The NHL 16 audio is another thing that stands out, although it isn't nearly as polished as the graphics. The crowd is probably the best thing in this department, as it gives the proper highs and lows depending on the action. The cheers get loud when you score or make a good play, and things get eerily quiet after you've been scored on. Hits on players have some good bass, and the shots on stick sound nice and crisp, especially when the NHL puck hits the goalpost. However, some things are missing, like getting slammed on the boards or hitting the glass, so the audio sometimes falls a bit short. The commentary team is fine, though phrases don't have the obvious stitching that some other sports games have.
 
One of the reasons for this is because names are rarely used in the commentary. More generic terms are used to describe the NHL 16 players on each team, and it makes the commentary less involving. Despite the claims that thousands of new lines of audio were recorded for the game, you'll hear some repetition of phrases after only a few games. Whereas last year’s arenas weren’t to scale, that has changed this time around. Each venue also has its own unique characterizations and facets, although those were highlighted more in pre-release trailers than in the game itself.
 
EA Canada supposedly put all of this work into modeling cracked stairs and other accents, but you rarely see anything out of the ordinary while playing. The game’s basic camera angles - even during introductory sequences - fail to really zoom in or go into great detail. It’s a wasted opportunity, and makes you wonder why the developers even bothered, especially when you note just how much is missing from the core experience. There is a flip side to this missing feature coin, and that is apathy. What if you're a casual hockey fan who hasn't played the series for a few years and doesn't really care about the missing stuff?
 
Or you are a fan of the series but didn't play the missing modes anyway? What if you just want to play hockey? I know we're conditioned on the Internet to get all worked up into a froth about stuff like this and be mad about it, but if you didn't play the features before and/or don't care about them, by all means pick up NHL 16. As most gamers were counting down the days until the releases of the Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One last November, fans of the EA SPORTS NHL franchise knew that their wait for next-generation hockey was going to be even longer. I count myself among those hockey-crazed masses, having played the sport as a child and into my teenage years and also playing EA SPORTS’ offerings since the first releases over 20 years ago.
 
But, there are some new features. Collision and puck physics have both had noticeable upgrades. Now all the players on the ice, including the goalies, can be bumped, tripped up, and sent sprawling. Meaning that skating to the net often ends in half a dozen players tangled up in front of the goal. The puck also acts more realistically to the state of the ice and now can take some crazy bounces. As I found out late in an online game when a perfectly blocked puck somehow managed to skip around my goalie’s pads and dribble over the line. While earlier my centre carried the puck into an empty goal and both the hockey stick and puck passed through the net like it wasn’t there. Luckily that goal still counted.
 
Small Gameplay Tweaks Needed: While the game plays incredibly well for the most part, the puck rarely leaves the playable surface and goaltenders pass the puck far too often. Away from that and “NHL 16”is one of the best playing hockey games ever. Technical Glitches: On more than one occasion, the game ended after a gamely clip was uploaded in “Hockey NHL 16 Ultimate Team”mode, forcing the game to be started over. “Dumb”computer opponents after the whistle often run into each other and the referees, taking the polish off an otherwise more than solid hockey experience.
 
Regardless of your chosen settings, the gameplay of NHL 16 is fun. Trying to worm your way though the defence to get an open shot is hugely satisfying. Perhaps even more surprising, is the fact that defence can actually be fun to play. Making a big hit feels great; players smash into the ice, their bodies contort in violently realistic ways and the vibration feedback helps convey the force of the collision. Occasionally it feels like an opponent has managed to hold onto the puck unfairly, which means trying to intercept a pass is usually a safer option than chasing down a player to poke away the puck.
 
Perhaps if less time was spent making this moments look nice and more assigned to including the components we reasonably expected to see then NHL 16 would a lot more interesting. As it stands, it doesn't feel finished. The matches themselves remain largely excellent, it's just a shame that there are so few ways to enjoy and approach them.