Franchise Hockey Manager 4
- October 6, 2017
- Out of the Park Developments
- 90h median play time
Get on Steam"Franchise Hockey Manager 4 is the official NHL-licensed game that offers a authentic hockey strategy experience, with 24 playable leagues, real current rosters, and historical NHL start dates. As a General Manager, manage team finances, negotiate contracts, and draft new stars, now including the 2017-18 rosters, for the most comprehensive hockey simulation."
PC
Reviews
- The game offers a deep and immersive hockey management experience, with many options for player development and team management.
- It has improved significantly from previous versions, with better stability and more engaging gameplay mechanics.
- The historical challenges and the ability to manage teams from various leagues add a unique and enjoyable aspect to the game.
- The game suffers from frequent crashes and performance issues, making it frustrating to play for extended periods.
- The user interface is clunky and not intuitive, which can make navigation and management tedious.
- There are significant AI issues, particularly with player roles and trades, leading to unrealistic team management scenarios.
- gameplay6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many users criticizing the poor interface, frequent crashes, and lack of significant improvements from previous versions. While some players appreciate the depth of mechanics such as scouting and player development, others find the overall experience frustrating and unenjoyable due to issues with AI and game stability.
“For example, you get to hire individual scouts to control the depth and breadth of your scouting operations, hire the training and medical staff, decide on the draft picks (though the North American hockey draft mechanic appears to be broken and forces me to draft a goalie in the first three rounds, like an NHL expansion draft), and control the development of players through your training focus.”
“Aside from the head-scratching 'dev, why can't you just not sleep for a night and fix the most obvious unsightly detractions', this simulation is very rewarding and I am actually enjoying the brunt of the mechanics.”
“Interface is poor, gameplay is poor, it crashes frequently - which is so much of a problem that I now find I can't progress any further with the game, as it's become stuck around the 6th of July 2018.”
“Really just not a fun game in any way; bad UI, bad AI, etc. Really no significant improvements to the actual important gameplay elements have been made on this game since FHM2, which was also a bad game.”
“Not really different from FHM3 regarding gameplay.”
- stability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting long loading times, significant lag, and numerous game-breaking glitches. Many players find it unplayable due to persistent bugs that disrupt gameplay and fail to align with in-game mechanics.
“Took a stupidly long time to load, then it's just super laggy and buggy.”
“I love this game, but it's horrifically slow and buggy.”
“It is buggy and unusable.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability, providing a cost-effective alternative to the EA NHL franchise with extensive options and team control. Its depth and variety contribute to a strong replay value, making it an engaging experience for players.
“This game is an endlessly replayable alternative to the EA NHL franchise, at a lower cost, and with much more in the way of options and control over the team that you choose to run.”
“The depth of the game is incredible and the replay value is really good.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is praised for its intelligent AI, which effectively manages lineups and decisions, allowing players to engage with the game without the need for excessive micromanagement or constant corrections.
“The AI is intelligent enough to make lineups and other decisions for you without harming the team's performance, allowing you to avoid micromanaging.”
“The optimization features in the game streamline decision-making, making it easier to focus on strategy rather than getting bogged down in details.”
“I appreciate how the game balances automation with player control, ensuring that even if you step back, the performance remains strong.”
“The AI is intelligent enough to make lineups and other decisions for you, but it often harms the team's performance, forcing you to go in and fix its mistakes.”
“The optimization in this game feels lacking, as the AI frequently makes poor decisions that require constant micromanagement.”
“I expected better optimization, but the game often struggles with performance issues that detract from the overall experience.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional response to the game is overwhelmingly negative, with users expressing frustration and disappointment, particularly in comparison to previous titles like NHL 18. The lack of support for new players contributes to feelings of being overwhelmed and dissatisfied.
- music1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game lacks a soundtrack, which detracts from the overall experience, and while it is enjoyable, it feels like a clone of its predecessor with minimal updates.
“The game is basically a clone of the last game, but with some new pictures; it still has no soundtrack.”
“The font for the game is hard to read, which detracts from the overall experience.”
“The lack of a good scouting system adds a challenge to the game, but it feels incomplete without a proper soundtrack.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect tedious and frustrating, often resorting to automated options like the "cpu choose roster" button due to poor user interface and the lack of engaging management mechanics.
“It really feels like you're not managing much of anything; you'll find yourself just clicking the 'CPU choose roster' button because setting lineups is tedious and has a bad UI.”
“The grinding in this game is mind-numbing, with repetitive tasks that offer little reward or satisfaction.”
“I spent hours grinding for resources, only to realize that the payoff was minimal and not worth the time invested.”
