NHL 17 Reviews

NHL 17 is ranked in the 79th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Digitally Downloaded
Nick H.
Top Critic
Sep 29, 2016

NHL 17 is a very good game of hockey that has not really grown much since last year. Tweaks and improvements are there, certainly nothing feels worse about the title than last season, but there is still room to innovate.

Read full review

M3
Top Critic
6 / 10
Sep 15, 2016

It has been a fact for a couple of years now that EA Sports NHL series is in need of a big renovation. The graphics is starting to look dated, the physics isn't nearly as good as PES or FIFA and the AI is unbalanced – particularly the goalie part. NHL 17 is still a pretty decent game for the hockey fans, but it's hard to not feel a bit disappointed.

Review in Swedish | Read full review

6.5 / 10.0
Sep 12, 2016

NHL 17 is more like the previous entry in that fun will mostly take a backseat to simulation/realism and the problems that entails. There is fun to be had when the cons keep to themselves but it happens a bit too much. However, all the customization and game modes will keep you busy for a very long time. Especially if you need to take breaks because you grow a little frustrated. In the same vein as those who enjoy racing simulators, sports fans will enjoy the latest entry into EA Sports' series but it will be another year that greatness wasn't achieved once again.

Read full review

3.5 / 5.0
Sep 8, 2016

EA Sports has three different sports titles under their belt.

Read full review

7 / 10
Sep 25, 2016

After the barebones release of NHL 15, the notable improvements of last year’s really stood out.

Read full review

7 / 10.0
Sep 12, 2016

NHL 17 is only held back by a few issues, but they rear their ugly head during every single match. Both player selection and poor teammate AI could be improved by patches, but right now they make every match become frustrating in spots. It’s incredibly disappointing to see a game that gets so much right also proceed to get a few important things dead wrong. There is still fun to be had, especially in the Be A Pro mode, but the action on the ice isn’t nearly as satisfying as it should be.

Read full review

VG247
Top Critic
Sep 8, 2016

NHL 17 has some real strengths, but it still feels like it hasn't quite made it out of the previous generation. The gameplay is strong but increasingly dated; the feature set feels haphazard, and there are lots of niggling quality-of-life issues. It feels more and more like the series is stuck in a rut, and it's hard to say where EA Canada should take it next. For now, NHL 17 is another decent outing, but the next step remains elusive.

Read full review

USgamer
Top Critic
Sep 8, 2016

NHL 17 has some real strengths, but it still feels like it hasn't quite made it out of the previous generation. The gameplay is strong but increasingly dated; the feature set feels haphazard, and there are lots of niggling quality-of-life issues. It feels more and more like the series is stuck in a rut, and it's hard to say where EA Canada should take it next. For now, NHL 17 is another decent outing, but the next step remains elusive.

Read full review

Mat Paget
Top Critic
7 / 10
Sep 8, 2016

The NHL series' gameplay continues to impress in NHL 17, but with only incremental upgrades, it feels like a game we've played before.

Read full review

7.3 / 10.0
Sep 13, 2016

The on-ice play hasn’t undergone a drastic transformation from last year, and outside of EASHL not many of the modes have long legs

Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Sep 8, 2016

NHL 17 is a solid return to form for the series finally adding back many of the features that were removed at the start of the generation, but it never does anything to take strides forward.

Read full review

75%
Sep 23, 2016

NHL 17 is the best ice hockey game to date. There's still a lot to improve and EA tried to do so even this time, but in form of tiny steps. NHL 16 owners can wait until next year, but everyone else can be really satisfied.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

75 / 100
Oct 4, 2016

NHL 17 brings a slew of changes and additions to its modes that will make fans happy, but the gameplay is relatively unchanged from last year.

Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Sep 12, 2016

NHL 17 is a very good hockey simulation game. It’s gameplay works well, it contains a plethora of well executed modes, and has a stable online experience. Sadly, some issues with the menus and on-ice trainer, along with long loading times, can cause frustration, especially when new players are still trying to understand the NHL 17’s controls. While newcomers may be a bit off-put by the game at first if they don’t invest a lot of time with it,those who stick with the game and fans of the series will have a great time, even though there are still a few things that need to be improved on in the future.

Read full review

Polygon
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Sep 23, 2016

NHL 17’s most promising features are held back by its reuse of old elements

Read full review

GameSkinny
RobotsFightingDinosaurs
Top Critic
Sep 13, 2016

NHL 17 continues in NHL 16's tradition, providing a solid and customizable hockey sim experience, but not all of the new changes work as well as promised.

Read full review

8 / 10.0
Sep 16, 2016

Your decision to pick up NHL 17 will depend on your experience with the previous two titles. If you haven't picked up a NHL title this season or you stopped at NHL 15, you absolutely must purchase NHL 17. The game has been refined with loads of changes for both pros and novices, and the number of modes present, along with their depth, will ensure that this stays in rotation until the hockey season starts. If you already have NHL 16, then there isn't much of an impetus to grab the NHL 17 version. The extra modes are indeed nice, but you already have access to just about everything, so those additions might not feel that impressive. Either way, NHL 17 remains a solid game, and one hopes that the momentum continues into next year's title.

Read full review

Sep 9, 2016

When all of these modes sit on such a solid base of good hockey gameplay, it’s easy to have fun however you choose to approach NHL 17.

Read full review

8 / 10.0
Sep 12, 2016

The best hockey series ever gets even better. More to see and more to do – and it’s all great fun thanks to solid gameplay and attention to detail

Read full review

8 / 10.0
Sep 9, 2016

NHL 17 delivers with low-key improvements on the ice, while a host of feature-rich game modes offer greater depth than ever before.

Read full review