NHL 27 Review: Better Hockey Trapped Behind Terrible Menus

EA Sports NHL 27 is a frustrating game to review because its best part is also the easiest to praise. Once the puck drops, this is a slightly more polished and convincing version of EA's hockey. The problem is everything you have to fight through before you get there.

This is not a reinvention. Instead, NHL 27 brings sensible improvements to the hockey itself, stronger modes and more team identity. It is enough to make this year's game better, but not enough to hide how badly the surrounding experience needs attention.

Better hockey, one shift at a time

On the ice, NHL 27 feels more polished. All 32 NHL teams now have individual playbooks, while the AI is designed to react to the score and situation instead of following one approach for an entire game. Teams can press harder when chasing a goal and tighten up when protecting a lead.

The changes fit the broader impression of NHL 27: familiar hockey with more thought around the puck. Defensive AI is designed to support play more coherently, protect passing lanes and cover for a defensive partner who pinches. Teams can also execute actions such as dump-and-chase more cohesively.

Stick-on-stick interactions have been refined for poke checks and stick lifts, obvious passes can be punished by better interceptions, and repeated L2/LT pivoting now carries a larger speed penalty. Physical play has also been tuned for a wider range of outcomes rather than every collision needing to become a spectacular hit.

Goalies receive attention too. Higher difficulties place more emphasis on anticipation, while goalie fatigue matters more as games progress. Alongside broader scoring options, these changes add to that slightly more polished feeling without fundamentally rewriting the NHL formula.

More identity, better modes

NHL 27 puts more emphasis on making teams feel distinct. Arenas feature team-specific presentation including goal songs, chants and lighting, while a refreshed broadcast package and the new commentary pairing of John Buccigross and Darren Pang change the presentation. Some team-sourced jumbotron videos are scheduled for the September 11 launch update rather than the pre-release build.

The modes surrounding the hockey feel better as well. Connected Franchise is the headline addition, supporting online leagues with up to 32 human-controlled teams, flexible scheduling, trades, free-agent bidding, commissioner tools and continuing seasons. Hockey Ultimate Team adds authentic coaches and playbooks, while Be a Pro receives new story content focused on leadership and earning the captaincy.

Then you have to use the menus

Unfortunately, NHL 27 can be genuinely miserable whenever you are not actually playing hockey. The menus and general navigation are painfully sluggish and cumbersome, and this is no longer a minor presentation complaint. It actively gets in the way of enjoying the game.

Starting a straightforward exhibition game should take seconds. Instead, moving through NHL's interface can turn something that simple into a process that feels like it takes minutes. Too many interactions feel slow, too many screens stand between you and what you want to do, and the whole front end lacks the immediacy a modern sports game needs.

This is particularly irritating because the hockey itself is the strongest part of the package. NHL 27 repeatedly makes you work to reach the thing it does best. A slicker broadcast package and more authentic arenas are welcome, but polishing a match only highlights how archaic the experience surrounding it can feel.

A better NHL, but not the big leap

NHL 27 is another incremental step rather than the breakthrough the series still feels capable of delivering. The hockey is more polished, the AI and tactical systems have received meaningful attention, team identity is stronger and the modes are in a healthier place. Connected Franchise in particular fills an obvious gap.

But NHL 27 remains burdened by an interface and off-ice experience that feels dramatically less refined than the action on the rink. When playing hockey, it is easy to appreciate the work that has gone into this year's game. When navigating it, it is just as easy to wonder why basic usability remains so poor.

That leaves NHL 27 as a good hockey game rather than a great one. The puck drops and the improvements become clear. The whistle blows, and far too many of the old frustrations come flooding back.

Where to find it

• EA SPORTS NHL 27 official site