This has been a very, very good year in sports video games, with significant improvements being made to almost every marquee franchise. So, when NHL 27 boasted revamped presentation alongside the already solid gameplay of last year’s iteration, it fostered anticipation that it too would get an elite entry this year.
How utterly wrong I was.
Something is just off about NHL 27, as if something went horribly wrong during its development. There are so many small things that are wrong with this year’s entry that no one mistake is egregious enough to be a deal breaker, but in totality the entire experience left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
The good
There are some things to like about NHL 27. Attention to detail inside arenas, with a focus on introductions and real-world goal horns is extremely welcome and makes things feel alive. Instead of trying to build a soundtrack that evokes the spirit of hockey, EA Sports licensed some of the most iconic arena music of all time, which really makes goals feel alive.
Even the best new element to the game is sloppy in its execution. It’s nice to have attention paid to goal celebrations, but when the camera cuts to the same, generic, blocky fans who still look like they’re out of the PS2 era, that’s when things pull you right back out of the experience.
This new presentation is also slapdash. Some teams will feel somewhat true to life, but others have been largely ignored. In short: Unless you’re a fan of a team that skates out through an inflatable, it’s going to be a little disappointing. As a fan of the Carolina Hurricanes, it’s easiest to describe that experience, and as nice as it may be to have Petey Pablo’s Raise Up every time the Canes score a goal, EA Sports didn’t bother to get the far more important team tradition of skating out to the warning siren while Rock You Like a Hurricane plays.
Ultimately it feels like the developers of NHL 27 were given a shoestring budget and asked to add something new to the game. The intros and goal horns are nice, but also reek of a quick addition that could have been a few weeks of the development cycle — not the marquee addition to a yearly installment of the franchise.
The bad
NHL 27 feels like last year’s game when it comes to the on-ice action, for the most part. There are some very weird things that have happened to the computer A.I. that make it feel like a distinctly worse experience, and elements I haven’t encountered in several years of the game.
The computer no longer attempts to effectively clear the puck while on the penalty kill. Even in 5-on-3 situations you’ll see a defender try to skate it out of the blue zone, even over the center line when there are three forwards on the forecheck. It ruins the flow of powerplays to where a majority of powerplay goals no longer happen because you set up good puck cycling or crowding the goalie, instead you’ll poke check it away from a skater who never should have been trying to bring the puck up the ice, and have an easy breakaway.
John Buccigross made waves when he revealed that in addition to him doing commentary for the game, EA Sports was also using generative AI to flesh out more lines. In theory, I have no problem with that, so long as it comes with the announcer’s blessing, because it should mean more live diversity and fresher commentary — but not only is the commentary in NHL 27 terrible and sounds disjointed as if generated by AI, but it’s also extremely repetitive.
It’s one thing to make a comment about a 2-1 game being low-scoring in the third period, but you hear the same line every single time when fewer than four goals have been scored. The exact same line about “the tradition of thanking the fans” happens after the game, no matter which team you play as. In past years games we’d get the same line after each game, but at least it would be targeted more towards each individual fanbase and their traditions — rather than blanket comments.
This is when the commentary is remotely accurate, which too often it’s not. Far too many times I’ve poke checked the puck away only for the commentary to say that the puck carrier poked it away. During a Hurricanes game at home Buccigross commented about how many empty seats there were, and that “this franchise has struggled to fill the arena.” The Carolina Hurricanes have sold out every home game since the 2021-22 season.
The ugly
We’re going to discuss the player models, because they have been mocked endlessly online since the game released. In NHL 27’s defense the face scans aren’t as bad as the internet would have you believe, with most players being decent-enough representations of their real-world counterparts. Some are just abysmal …
Regardless of whether the player got a good scan or not, every single athlete looks like a monster when they emote. Whether celebrating a goal or being angered by a penalty call, the players turn into grotesque monsters as soon as their mouths and eyes move.
Final thoughts …
The on-ice action of NHL 27 is largely still fine, but despite making changes to puck carrying and dekeing, still feels a step behind last year’s game. The music is a big step forward with arenas feeling more alive, but it’s cold comfort with the myriad issues that have popped up which weren’t present in the past.
The development team behind the NHL series is clearly passionate and loves the game, but it’s apparent they are struggling for a lack of resources. While hockey is a niche sport that will never get the budget of Madden, it also deserves a lot more than it’s getting right now. I sincerely hope that EA Sports gets the message that fans see this as a low-point in the series, and tries to revitalize the franchise.
Score: 5/10
