This advanced piece of development engineering actually reads the puck handler’s movements down to the angle, position, stride, and speed in order to choose the most effective save motion. Goalies now reflect the movements, reactions, and tendencies of the real thing through EA’s new Recovery Save Intelligence system. To complement the Net Battle system, EA Sports has also breathed some much-needed life into the goalie position. The real test comes in not smashing the defenseman’s face in when he gets away with a cross check on your forward. The responsiveness and the effectiveness of gaining position in front of the slot is just as deadly as it is in real life.
This added dimension could make the difference between heading into the locker with the lead or trailing by at least a goal or two. Through EA Sports' Net Battle system, players now have the ability to jockey, fight, and slash their way into the slot and screen the opposing goalie for all he’s worth. The movements from top to bottom are jaw-dropping at times, but you certainly have to know what you’re looking for in order to see them.Īnother major gameplay improvement comes in the form of net front battles. Skating backwards and picking up the pass from your winger on a breakout has never felt or looked so good in an NHL game. Everything from the improved authentic skating movements, to the dreaded unpredictability of bouncing pucks, to even the improved passing and reception controls replicate the movements of hockey to an absolute T. The improved on-ice functions make it feel as if you're truly engaged in an actual real-life game.
The biggest improvements from NHL 16 to NHL 17 are certainly contained in the gameplay mechanics. EA Sports’ NHL 17 capitalizes on exactly that - the small nuances that make the game of hockey the most unique and magnetizing sport on the planet. Few can truly articulate its majesty, even those with years of experience, but the ones who can will tell you it's all about the atmosphere - the sights, sounds, and smells of it all. Maybe it’s the camaraderie amongst teammates or the feeling of executing a perfectly timed two-on-one, or maybe the allure lies simply in the idea of skating on two pieces of thin steel without completely killing yourself. Perhaps it’s the distinct ping of the crossbar on a missed shot or the elated excitement of undressing a goalie on a breakaway while the world watches behind you. Hockey is simply one of those games that keeps you coming back for more.