NHL 25 reviews are - not great

Well, at least it had a really interesting cover story. A week after release, the biggest reviewers have weighed in on EA Sports' latest NHL offering. Most are of the opinion that you can wait for the inevitable free release through PlayStation and Xbox subscriptions.

IGN's Nick Ransbottom gave it a 6/10 in his NHL 25 review. He praised the graphical upgrades and smooth animations but ultimately noted that the few mechanical changes don't make it feel much better than last year's offering.

Gaming Bolt's Matthew Carmosino agrees, calling NHL 25 a live service update of last year's game. He notes that wrist shots, a longtime problem for the franchise in his opinion, haven't improved in this year's version. He is also among the many critics to note that tutorials are non-existent in the game.

I don't know how many brand new hockey fans are diving into this franchise at this point. But tutorials usually assume there are a few. Baseball is more popular and its mechanics are better known. But MLB The Show still does an excellent job of explaining that the simple act of hitting a baseball isn't always that simple.

Every year when I read through EA's PR designed to make each game sound like a revolution, I'm pulling for them. I'm aware it's not easy to make a sports game feel new, especially considering the rules for a sport don't change much from year to year.

But some games get it right. NBA 2K25, for example, is one of the best basketball games in years. I love the gameplay so much I'm even willing to wade through the typical MyTEAM nonsense to play it. It's been a banger year so far for sports games, but let's face it. They weren't all going to hit.