My real take on NHL 26 after a couple months of playing

Honestly, I’ve played every NHL game since ’04 and this has to be one of the worst they’ve ever made. World of Chel is fine, but when you play Franchise or Online Versus with AI teammates, the game becomes terrible.

My teammates can’t get open — they just stand there like pylons. Every time I pass to them, they try to be Bobby Orr or something. And when you make a pass, the player receiving it completely loses momentum, especially when you’re on a rush.

I always play with manual settings, but the passing still doesn’t go anywhere near where I aim. Stick lifts feel completely useless now — they couldn’t lift the puck off a fly, let alone actually break up a play. And when I body check someone, they get up faster than my animation finishes and immediately win the puck back again.

Also, I know this change isn’t new this year, but why did they make the icon passes black? It was so much easier with the colored buttons, because now I constantly mistake square for circle. On top of that, icon passes often turn into these little unwanted saucer passes that completely ruin the play.

In Franchise Mode, I don’t understand how you can’t change an interim coach back to being an assistant without firing them. It makes no sense. And somehow, my roster can’t even make the playoffs two years in a row. I know it’s sim-based, but come on — the team is not that bad.

I even stopped playing Be A Pro because the AI teammates are so clueless. Every time I pass the puck, it turns into a turnover. It’s frustrating and completely breaks the experience.

And finally, why does my center just stand at center ice when he doesn’t have the puck? It’s like he’s stuck there and won’t move unless I enter the offensive zone, then he suddenly joins the rush.

Even though the shooting system feels better and the new goalie animations look more realistic, the game is still disappointing.