NHL 19 Open Beta is Live Now, Includes World of Chel Modes

Not long after the official game reveal and preview events, NHL 19 is now in an open beta phase. You can hop on to the PlayStation Network right now, download the demo, and hop online for some World of Chel goodness. This was announced this morning via a PlayStation Blog post, although the post seems to have vanished mysteriously. Error or otherwise, the NHL 19 open beta is live and running, and it will be for the duration of the month.

Until August 2, NHL fans can get online and play the various multiplayer modes tied to said World of Chel hub. This includes an incredibly detailed character creation suite, and several game modes. These include Threes Drop-In, regular matches, and new modes Ones and Pro-Am. Pro-Am is a new tutorial mode of sorts meant to give players a new set of teaching tools to learn the various positions of play. Ones, on the other hand, is a 1v1v1 competitive mode that’s based on a real life hockey variant, that comes with its own unique, outdoor setting based on real-life locations.

The character customization aspect of World of Chel also intersects with NHL 19‘s new Real Player Motion physics system, in that player attributes are now influenced by player size. That in turn dictates what happens during collisions with other players, among other aspects of the game. You can also try out the new traits system, which let you add further pros and cons to your customized player.

[Source: Game Informer/PlayStation Blog (dead link)]

Now Loading Games to Defend

Annette Polis

Dead or Alive Xtreme series

Despite appearances, the DOA Xtreme games are more than just something for pervs to stare at in hopes of someday seeing a real girl. There's the competitive nature of the matches themselves, the way it fills my obsessive desire to collect every single item, and those pool games are great for hand-eye coordination. The only thing I will not defend is Marie Rose. They left Tina out for her?!?!
Blake Grundman

Peggle

I will go to my grave defending this glorious ball of concentrated happiness. It has been my “happy place” game since I first played it on an iPod Video.

Everything from the genuine physics challenges to the perfect choice of ‘Ode to Joy’ after clearing a stage is the epitome of amazing game design.
Cameron Teague

White Knight Chronicles

Yes, I could have gone the easy route and gone with Suikoden 3, but I wanted to change it up a bit. White Knight Chronicles was given a short rope by some people and it's really unfortunate. Yea, the story was not the greatest, but the combat was solid and it had a really fun online mechanic that I think would work wonders on the PS4.
Chandler Wood

Destiny, and by extension, Destiny 2

Look, I understand why people may not be into it, but for me, the thousands of hours I've poured into playing the series (and that doesn't include all of the events, research, and writing about it), and the amazing friends I've made along the way are more than enough for me to tell people to step off. The hate train is a tired meme at this point. We get it. You don't like the game (even though I'd wager that most of the hardcore haters have barely even actually played it themselves). Will you please step back now and let the millions of players that do love Destiny 2 just enjoy their time with it?
Cody Gravelle

I Am Setsuna

I've never had the same muted emotional attachment to a game before or since. There are subtleties in the execution of what is, objectively, a fairly generic JRPG story. That, combined with the incredible musical score and vibrant, snow-covered world made for the gaming equivalent of sitting in a cabin during the winter, slowly stoking a warm fire while listening to one of your loved ones talk about something they're passionate about. It's the kind of game I don't think can get made again deliberately or otherwise, and I will defend its near-perfect execution to all comers.
Dylan Bishop

Kingdom Hearts

Upfront: the Gummi Ships suck, and the story is ludicrous. But there’s also a charm in that inane stupidity, and the way it melds with the Disney and Final Fantasy aesthetics. Kingdom Hearts shouldn't work. And because of that, the ways in which is DOES work make me cackle like a child. I love watching Mickey flip through the air as Final Fantasy characters crank up their melodramatic monologues. Let me be happy.
Ginny Woo

Senran Kagura: Estival Versus

This is a game I’ll defend til my dying breath. Its status as a visual masterpiece is, understandably, controversial but it’s a mechanically pleasing game as well. People just give it a bad rep because of the incredibly excessive clothes-ripping mechanic.

If Beethoven had been an iteration of our modern times, he may very well have written Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125 about the fleshy heaven that is Senran Kagura: Estival Versus. Also, it’s actually a really good brawler. Don’t be a prude and write it off because you’re diametrically opposed to breasts on real women.
Jenny Jones

The Atelier Series

These games are so different to most other JRPG’s and I love that they’re so light-hearted and charming. The stories are generally pretty laid back and focus more on character interaction then the usual save-the-world tropes. I don’t care that everyone else seems to think this series is crap, I love pretty much everything about it, even the time limits.
Ken Barnes

Burnout: Revenge

No matter how many megaphones I strap together, Burnout Revenge will never get as much praise as it deserves. When folks try to reduce it to Crash Mode and overlook the pure balls-out speed and style of the racing action, I come out swinging. Revenge is complimented by the development team hitting the exact perfect spot between forgiving and challenging gameplay, as well as fantastic presentation and a killer soundtrack. Having played through it again a couple of months ago, the fact it still holds up in today’s market after 13 years is testament to just how good it is.

Would I die to defend it? No. But that's more down to the fact that I'm never going to die than anything else.
Keri Honea

Nier

I don't care what some reviewer said about not finishing the game because the optional fishing mini-game is terrible. The fact is, the fishing is terrible, but the rest of the game is absolutely amazing if you're willing to dive deep into the story and appreciate how much the game makes fun of itself and various game genres. How can you hate a game that makes fun of text-based games as well as the overall point of sidequests?
Michael Briers

Sons of Liberty

It was my first foray into the Metal Gear series when I was younger and I combed over every inch of it. Got the bandana. Got the stealth suit. As I got older I grew to appreciate its heady themes of political meddling and artificial intelligence. And the La-li-lu-le-lo. Because it's really fun to say out loud.
Mitch Lineham

No More Heroes

The mini-games can be a pain and the combat can be repetitive, but damn if it doesn't have some of the best boss battles in gaming and a unique personality that helps it stand out among other games still today. It's Suda51's best game, and it really is a game that shows what he's capable of.
Paulmichael Contreras

No Man's Sky

I'm pretty sure everyone knows this about me by now - No Man's Sky is my jam. I have been playing consistently, as in almost every single evening, since before the game launched. I've taken a screenshot of every single planet or moon that I've visited along the way as well. Sean Murray got into a trap of his own making, by not realizing that his passive nods and slight "yeahs" gave people following the game these wild expectations of what we'd get at launch. To his and Hello Games' credit, they have worked tirelessly these last two years to bring fans massive update after massive update after massive update - with perhaps its biggest yet to come. I've been pleasantly enjoying the ride.
Zarmena Kahn

The Order 1886

I know it was short but it set the stage for what could potentially be an awesome sequel. The story was actually pretty good but just needed to be fleshed out a bit more. The setting was perfect. I feel like critics were a little too harsh. I enjoyed it, and will continue hoping for a sequel.