NHL 19 Review: 4 Ups & 2 Downs

Ups..

4. World Of Chel's Lack Of Microtransactions

Story modes are one thing, but the growing need to fleece gamers by adding in-game microtransactions is another, more worrying, obsession in the industry. For all the talk about knowing where they went wrong last year, for example, 2K's NBA 2K19 remains a hollow money-grabbing exercise at points. It's disappointing.

Put that disappointment aside, because NHL 19 is here to save the day.

The marquee new mode in EA's hockey beast is the interestingly-titled 'World Of Chel' feature. Think of this like a sub-NBA 2K MyPark attraction, albeit one without those pesky aforementioned microtransactions to bog things down. Refreshingly for a modern-day sports title, Chel features none of those, and it's all about natural progression through gameplay.

The rewards are nice as well, and it shows EA's awareness to the fact not every fan of the sport likes the official NHL's attention to stats, minor details and unwavering strictness when it comes to rules. Some people simply want to get out on the ice and rush around cracking off shots, dumping rival players on the ground and having fun without icing calls or stick lifts.

It seems odd to herald the lack of real money in a video game as a plus point, but that's where we are in 2018.