NHL 25 Feedback – Veteran Player Review

I've played NHL games for over 15 years, and NHL 25 is still the only game I touch on my Xbox. While the presentation in 25 is a step forward, there's still a long way to go in making it feel like real NHL hockey. Here's a breakdown:

Music / Sound

• Goal Songs: Each team should have authentic goal songs like in real NHL arenas
• Audio Bugs: Music cuts off mid-song after whistles — happens 10–15 times per game on Series X. Sounds like a bug, but even if intentional, it kills immersion and feels off
• Arena Music: Occasionally solid, but often lacks energy. You’re in a hockey barn, not a coffee shop

Graphics & Presentation

• Coach Models: Way too bulky. Faces are often off — needs better likeness and scale adjustments
• Jerseys: Look worse when zoomed out — NHL 24 had crisper jersey detail at range
• Playoff Handshakes: In Finals, the post-game handshake is way too short
• UI/Cutscenes Options: Great new additions. Please expand:
  • Minimalist player indicators (bring back the triangle indicator as an option)
  • Option to disable X-Factor sounds/cutscenes for immersion
• Game Intro: Ditch the EDM rave. Show the visiting team coming out to boos, then the home team to a roaring crowd. Talk about what player we should watch out for, present the goalies. You can do so much better here!
• Crowd Models: Still outdated. Improve animations and variety
• Replays: Show more key blocks, scoring chances, and big saves during gameplay pauses. Also, some replays have a lot of unrealistic movement, like, for example, orbiting around the net
• Coach Reactions: Good feature — but give us the option to skip it
• End-of-Game Cutscene: Make it a proper 3-stars presentation with arena commentary at the end of the game. Not only music and replays
• Menu Lag: Feels sluggish. Needs serious optimization — fast UI matters
• Playoffs Series: Show the playoffs series past (LAK leads 2-0) in the scoreboard graphics
• Clipping Environment: Sometimes the camera starts panning from the Jumbotron, and it shows it clipping from the inside for 1-2 seconds. This happens in some arenas, not all of them
• Captured Moment: Ability to see past Stanley Cup win team photos in Franchise Mode/BAP

Gameplay Physics

• Goal Net: Currently doesn't react naturally when the puck hits it. Needs real movement and flex
• Hitting Physics: Hitting physics is good, but way too exaggerated. Feels like we are playing NHL Arcade
• Puck Dumping: Offline modes don’t allow proper high dumps. And where did delay-of-game penalties go? They’re basically extinct now
• CPU Reactions: When we score a goal, their animations are very stiff and they skate into opponent players, stands still, or raise their stick looking like robots.

Controls

• Protect Puck: Bring back the A-button protection option. Clicking sticks by accident isn’t ideal in tight moments
• Responsive Deking: More control when manually deking with skill stick. It needs to be more responsive for players that have high deking stat. I want to deke like P. Kane in a shootout if you're controlling that guy. This was a thing in past games (NHL 20 and prior)

Misc

• Goalie Pull Variation: CPU should pull the goalie at more random times. Right now they always do this with 45-50 seconds remaining. If they are down 2 goals, maybe they should have a random range of 2 minutes to 50 seconds. Or just make all of the pull goalie events random within 300 to 50 seconds
• Better CPU: I found NHL 25 too easy with Superstar AI and 6/6 Difficulty adjustment. In Franchise, I can win the cup almost every year. One big factor in this is the CPU defense's inability to learn from mistakes. They can let in the same play repeatedly, no matter what you set the slider "AI learning" to. Same with CPU goalies. I can score the forehand, backhand shortside 7 out of 10 times. I know it's a cheese goal but please make goalies and defense learn how to stop repeated attempts.