Online Games VIP Editorial 著
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Game Informer’s review finds NHL 27’s refined skating and stronger goaltending hard to deny, but says familiar modes and uneven AI hold back EA’s latest.
Game Informer’s review of NHL 27, written by Joshua Khan, describes EA Vancouver’s latest hockey simulation as a polished but conflicted sequel. The review credits the game with better skating, more intuitive passing, stronger goaltending reactions, and smoother pacing, but argues that those improvements are surrounded by familiar modes and underdeveloped systems.
Game Informer’s assessment is not an OnlineGamesVIP hands-on verdict. It is an analysis of the publisher’s review, which presents NHL 27 as a game that often feels better during individual shifts than it does as a complete package. Its central criticism is that the series appears to be looking backward toward the customization and accessibility associated with earlier entries without delivering a similarly meaningful new direction.
According to Game Informer, skating is in the right place for NHL 27. The review says the game refines the previous entry’s Ice-Q technology through motion, building on player attributes informed by NHL Edge data. That system is intended to create more noticeable differences between players in areas such as top speed, shot power, and positioning.
Game Informer also reports that passing feels more intuitive, with dump angles and cycling working more effectively against board pins, poke checks, stick lifts, and defensive awareness. The practical implication is important for players who want hockey to be shaped by possession and decision-making rather than a narrow set of repeatable tricks. Khan’s review says the game reduces the effectiveness of left-trigger exploits and makes neutral-zone play more fluid in both online and offline modes.
That is the strongest player-focused case for NHL 27. A sports game does not need every mode to be revolutionary if the central contest is consistently more readable and responsive. Game Informer’s review suggests that the improvements to movement and passing give players more ways to attack, especially when they use mobility and saucer-passing abilities rather than relying on a physical enforcer-focused approach.
Goaltending receives a similarly mixed but mostly favorable assessment from Game Informer. The review says netminders have excellent reaction times across the board, with more aggressive behavior on breakaways and two-on-one situations. Elite starters are also described as better prepared for setups and one-timers that might previously have left them out of position.
However, Game Informer identifies crease awareness as a continuing weakness. That distinction matters because faster reactions do not automatically produce smarter goalkeeping. A goalie can respond quickly to a shot while still occupying an awkward position or failing to understand the developing play. The review therefore presents the goaltending improvements as a meaningful refinement, not a complete solution.
One of NHL 27’s headline systems is its collection of team-specific playbooks. Game Informer says these strategies use real-world positional data to shape how teams handle tactical pressure. The intended result is a greater contrast between possession-heavy zone entries, defensive collapses, and aggressive forechecking systems.
In the review’s experience, that contrast is not consistently visible on the ice. Game Informer says CPU teammates rarely pinch or maintain a particular formation after a faceoff is won, making the playbooks less influential than their design suggests. This is a key distinction between a system that exists in menus and one that changes how matches unfold. If the AI does not reliably express its assigned identity, players may struggle to understand whether a tactical choice is producing a real advantage.
Game Informer further reports that online competitive modes do not allow these team strategies to be edited. The review sees a tension between the series’ emphasis on playing your own way and restrictions that prevent players from freely reshaping those identities. More customization is not automatically better if it limits the choices that matter most, such as whether a line emphasizes cycling or shooting.
Khan’s review says this imbalance makes defensive-minded teams such as the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings less exciting to use than more pressure-oriented teams such as the Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers. That observation is useful context for franchise players and online competitors. A roster’s real-world character is valuable, but the game also needs to make different approaches engaging rather than turning some identities into slower or less rewarding versions of the same match.
The arena presentation receives a similar evaluation. Game Informer reports that all 32 NHL arenas have been rebuilt with distinct lighting systems, real-world jumbotron videos, and licensed goal songs. These details should appeal to players who spend long seasons in Franchise or care about the atmosphere of specific venues.
At the same time, Game Informer says team introductions are identical and do not include elements such as tunnel walks or locker-room scenes. The review also criticizes the commentary overhaul. ESPN’s John Buccigross and TNT’s Darren Pang replace James Cybulski and Cheryl Pounder, but the expanded commentary library uses generative AI, which Game Informer says produces dated phrasing and poor name pronunciations. New talent can add freshness, but the review argues that the delivery undermines the authenticity the presentation is trying to create.
Game Informer presents Connected Franchise as the most notable structural addition. The mode brings back the concept associated with GM Connected from NHL 14 and allows a league with up to 32 user-controlled teams. According to the review, players can build a shared hockey world with customizable rosters and flexible salaries.
That foundation may appeal to large groups that want a long-running online league, but Game Informer identifies important limitations. The review says Connected Franchise lacks offseason development and does not give smaller groups a way to play against the CPU without committing to a full 82-game schedule. Instead, those players can end up repeating games involving the same three teams until the league loses momentum.
This is where the player-fit question becomes more important than the feature list. A 32-team structure sounds expansive, but a group of friends may not have the time or interest to maintain a full-season commitment. A mode built around social play needs flexible options for different group sizes. Game Informer’s criticism suggests that Connected Franchise is aimed more successfully at a large, persistent league than at casual groups that want a shorter shared season.
Be A Pro returns with an emphasis on team captaincy, while Game Informer says Hockey Ultimate Team expands on the previous entry’s introduction of Ranked play and line combinations. World of CHEL, by contrast, is described as neglected and still dependent on recycled user inventories. These comments point to a broader pattern in the review: NHL 27 adds or adjusts pieces across several modes, but does not appear to rebuild the long-term progression structure around them.
Game Informer ultimately characterizes the sequel as a leap year for the franchise rather than a major reinvention. The review says its modes and immersion do not receive enough innovation, while familiar presentation and creation issues remain. It specifically mentions inaccurate face scans, generic creation systems, and skaters of all ratings preferring to receive passes on their backhand.
Analysis: Based on Game Informer’s review, NHL 27 looks best suited to players who value the moment-to-moment hockey more than a large new feature set. Someone who spends most of their time in standard matches, online competition, or a long Franchise save could appreciate the improved skating, passing, neutral-zone flow, and more active goaltending. Those changes affect the basic rhythm of a match, which gives them more practical value than a cosmetic menu update.
Players seeking a deep management sandbox should approach it more cautiously. Game Informer’s concerns about Connected Franchise’s missing offseason development and rigid season structure suggest that the mode’s social ambitions may not fit smaller groups. Franchise players may enjoy the arena-specific presentation and team atmospheres, but the review does not describe a broader management overhaul that would transform the long-term experience.
The review also raises a question for competitive players: how much do team-specific playbooks matter if CPU positioning does not consistently communicate them? If those identities remain difficult to see during play, tactical variety may depend more on the human player’s own decisions than on the promised behavior of each team. That is an interpretation based on Game Informer’s reported findings, not an independently tested OnlineGamesVIP conclusion.
What remains unconfirmed
The supplied Game Informer review does not confirm NHL 27’s platforms, price, launch timing, technical performance, resolution or frame-rate targets, accessibility options, cross-platform functionality, or post-launch support plans. It also does not provide a numerical score in the supplied text. Those details should not be inferred from the review’s criticism of presentation or mode design.
The review also does not establish how often the reported AI weaknesses occur across every team, difficulty setting, or mode. Game Informer describes CPU teammates as rarely maintaining certain formations and says crease awareness remains poor, but the supplied source does not provide testing data or a breakdown by situation. Players interested in those details will need further reporting or official information.
What is worth watching is whether future updates address the gap between NHL 27’s stronger fundamentals and its limited sense of progression. Game Informer’s review suggests the skating and passing foundation is healthier than the surrounding feature set. The unresolved question is whether EA Vancouver can turn that foundation into more flexible team systems, more convincing presentation, and modes that offer better reasons to return.
For readers looking for another hockey-themed option in the supplied catalog, HOCKEY is the directly relevant listing. It is not presented here as a substitute for NHL 27, and the available catalog information does not provide additional details for a comparison. The Game Informer review remains the source for the assessment of EA Vancouver’s title.