Summary
EA Sportssignificantly leveled up the presentation and feel of last year’s hockey simulator entry, butNHL 25is looking to take things even further with what could be the best-looking and smartest hockey game yet. Many EA Sports games have launched on past and current generation consoles, but with the PS4 and Xbox One now over ten years old, their technical limitations are holding certain franchises back. Thankfully,NHL 25will only be released on current-gen hardware, allowing the game to make a noticeable leap forward for the franchise.
While fans await the return of real-lifeNHLhockey in October, EA’s games have greatly improved at capturing the thrill of what it’s like watching a real hockey game.NHL 24 improved crowd reactions, presentation, and graphics, which helped make the annual simulator feel like the most realistic version so far. EA invitedScreen Rantto take part in an exclusive preview forNHL 25’s reveal, and while its visuals were fantastic, its improved CPU behavior and animations willmake it even easier to get immersed in the most advanced hockey game ever made.
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ICE-Q Should Make The CPU A Teammate That Can Be Counted On
Improved AI Can Finally Make NHL Feel Like A Team Game
NHL 25features a long list of upgrades that players should instantly notice compared to its previous installment. Gameplay is seeing a few overhauls to help last year’s offensive and defensive pressure system feel a lot more intuitive, thanks to drastically improved CPU behavior. More advanced AI will help NPC teammates better recognize what the player is doing, meaning they’ll understand when a strategic play is coming together and can be relied on to help score points.
Theimproved reliability of teammates will become ever more noticeable withNHL 25’s upgraded vision controlthat takes advantage of thepowerful current-gen hardware. Players and AI-controlled teammates will be able to set up plays and maneuver on the ice with a level of precision that was impossible to accomplish in previous entries. Upgraded gameplay mechanics and CPU behavior are part of what EA calls “ICE-Q,” which is being combined with a considerable number of added animations to make NHL 25 more realistic.
Players Look and Feel Less Robotic, Making The Hockey Feel More Alive
With the enhanced player behavior and animations,NHL 25’s hockey players now seem much less roboticthanks to subtle movements that show them reacting and shifting in real-time to adjust to plays happening on the ice. The improved physics also makes tough shots that may have bounced the puck strangely and not scored in the past have different outcomes, now that the advances in technology allow players to score goals through narrower spaces than before. Dodging, blocking, shooting, and maneuvering seem more lifelike with the new changes that helpNHL 25feel like the next generation of hockey gaming.
Reactive AI hockey players should now be able to match the explosive energy thatNHL 24added to its crowds to help replicate the excitement of being at a live hockey game, but the latest installment shows thatEA Sports is improving its level of presentationyet again. The jump to current-gen technology allowsNHL 25to finally add strand-based flowing hair, cloth systems for jerseys, and much more lifelike character models that faithfully recreate both male and female professional hockey athletes better than before.
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NHL 25 Releases On October 4 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S
With more accurate physics helping collisions, skating, and puck handling to be more satisfying, assisting teammates to square up a slapshot should be easier to accomplish. Now that skill-based one-timers have been added toNHL 25, the feeling of scoring a goal will feel more rewarding than in previous hockey titles, especially after hearing crowd reactions that should be more expressive than ever with the new Grudge Match system that increases a match’s tension depending on whether the two opposing teams have a long-standing rivalry in NHL’s history.
The debut trailer also revealed thatNHL 25’s cover athletes will be all three of the Hughes Brothers (Quinn, Jack, and Luke). Two of them play for the New Jersey Devils, while Quinn plays for the Vancouver Canucks. Where fans buy the game will decide which brother will be on theNHL 25cover art. All three brothers are featured together on the Deluxe Edition, which will also allow players to playNHL 25seven days before it officially releases on October 4. According to EA Sports, fans can look forward to more information releasing before then.
Source:EA SPORTS NHL/YouTube
EA Sports invitedScreen Rantto participate in an early digital reveal ofNHL 25for the purposes of this preview.
