NHL 25 Discussion

[nightonthesun]

Have they improved the menu UI at all?

Can you stick check/play defense?

the franchise mode menus are organized in a slightly more convenient way, but the lag is worse. My first thought was maybe the addition of movement clauses and other things ended up causing a need for a menu overhaul that didn’t end up solving the problem? It’s a bizarre downgrade otherwise.

Got called for a slash when in good position a couple of times, but generally stick checking feels more reliable to me. So far I feel teammate AI improvements have made playing d a bit more fun

 

[Gabriel426]

Can we control multiple teams and force trade in Franchise like 2K series?

Would also be nice if we can edit players attributes, ratings, height, weight, contract in Franchise mode too?

 

[Dreakon13]

I'm kind of enjoying the game but I think I need to find an EASHL club.

6v6 drop in's is just rife with players with speed maxed out, just cherry picking all game long. Every year small fast players with cheesy goals encoded in their DNA get made more effective, and the ways of stopping them get worse and worse.

As a forward, you get saddled with AI defenders too often that just let them walk past every time... so someone (usually me) has to be a 3rd defender and basically play behind them all game.

As a defensemen, it's just a barrage of 3 on 1's as every other player including the other defensemen just rush into the zone (or don't do anything helpful) and hand the puck over at the worst possible time to the 1 non-cherry picking guy actually hanging back... and inevitably the cherry pickers get behind you if you pinch, or try to help on offense, or actually play the game at all.

Whenever I get matched into a club game it's really fun. People play their positions, back eachother up when they see someone try for something, typically not getting paired with people who never played any NHL game before in their life, etc. Alas, I have no friends lol

 

[Frosty415]

Be a pro unchanged again

Told y'all

EA is a joke

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

FINALLY we have NTC, NMC's, real contract negotiations

Now for next year give me LTIR, protected draft picks and 3 way trades so we can get 75% retention.

 

[Favster]

WOC is definitely much better than the last 2 years. It seems like the skill gap is back which was a big problem. The game is not perfect but it's an improvement IMO.

 

[LokiDog]

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.

I gotta agree. If you CAN’T fix the AI or replicate real hockey any more than how far we’ve come, to where there’s neutral zone play and real cycles (hell, the ability to stuck handle AND keep your feet moving at the same time doesn’t exist… in an NHL game… it’s stick handle and glide or skate and do not handle the puck at all) at least go fix something you can fix… there is no AI tweaking or behaviors or engine functionality that needs to be considered for you to revamp the player creation/editor that is staler than the pretzels in grandma’s cabinet. There isn’t anything stopping you from letting us edit NHLers hair either, so that guys like … oh, I don’t know, ONE OF THE COVER ATHLETES, can have actual long hair (Jack Hughes, anyone?) instead of being stuck with whatever you assigned him in NHL 20. Forget wishing for a new opening cinematic for BAP (or any improvement at all). These are not the most important things but if they’re a lot easier than trying to program a gaming engine to behave like real life neutral zone NHL athletes, can we at least get these quality of life features?

 

[ManWithNoName]

The ”new and improved” AI has severe problems with receiving pucks and engaging in play, ”controller disconnected” symptoms.

And while back checking the AI switches between forward and back skating twice per second resulting in losing speed and a lot of 2 on 1s, 3 on 2s etc.

 

[amikaro]

I'd love to play NHL25 soon. But I wait as form of protest. I don't pay full-price anymore as long as those menus are laggy as shit! I'd rather have a full-text-menu than this laggy mess.

Same with Franchise mode. I can't accept another year of the same. I'm playing with roster and gameplay updates since years. I barely played NHL24 because it was exactly the same Franchise Mode again.

Pitty. I don't mind if they improve steadily instead of going for the big changes.
But stop wasting development hours in more animations, new items/clothes and in-game-purchase-mods.

Thanks EA for getting me away from the screen rather spend my time in the garden or fishing.

 

[savebyrichter94]

Didn’t play CHEL last year after the first month and I think I’m gonna skip this year too, tired of feeling like I’m stuck in limbo playing this game and the online community might be the worst of any game, my stress levels dramatically decreased once I stopped trying to play hockey with people who have more fun making stupid characters and trolling than playing the actual sport

 

[FerrisRox]

Didn’t play CHEL last year after the first month and I think I’m gonna skip this year too, tired of feeling like I’m stuck in limbo playing this game and the online community might be the worst of any game, my stress levels dramatically decreased once I stopped trying to play hockey with people who have more fun making stupid characters and trolling than playing the actual sport

How does playing CHEL make you feel like you're stuck in limbo?

I'd love to play NHL25 soon. But I wait as form of protest. I don't pay full-price anymore as long as those menus are laggy as shit! I'd rather have a full-text-menu than this laggy mess.

So you "protest" the game by still buying it but "paying less?"

That's quite a protest.

 

[savebyrichter94]

How does playing CHEL make you feel like you're stuck in limbo?



So you "protest" the game by still buying it but "paying less?"

That's quite a protest.

Because it’s basically been the same thing for years with very little actual progression? It’s basically a copy and paste cosmetically every year with the same customization options for the most part, nominal improvements in graphics and a community that seems to lose more and more of the actual real players every year that are replaced with more trolls and selfish players leading to the same annoying experience year after year

 

[FerrisRox]

Because it’s basically been the same thing for years with very little actual progression? It’s basically a copy and paste cosmetically every year with the same customization options for the most part, nominal improvements in graphics and a community that seems to lose more and more of the actual real players every year that are replaced with more trolls and selfish players leading to the same annoying experience year after year

How are people "trolling" you in CHEL?

 

[savebyrichter94]

How are people "trolling" you in CHEL?

 

[EdJovanovski]

I'm kind of enjoying the game but I think I need to find an EASHL club.

6v6 drop in's is just rife with players with speed maxed out, just cherry picking all game long. Every year small fast players with cheesy goals encoded in their DNA get made more effective, and the ways of stopping them get worse and worse.

As a forward, you get saddled with AI defenders too often that just let them walk past every time... so someone (usually me) has to be a 3rd defender and basically play behind them all game.

As a defensemen, it's just a barrage of 3 on 1's as every other player including the other defensemen just rush into the zone (or don't do anything helpful) and hand the puck over at the worst possible time to the 1 non-cherry picking guy actually hanging back... and inevitably the cherry pickers get behind you if you pinch, or try to help on offense, or actually play the game at all.

Whenever I get matched into a club game it's really fun. People play their positions, back eachother up when they see someone try for something, typically not getting paired with people who never played any NHL game before in their life, etc. Alas, I have no friends lol

Yea the quality of hockey in EASHL club matches is 100x better than drop in World of Chel. I'm sick of that same game on that same outdoor rink and I feel like psychologically it makes you play more stupid and less of a game resembling hockey than if you were in a rink wearing proper gear/jerseys/etc. It's always a pleasant surprise when I go to drop in and find myself in a club match. We tried starting a Club for HFNYR guys but couldn't find enough and it's basically just me and one guy who play.

If I started an HF Club, maybe there would be enough interest from people here? My trial is nearly over, I'm going to buy the game on Friday when the standard edition drops, I'll make a team then and share it here

 

[CutOnDime97]

Have they improved the menu UI at all?

The menus do seem faster

 

[Favster]

As of now, I can easily say this is the best game they've made in the last 5 years for CHEL. Not sure how it's going to feel after the 1st patch but it's a lot of fun as is. We're back to an eSports worthy game, no more BS catered to the casual player. Now if only they could make tips skilled based (based on a button being pressed with right timing) I'd be very happy.

The menus do seem faster

The entire menu system was redesigned and is much faster. You also don't have to press X (y for xbox) 12 times before reaching the chel DR.

 

[saska sault]

Apologize in advance if already discussed, been a few years since I have even played the NHL franchise but last year the whole graphics and zone control thing made the game a no thank you for me. Also the lack of attention to franchise.

Are the zone graphics still in the game? And does anyone know if you can substitute other league's teams into franchise mode? This was a feature forever and it just went away and never came back. Always enjoyed making a euro type league and as a multi year franchise.

 

[izzy]

Well, less than an hour of franchise mode and had it freeze up twice and had to full restart

nice job devs, enough of that for me

 

[MartyOwns]

based on reading this thread (and feedback in other forums) i'm not sure this game is worth downloading a free ten-hour trial, let alone the actual game itself. hopefully enough people stay on 24 (an awful game in its own right) to find games in chel.

 

[RRhoads]

Apologize in advance if already discussed, been a few years since I have even played the NHL franchise but last year the whole graphics and zone control thing made the game a no thank you for me. Also the lack of attention to franchise.

Are the zone graphics still in the game? And does anyone know if you can substitute other league's teams into franchise mode? This was a feature forever and it just went away and never came back. Always enjoyed making a euro type league and as a multi year franchise.

I think you can turn off that graphics this year. Franchise mode seems overhauled. Not sure if you can swap teams.