes off the boards is a good touch. This has been enhanced for NHL 17, with added direction from coaches between periods and more on-ice visual aids. A universally welcome feature from NHL 16 was the on-ice trainer, which helped guide newer players through some of the nuances of the controls. There’s a lot of complexity to all of these interactions, but NHL 17 eases you into them and teaches you to make the most of a situation.
