Played nearly 10 hours (WOC, Franchise, Be a Pro, Online Versus)
I like the new skating with Mohawks & proper edgework. It's not overpowered at all like some people worried it would be, making it impossible to knock the puck off them or something.
Teammate AI when playing as NHL teams, seems to be improved. I'm noticing my teammates being more assertive and also breaking up the other teams passes.
The player models too skinny almost like they aren't wearing shoulder pads.
They got rid of the 30 second countdown during intermissions of WOC, why??
I like that one timers are less underpowered now, they are one of the highest danger shots in hockey. BUT they should tweak it to make them less powered when taking one from the blueline. I've noticed some really bad point shot one timers going in where Shesterkin sprawling to his chest with nobody screening him, on a shot from the blueline.
Overall I think gameplay has improved. My biggest gripes with the game aren't gameplay, it's the cosmetic things. Not sure if that's a popular opinion as I see most people complain mostly about gameplay and main don't care about graphics and aesthetics.
It's the same player customization engine from like 15 years ago WTF. Still selecting from pre-made faces rather than having sliders for each facial feature in 2024 on a ps5, is INSANE. This is by far my biggest gripe with the game.
The graphics are absolute GARBAGE compared to FC (FIFA). The gap between FC and NHL in graphics is literally bigger than the gap between NHL 24 & NHL 07. Utterly insane. Jerseys still look like paint rather than the texture of a jersey. It's a joke. World of Chel exact same cutscenes and same bullshit from a decade or whenever ago.
Since they finally made some changes to Franchise mode this year though, I'm expecting (maybe I'm too optimistic lol) that next year is Be a Pro that gets changed with overhauled customization, cut scenes, interviews, etc.