Love NHL 18

[CanCHI]

NHL 18 is the game I have wanted for years, just had to put it on All Star and adjust some of the sliders +5 in my favour. I made an expansion team with sick replica 1990 Wales vs Campbell all star jerseys and am having a blast. I have played so much I am confusing my girlfriend of 2 years who thinks I am turning into a 9 year old boy.

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[CanCHI]

Love the individual strategies for lines and D pairings as well. Really let's me morph my AI to how I want. I am killing it with my first year expansion in SIM, which is amazing me because usually my teams are brutal in SIM and I think it is the strategies and the way I built my team (mobile fast D, constant pinching with high defensive awareness forwards) because actually playing I am just a little better than .500. 10/10 so far for me.

 

[Tak7]

NHL 18 is the game I have wanted for years, just had to put it on All Star and adjust some of the sliders +5 in my favour. I made an expansion team with sick replica 1990 Wales vs Campbell all star jerseys and am having a blast. I have played so much I am confusing my girlfriend of 2 years who thinks I am turning into a 9 year old boy.

If NHL 18 is the game you've wanted for years, I take it you haven't played the NHL series in the past few years?

The gameplay hasn't changed - just various different modes get a handful of additional features, and that's really the only change.

 

[MasterD]

If NHL 18 is the game you've wanted for years, I take it you haven't played the NHL series in the past few years?

The gameplay hasn't changed - just various different modes get a handful of additional features, and that's really the only change.

To be fair, the goalie AI which was already terrible changed for the worst. Incredible.

 

[ItzaGreat]

Eashl is in a bad spot. Too bad, it's my favorite game-mode.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

The game is still terrible.

 

[Rhaegar Targaryen]

I really wanna make my own team in Franchise mode, but every time I spend the hour+ making everything, the game crashes on the final step. I’ve tried three times.

 

[CanCHI]

To be fair, the goalie AI which was already terrible changed for the worst. Incredible.

I find the goalies much more difficult to score on and the cheese plays I would use in a tight game such as the cross the net breakaway goal aren't working. I actually have to use my brain this year to score.

I think the gameplay is hugely improved from NHL17. Case in point once I took the time to set my strategies and team perfectly my AI does what it should.

Maybe that was the secret all along? Make sure you have every little detail down? Either way I am loving it

 

[Spectra]

One major revolution if you play position lock as D is the defensive skill stick. Very rewarding when you use it successfully.

Otherwise, the game is largely the same since like NHL 11, but still OK.

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

I really wanna make my own team in Franchise mode, but every time I spend the hour+ making everything, the game crashes on the final step. I’ve tried three times.

I highly recommend franchise mode, I've been having a lot of fun with it. The drafting is a nice change, you can actually find star players in lower rounds.

If you're still having trouble creating a team, you can always create a generic team and then change the jerseys/logo/arena in the off-season. The only thing you can't change is the team name, unless you relocate.

 

[ek93]

Do you work for EA?

 

[MasterD]

I find the goalies much more difficult to score on and the cheese plays I would use in a tight game such as the cross the net breakaway goal aren't working. I actually have to use my brain this year to score.

I think the gameplay is hugely improved from NHL17. Case in point once I took the time to set my strategies and team perfectly my AI does what it should.

Maybe that was the secret all along? Make sure you have every little detail down? Either way I am loving it

I don't know, I just got the game with the pre Black Friday sales and I'm already pissed off at the Online Versus mode...

In NHL 17 I felt like if my D game was on point, I covered the front of the net and made sure not to give the point men time and space to shoot I could keep the score low. In NHL 18 I always get scored a bunch of ridiculous goals, weak wrist shots taken as soon as they cross the blue line or deflections... nothing I can do about most of them.

 

[Bolt32]

I play mainly for the Franchise mode. Which has become the bastard child of the EA series. I think I'm done buying the NHL games, maybe pick up one every three years or so to see if any new changes. Even then it will be minimal at best I would imagine. They really need to let competition to enter the market again.

 

[Tak7]

To be fair, the goalie AI which was already terrible changed for the worst. Incredible.

Goalies are better this year.

 

[CanCHI]

Goalies are better this year.

Agree big time.

 

[CanCHI]

I don't know, I just got the game with the pre Black Friday sales and I'm already pissed off at the Online Versus mode...

In NHL 17 I felt like if my D game was on point, I covered the front of the net and made sure not to give the point men time and space to shoot I could keep the score low. In NHL 18 I always get scored a bunch of ridiculous goals, weak wrist shots taken as soon as they cross the blue line or deflections... nothing I can do about most of them.

I actually haven't played online vs or HUT this year. The cheese and playing the Hawks over and over was killing my vibe. I might give it a try eventually but for now Franchise is my thing.

 

[Tak7]

I actually haven't played online vs or HUT this year. The cheese and playing the Hawks over and over was killing my vibe. I might give it a try eventually but for now Franchise is my thing.

How are you finding the franchise mode? I'm about to start it up tonight, and am curious to see how it plays out compared to previous years (I play the hell out of it).

Is Owner mode improved at all? I hated that mode in NHL 17, largely because it felt like I never had enough money to ensure everything was taken care of. It felt too micro-managy for me. Has that changed at all ?

 

[plaaplaa72]

Is Owner mode improved at all? I hated that mode in NHL 17, largely because it felt like I never had enough money to ensure everything was taken care of. It felt too micro-managy for me. Has that changed at all ?

I don't know how it was in NHL 17, since i didn't own it. But you can turn off owner mode and player morale if it feels like too much micromanagy

 

[Tak7]

I don't know how it was in NHL 17, since i didn't own it. But you can turn off owner mode and player morale if it feels like too much micromanagy

I have turned it off already. I actually stopped a franchise mode like 3 years in on 17 because I couldn't handle the Owner mode crap.

I also haven't played with morale in years. Dumb system that seems to have been implemented just to have "annoyed players" as a feature of franchise mode

 

[Beville]

I’ve just got the game, for £35.99, so I can’t xomplain...

However the gameplay is literally identical, I’m pretty disappointed in that regard.

 

[CanCHI]

I have turned it off already. I actually stopped a franchise mode like 3 years in on 17 because I couldn't handle the Owner mode crap.

I also haven't played with morale in years. Dumb system that seems to have been implemented just to have "annoyed players" as a feature of franchise mode

Ya no morale for me and auto finance. I am still loving my franchise. The game mechanics I think are the best ever and the game flow is amazing but I had to get everything perfect. The way each line plays, the players I have and I jobbed some of the sliders up 5 on certain things like goalie fights through screens, I also made attributes more impactful and that I think has made a huge difference now a guy who is 90 speed can actually get an angle around a d man who has 80 speed.

So all in all playing super realistic for me now, case in point was doing good having some great games win and lose against some lower tier teams back and forth action, then I had a stretch of playing the Hawks, Pens, Rangers and San Jose and struuuuuuugled. So it was exactly right on for me

 

[Tak7]

Ya no morale for me and auto finance. I am still loving my franchise. The game mechanics I think are the best ever and the game flow is amazing but I had to get everything perfect. The way each line plays, the players I have and I jobbed some of the sliders up 5 on certain things like goalie fights through screens, I also made attributes more impactful and that I think has made a huge difference now a guy who is 90 speed can actually get an angle around a d man who has 80 speed.

So all in all playing super realistic for me now, case in point was doing good having some great games win and lose against some lower tier teams back and forth action, then I had a stretch of playing the Hawks, Pens, Rangers and San Jose and struuuuuuugled. So it was exactly right on for me

Glad to hear. I have a similar experience - takes a ton of fine tuning before eventually landing on the right set of sliders and settings to warrant authentic gameplay.

I find it weird that EA Sports don't just do that by default; their original default game settings are awful, and I find that every year I have to spend hours tweaking things just to get it right. It's maddening.

At the very least, pull a Fifa or Madden and let me keep the same / similar settings year after year. It's virtually the same game anyway

 

[MasterD]

I’ve just got the game, for £35.99, so I can’t xomplain...

However the gameplay is literally identical, I’m pretty disappointed in that regard.

Exactly. I have had much better luck with lag though, so far, so they might have improved the netcode. Also, I find 3 vs 3 to be fun... Definitely happy I didn't pay full price though.

 

[member 262271]

Even at half price, I could've bought an actual exciting video game. Oh well, live and learn.

 

[CanCHI]

Glad to hear. I have a similar experience - takes a ton of fine tuning before eventually landing on the right set of sliders and settings to warrant authentic gameplay.

I find it weird that EA Sports don't just do that by default; their original default game settings are awful, and I find that every year I have to spend hours tweaking things just to get it right. It's maddening.

At the very least, pull a Fifa or Madden and let me keep the same / similar settings year after year. It's virtually the same game anyway

Like you mean Madden and FIFA your settings like sliders are transferable from year to year? Like FIFA 17 to FIFA 18? How is that possible?