| NHL 19 | |
|---|---|
 Cover art featuringP. K. Subban | |
| Developer(s) | EA Vancouver |
| Publisher(s) | EA Sports |
| Series | NHL |
| Engine | Ignite |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 4 Xbox One |
| Release | September 14, 2018 |
| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
NHL 19 is anice hockeysimulation video game developed byEA Vancouver and published byEA Sports. It was released onPlayStation 4 andXbox One on September 14, 2018. It is the 28th installment in theNHL video game series and featuresNashville Predators defensemanP. K. Subban on the cover,[1] while the 'Ultimate' and 'Legends' game editions cover art featuresWayne Gretzky from theEdmonton Oilers.[2] TheFinnish andSwedish exclusive covers featurePatrik Laine fromWinnipeg Jets andWilliam Nylander fromToronto Maple Leafs, respectively.[3]
NHL 19 included new game modes that allowed players to play on outdoor rinks, online. With new gameplay technology,EA Sports also announced that skating had more acceleration, action, speed, and responsiveness than in previous installments.[4]NHL 19’s new feature “World of Chel” allows the player to explore various modes while maintaining the player's character progression.[5] In the mode “Ones,” players face-off in a 1 v 1 v 1 game setting on a frozen pond. Capturing the action in a more realistic environment. A leveling system was also introduced in “World of Chel” which increases the players level while playing and unlocking boxes to gain more loot for their characters,World of Chel also has nomicrotransactions.[6]
The soundtrack for the game features 20 songs from various artists, includingTwenty One Pilots,Imagine Dragons,grandson,Greta Van Fleet,Panic! at the Disco,Parquet Courts, Canadian rockersArkells, and Finnish rap-duoJVG.[7]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | (PS4) 80/100[8] (XONE) 82/100[9] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Game Informer | 8.5/10[10] |
| GameSpot | 8/10[5] |
| IGN | 8.9/10[11] |
| Forbes | 8.2/10[13] |
| Inside Hockey |  [14] |
| USgamer |   [12] |
NHL 19 received "favorable" reviews from critics for both platforms, with a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 29 critics, for PS4,[8] and 82/100, based on 20 critics, for Xbox One,[9] onreview aggregatorMetacritic.NHL 19’s extensive customization features was met with particular praise. The number of options creates many unique looks to use and personalized ways to play.[11] Reviewers also shared positive opinions on the new Real player motion animation technology.[15]
Despite the generally positive reception,[16] there was also some criticism aimed atNHL 19.[13] Editor Brian Mazique fromForbes stated in summary of his review: "On the downside, there is a lack of customization, some collision-detection issues, as well as some dated and less-than-impressive presentation elements."[13]
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