At E3, we saw plenty of details about EA’s upcoming sports titles, such as FIFA 19, NBA LIVE 19, and Madden NFL 19. One we didn’t see mentioned was a new instalment in the NHL franchise, but there’s no need to panic — EA just decided to wait until all the fuss had died down before they announced NHL 19 for release this September. You’ll all likely know what to expect from the game by now, but what new features will EA be bringing to the table this year? Well, there will be outdoor rinks, hockey legends, new gameplay technology and a host of customisation options.
This year, the NHL franchise will allow players to compete on outdoor rinks across a variety of game modes, including the existing EA SPORTS Hockey League, NHL THREES, and Play Now modes. There will also be two brand new modes playable on these rinks: NHL ONES and Pro-Am. While Pro-Am wasn’t detailed, NHL ONES puts three players onto the ice in a free-for-all to prove who’s the best. The mode doesn’t have any rules, any stoppages, or any limits.
The game’s new RPM Tech allows for Explosive-edge skating. This gives players the ability to generate speed through edge-work and crossovers. New animations will add a more realistic appearance to acceleration, high-speed skating, and pin-point turns. Meanwhile, the game will allow players to customise their skater using over 900 options that include authentic NHL clothing from the biggest brands to something more appropriate for a more traditional “pond hockey lifestyle”.
Finally, the game will include over 200 hockey legends from the last 100 years of NHL, allowing current players to appear alongside the best skaters from past seasons. This includes cover athlete Wayne Gretzky, who will be adorning the Legend and Ultimate editions of the title. You can see all of these features in the trailer below:
The standard edition of the title will feature Nashville Predators’ P.K. Subban on the cover. Those who pre-order this edition of the title will get five Hockey Ultimate Team Packs (one per week over a period of five weeks). Meanwhile, pre-ordering the Legend Edition will get players three days early access to the title and 20 HUT packs (one per week over a period of 20 weeks). Those who pluck for the Ultimate Edition will get three days early access to the title and 40 HUT packs (two per week over a period of 20 weeks). Both the Legend and Ultimate Editions also include the following content:
- Choice of 1 HUT Cover Athlete item
- Choice of 1 HUT Legend item
- Choice of 1 HUT Rookie item
- Unlocked Hockey Bag
Finally, there’s also a loyalty scheme for owners of NHL 16, NHL 17, and/or NHL 18. Pre-ordering the title if you own any of those three games will get you the following rewards:
- 2 HUT packs for your first year of ownership, 3 more packs for your second year of ownership, and 5 more packs if you own all three.
- 1 HUT Cover Athlete item per year of ownership, Jonathan Toews for owners of NHL® 16, Vladimir Tarasenko for owners of NHL® 17, and Connor McDavid for owners of NHL® 18.
- 1 World of Chel Hockey Bag per year of ownership
NHL 19 will be released worldwide on September 14th. Those with early access will be able to play the game from September 11th.