EA Sports released a closed beta for “NHL 18" today, which gives players on Xbox One and Playstation 4 the chance to test three modes out from July 25 - Aug. 1.*
It sure seems like the beta - if not the full game - will focus on 3-on-3 overtime, and extending that experience beyond the confines of normal NHL action.
For one thing, the established EA Sports Hockey League mode will apparently include 3-on-3 overtime in the beta, and maybe more interestingly, also through full games. EA Sports explains as much:
Bringing authentic NHL 3-on-3 overtime to EA SPORTS Hockey League, you can now choose to play 3-on-3 full matches, opening up more ice for you and your teammates to get creative, pull off big plays, and showcase brand new skill moves. With more space to attack - and to make mistakes - 3-on-3 EASHL is higher stakes with more competition and skills.
Fans of the ailing sub-genre of arcade-style sports video games should take note that “NHL 18" introduces “NHL Threes.” The format hearkens back to the 16-bit days by turning off offside and icing calls, while a penalty will give a player a chance at penalty shot. Interesting. EA provided a little more information about the mode here, and it sure sounds like it could be fully featured upon release. The beta at least provides a taste of that.
(It wouldn’t be surprising if “NHL Threes” apes the previous generations “3 on 3 NHL Arcade,” which became something of a cult classic for some hockey game fans.)
Along with EA Sports Hockey League (note: a mode where you control a single player rather than a full team) and “NHL Threes,” the beta also includes the more vanilla Online Versus Play mode.
While the beta appears to be closed, EA’s NHL account is tweeting out ways to get codes on Tuesday, so it might not be too late if you’re lucky.
Without taking the beta for a test run personally just yet, this sounds like a nice opportunity for people to give the near-complete “NHL 18" a trial before the full game comes out on Sept. 15.
* - Or, as Kotaku’s Jason Schreier recently noted, maybe for a longer period of time.
