NHL 19 Reviews

NHL 19 skates its way to the top thanks to a franchise redefining entry.

NHL 19 is a clear step up from previous installments of the franchise. With its large list of game modes, features, and customization options, NHL helps elevate the series in ways both familiar and totally new.

EA has an impressive sports line-up, but this year's NHL entry clearly got a bit less love than some of the more universally adored sports.

Shoot and score.

A prospect can have all the puck skills in the world, but it’s not uncommon for players who regularly put up 100-point seasons in the CHL struggle to crack NHL lineups. The difference between true NHLers and a career minor leaguer can often be chalked up to one ability – skating technique. Over the last few years, EA’s NHL franchise has underperformed like one of these plodding prospects largely due to the same factor. The players felt slow and unresponsive, a far cry from the burst and agility we see from NHL stars. With a new skating system, NHL 19 shows dramatic improvement in this crucial area, and the effects are felt across every mode in the robust package.

Of course, after I spend more time with NHL 19's online features, you can expect a well-rounded review of the whole package. If you want to pick NHL 19 up before then on PS4 or Xbox One, you can do so on Amazon.

It’s not a surprise that there is only one hockey game on the market and the NHL series has been that sole option for many years. NHL 19 packs so much content into this package that I’m surprised EA Canada manages to come up with new features year after year. NHL 19 combines a surprising amount of core game mechanics adjustments with new game modes and valuable additions to existing content. That’s rare for a series with yearly releases, and if you’ve been holding off on upgrading fro...

NHL 19 proves you can have your cake and eat it, too. It has a complex, sim-heavy Franchise mode, fun, fast, ridiculous arcade modes, and everything in between. There’s a style of play here for anyone, from the absolute rookie to someone who lives and breathes hockey. The action on the ice feels excellent and there’s just so much to do in NHL 19 that I was able to find a game mode to match any kind of mood I was in at the time. We don’t need to ask “where did all the arcade-style sports games go?” anymore, because NHL 19 folded them all into a fantastic, robust package oozing with pure fun. What’s most amazing is how the modes are so different in tone, but maintain excellence throughout.

Overall, you will find yourself fully immersed in your gameplay. I fully intend to continue playing the career mode, because it gives me a sense of satisfaction from being able to get better or worse while in the game.

Is this the season that EA Sports finally snags the cup? Find out in our NHL 19 PS4 Review.

EA's hockey sim goes casual with World of Chel, but the gameplay is where it shines this year.

There have been years where I’ve questioned whether the NHL franchise was worth the price tag. This isn’t one of those years. RPM Tech isn’t just a fancy marketing term, it’s been backed up with tangible changes to the core movement system in NHL 19, and the gameplay feels more honest because of it. With the World of Chel, I expected to yell like an old man who hates change about how the kids were ruining everything. However, EA Canada has managed to focus on the youth movement in a way that doesn’t alienate traditionalists who value good hockey over cosmetics. There are still things that need addressing, but NHL 19 is the best hockey experience I’ve had with the NHL franchise in the PS4 era.

NHL 19 is hardly an improvement on the traditional hockey formula and opens up some potentially exploitative avenues.