However after 25 years, of the same basic fun and intensity that hockey brings (in any form), EA’s annual hockey game has seen fewer and fewer changes to its gameplay – and honestly it has become rather stale as far as I am concerned. Much like its counterpart, the National Hockey League, hockey (in general) is just an incredibly fun, fast, and exciting sport, and it translates really well into a video game. As far as fun, and excitement goes in video games, there are not too many games that can compare. NHL by EA sports is a part of Canadian culture. Without further adieu, let’s dive into the review. In fact I have bought every single version of NHL since 1993, last year (NHL16) being the first exception… After changes to the HUT system (which I will explain later) I had decided to NOT buy NHL17 (because I refuse to buy a roster update for a game that has less features than it did 10 years ago) Along came the Toronto Guardian, asking me to review NHL17 for their new video-game column, they even had a free review copy for me to dissect and criticize! EA (and the Guardian!) might regret asking me – because the bottom line is this: Anyone who loves sports games as much as me – has a love/hate relationship with EA Sports… and honestly in the last 10 years, it is more hate. With all that said, I am not new to the NHL franchise. Sports video games have gotten to the point, where they look so much like the real thing, that visitors to my apartment sometimes do not realize that the basketball (or soccer) game we are so involved in, is not real… Needless to say, time has passed since then. Prior to that moment – Ice hockey in video games was relinquished to the choice of “Skinny, Medium, and Fat” on original Nintendo, or the fight-centric “Blades of Steel”, both of which did not have official licenses. It shattered my comprehension that they had added the complete current NHL rosters to a video game, and that the counterparts performed reasonably like the players did in real life. The screen happily announced to me that the goal had been scored by “L. Gretzsky, or what looked like a small digital #99 (on the Kings), had the puck in the corner, and placed a perfect pass to Luc Robataille for the finish… This was mind-blowing. I stood there, 11 years old, with my face pressed against the window as the game’s demo mode replayed the Kings vs. The store, which I frequented, had a brand new display showcasing NHLPA for Super Nintendo. It was a Sunday in 1992, I walked by a closed Compucenter store, nestled in a dark corner of the concourse level at Yonge & Bloor. I remember the first time I saw an NHL hockey game by EA Sports.
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