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."
Mac OS
PC
Windows
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.
- The historical challenges and the ability to manage teams from various leagues add a lot of replay value and enjoyment.
- The game suffers from frequent crashes and performance issues, making it frustrating to play.
- The user interface is clunky and not intuitive, which can make navigation and management cumbersome.
- There are significant AI issues, particularly with player trades and coaching decisions, which detract from the overall experience.
- gameplay12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received largely negative feedback, with users citing a poor interface, frequent crashes, and a lack of significant improvements since previous versions. While some mechanics, such as player development and scouting, offer depth, the overall experience is marred by frustrating AI and gameplay issues, leading to a lack of enjoyment for many players.
“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 headscratching 'dev, why can't you not sleep just 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.”
- stability10 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 find it unplayable due to persistent bugs that disrupt gameplay, including issues with in-game indicators and countdowns. Overall, the stability issues detract significantly from the gaming experience.
“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.”
“Major game-breaking glitches.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers exceptional replayability, serving as a cost-effective alternative to the EA NHL franchise, with extensive options and team control. Its depth contributes significantly to its replay value, making it a highly engaging experience for players.
“The depth of the game is incredible and the replay value is really good.”
“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.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is praised for its intelligent AI, which effectively manages lineups and decisions without negatively impacting team performance, allowing players to engage with the game without excessive micromanagement.
“The AI is intelligent enough to make lineup and other decisions for you without harming the team's performance, allowing for a more streamlined experience.”
“The optimization features allow players to focus on strategy rather than micromanagement, enhancing overall gameplay.”
“With smart optimization, the game minimizes the need for constant adjustments, letting players enjoy the experience without unnecessary interruptions.”
“The AI is intelligent enough to make lineups and other decisions for you without harming the team's performance, but it often requires you to step in and fix its mistakes.”
“The optimization features feel lacking, as the AI doesn't always make the best decisions, leading to frustrating gameplay.”
“Despite the potential for automation, the game often forces you to micromanage, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express strong negative emotions towards the game, particularly highlighting frustration and disappointment. The comparison to NHL 18, which evokes feelings of sadness, underscores a deep dissatisfaction with the game's quality and support for new players. Overall, the emotional response is one of anger and disillusionment.
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game lacks a soundtrack, which detracts from the overall experience, leaving it feeling incomplete despite its fun gameplay and new visuals. Users have noted that the absence of music contributes to a sense of monotony.
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and frustrating, often resorting to letting the CPU manage rosters due to a cumbersome user interface that detracts from the overall management experience.
“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 just tedious and has a bad UI.”
“Grinding in this game is a chore; it feels more like a job than a fun experience.”
“The repetitive tasks required to progress make the game feel more like a grind than an enjoyable challenge.”
