But I did not expect to get so deeply invested in NHL 19’s online modes.ĮA’s NHL franchise has a long history of offering innovative online features, dating back a decade to NHL 09’s introduction of the EA Sports Hockey League, which allowed for players to join a virtual club and partake in ranked six-on-six play. It’s not an unqualified success, although most of my complaints have to do with the fundamental nature of an online experience. EA also elevated the new online component by combining on-ice improvements with an emphasis on lighthearted, romanticized ideas of hockey fandom. In some capacity, World of Chel is simply a smart way for EA to reuse existing elements of the NHL series in a much more enticing package. Instead, during more than a week playing NHL 19, I’ve spent the vast majority of my hours in World of Chel, the new online hub.
The studio dedicated a lot of resources to overhauling the series’ online suite for NHL 19, so I went into the game intending to give the new modes a fair shake while figuring I’d dedicate the bulk of my time to exploring the offline modes and this year’s promising gameplay updates. It’s been a while since a sports video game genuinely surprised me in a positive way, but EA Sports managed to do it with NHL 19.Īs someone who almost never plays sports games online - because I get tired of how often I lose - I was very skeptical of the focus that developer EA Vancouver put on online play this year.
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