The target audience for this is certainly hockey fans, but hockey fans might also have the least reason to buy it because they have undoubtedly played a recent release in this series. The biggest issue here is that things aren't all that different from last year… or even five years ago. The rest of the game is micro-transaction-free, though, so this is more of a minor complaint about a single mode. There are ways around this, but it is a shame more effort wasn't put into organically unlocking packs instead of the clear focus on buying your way to competitiveness quickly. It isn't quite play to win, but it is certainly pay to save a lot of time and be competitive immediately. Cards can be bundled together and exchanged for higher quality cards, unlocked by obtaining in-game currency from completing certain tasks, and purchased using actual funds. In this mode, you start with a mostly garbage team of no names but can eventually build your team up to a true super team by opening up random packs of cards. Some of the modes have an overreliance on micro-transactions, something that is especially true in the Hockey Ultimate Team mode. The game isn't perfect, but most of the issues are minor. It is just a great package, from top to bottom, and will satisfy everyone no matter how deep they want their experience to be. Then there are modes in-between these two extremes that have a little bit of extra stuff but not too much to leave people feeling overwhelmed. There are plenty of modes for this style of play, too, and a lot of modes will just let people play as their favourite team for a quick game against the computer or an online opponent. Of course, this is probably too daunting for a lot of people who just want to shoot pucks and nets and maybe punch another person on skates in the face for looking at their goalie the wrong way. There are so many ways to build up a team and so many things to get involved in, that there really isn't much more the developer could do to franchise mode without it feeling like an actual job at this point. The franchise mode is incredibly deep and will keep hardcore micro-managers busy for months. The best thing here is there is a play style for just about everyone. All these modes can be played offline, too, making it just about perfect for a jump in and play kind of game. This is just about the best way the team could integrate online play, and out of all the sports titles out this year, NHL 19 feels like it has the most robust online component out of all of them. It is a great system, and one that will keep people coming back for more. Levelling up also allows for stat customisation, so the player really is creating their team here down to the kind of players they want and how everyone looks. Each time you level up, a hockey bag will be earned that is essentially like a loot crate and contains a random assortment as cosmetic goodies to slap on the players. It works as a sort of online hub, with several different modes to choose from and the ability to level up as victories are accrued. There are a lot of different facets to it, but they are all aimed at giving players the opportunity to open up various cosmetic features or perks to help distinguish between different players. Sure, it is all hockey, but the implementation across the modes is unique enough that it all feels like a slightly different experience and really is going to push people to keep playing.Ĭhel is probably the biggest addition, and the most interesting. To put this in perspective, someone could play Franchise mode every day and still not even come close to scratching the surface of the content. Then again, there are modes like Threes, Franchise, World of Chel, and Hockey Ultimate Team, and that isn't even listing all the major modes. There is quick play, online play, and season mode to put together the standard package that exists in every sports game ever in the past ten years or so. There is almost an embarrassing amount of content here, and it is almost impossible to even envision what else it could have added at this point. Something else NHL 19 truly excels at is depth. There is a control scheme here for all levels of players, including an in-between mode that mixes the two together, and the main reason this is so addictive is because of how well the action controls. Once the player gets a hang on deking, stick dragging, and doing crazy in-between the legs movements, though, it is hard to go back to the old way. There are more basic controls for less hardcore players, keeping in the tradition of classic hockey games of old. The amount of control it gives players over puck handling is incredible, and taking the time to learn the ins and outs of the system here is a must. The controls are just as tight as past instalments of this title, and all three control schemes work incredibly well.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |