Lack Of A Story Mode
The biggest gripe I think that will come from this year’s NHL game is the lack of a definitive, scripted story mode, that more and more of its genre counterparts are adopting. FIFA’s “The Journey,” NBA’s “MyCareer” and this year’s Madden “Longshots” story mode are showing that a concrete story or career mode is something that players not only want, but expect from a sports franchise in 2017.
Whether it’s Miracle or The Mighty Ducks, history has shown that hockey’s a great vector to tell an inspiring story, which only reminds us that the lack of one in NHL 18 is, to say the least a bit, disappointing
While other modes, namely Ultimate Team, might be where EA draws a large chuck of its revenue from in its sports franchises, a single player experience is still core to any major sports title and the absence of one in NHL 18 illustrates an area where the game is lagging behind the competition.