EA Sports NHL 25: Test: Finally progress without old-gen baggage?

One of the main problems with the NHL series is the numerous legacy issues such as outdated game modes, outdated AI or outdated graphics assets. For the first time, NHL 25 will no longer be released for the old consoles and the question arises as to whether Electronic Arts took advantage of the opportunity for a general overhaul. Some aspects sound promising, at least on paper, but is that enough to give NHL 24 owners a reason to buy?

NHL 25 is somehow the smallest of EA’s three major sports titles, perhaps because there seem to be few resources available for a major overhaul. At least something changed with the engine change a few years ago, but since then, cautious optimizations have dominated rather than real innovations. Especially since the NHL has had to carry the legacy of the previous generation of consoles across the ice.

This has now come to an end with NHL 25; for the first time, the series will be released exclusively for the newer PS5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles (and of course not for the PC). That actually sounds like an opportunity to clear out some things and rebuild them based on more powerful technology. There are enough construction sites, from the bumpy AI to game modes that have been languishing almost unchanged for years. And in fact you can see a bit of fresh wallpaper, but EA has largely avoided any major renovations.

Visually, NHL 25 has definitely made some progress. Overall, everything looks sharper and crisper, the appearance of the players has been spiced up thanks to Sapien technology and the stadiums and ice surfaces also appear at least slightly optimized. It seems like EA has cleaned out some old graphics assets and that’s a good thing, even if the current look doesn’t completely blow your socks off. What remains, however, is the miserable performance of the quite a few menus, some of which still respond with a delay.

However, fundamental revisions to the already numerous game variants are in short supply. The “Be A Pro” career mode, which has been completely stagnant for years, is still far from a successful story mode and consists of often illogical multiple-choice dialogues in an old-fashioned presentation. At least EA has turned a few screws in franchise mode, revised the menus and added some new options such as new dialogues, contract negotiations with free agents or goals and objectives for the coach. Nothing earth-shattering, but NHL veterans are now happy about the little things.

Unsurprisingly, the most has happened with the Hockey Ultimate Team, the game’s cash cow. Where money comes out, money goes in. But the changes are certainly relevant. The XP progression system has been significantly streamlined and everything now goes into a single XP track. That’s good because it’s more straightforward and clearer.

A new addition is the wildcard mode, which you can play both offline and online (where online brings significantly more XP). Here you play seasonal matches with changing rules, salary caps, mandatory professionals and optional players from your collection. This ensures relatively balanced team strengths and always provides a breath of fresh air when the rules change. This has something to do with online matches in which you have to compete against the all-star teams of some whales.

EA has introduced some interesting innovations on the ice. Not so serious as to justify the purchase on their own, but a welcome improvement as a complement to last year’s pressure and fatigue system. The lofty name ICE-Q hides, among other things, a completely revised AI system that certainly benefits from the elimination of the old generation and the higher performance of the current one.

And the AI ​​of the other players (and opponents) has actually changed noticeably. Overall, the AI ​​seems to have more “awareness” of current game scenes and the positional play also seems to be improved. Not all that glitters is gold yet – occasionally the other players still have problems with free running and running paths, occasionally AI colleagues on the same team still run over each other and we don’t even want to hear about a few fatal lapses in defense talk. But everything feels a little more rounded and it’s easier to implement successful moves. A good approach that should be expanded in the upcoming offshoot.

EA Sports NHL 25 – Deep-Dive-Video zum Franchise-Modus

A new deep dive video for NHL 25 introduces you to the franchise mode in the new ice hockey part in more detail.

The animation system has also been revised and is now called reactive. This doesn’t turn the gameplay upside down, but the players’ movements appear more authentic and comprehensible. And finally there is the new “Next Gen Vision Control”, which means nothing more than being able to keep an eye on the goal in the opponent’s third at the push of a button. Ultimately, ICE-Q is not a groundbreaking innovation that really justifies the full price if you were already satisfied with NHL 24, but rather just a (much-needed) improvement.

Unfortunately, in addition to the lousy menu performance, there were also some oddities that crept in. So we had to record a few crashes. Players often took forever to pick themselves up after a mediocre check. While I was sitting on the bench in a Be-A-Pro game, my team put a whopping seven goals into the opponent’s net within a (simulated) minute. And AI misfires, in which one’s own players got in each other’s way more than the opponent, were also the order of the day – despite noticeable improvements thanks to the new AI system.

Finally, it should be praised that the replays are now made more exciting thanks to a variety of new camera perspectives. But that’s not a reason to buy either, just a nice-to-have.

Grab it when…

… haven’t bought an NHL for a while and you’re keen to steer nimble skaters across the ice again.

Save it if…

… you were completely satisfied with NHL 24, the changes are once again manageable.

Conclusion

by Andreas PhilippSensible steps forward, but overall they are not enough