Online team play in NHL 15 is supposedly going to be added in the next month or so by means of a free update. Update implies 'new'. Online team play has been around for years. The fact that the game has been released without it is borderline blasphemy and no amount of smiley-faced press releases communicating future content drops will change that. If they don't call the first update the Apology Pack, and bundle in a whole swathe of complimentary top tier Ultimate Team content, then I'm grabbing the puck and taking it home. Game ruined for everyone. EA Sports have today (Friday the 12th of September 2014) released NHL 15 to the masses, in store and via digital download for Xbox One and PS4. This years game is the first in its franchise to utilise EAs new Ignite Engine. As a result it’s been rebuilt from the ground up, and what we’ve been left with is an unfinished product.

 

While it's undoubtedly disturbing to experience this beloved franchise being presented so half-heartedly, I'm loathe to admit that it's impossible to stay angry at it entirely. Once you get onto the ice and that silky ebb and flow is back at your fingertips it's near-impossible not to crack at least a small smile. I'd never do such a thing in front of EA Canada, though, it still needs to be made to feel bad for not including essential content from game one onwards. With EA Sports focusing heavily on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 editions of the game (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners will get a watered-down version), the graphics for the gameplay and cut scenes should be some of the best in the history of sports games. Case in point- cycling the puck on the power play is a joy to behold, the same way protecting the front of your net while shorthanded requires patience and skill. Those who want to skate from one end of the ice to the other would best be served to pick up “NHL Rock the Rink” instead- it basically doesn’t happen in this game. With killer visuals and refined and polished gameplay, “NHL 15” rules the ice on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The release of EA Sports’ NHL 15 on Tuesday has hockey fans and video gamers ready for the next-generation console upgrades and the visual improvements to the action on the ice.

 

All these improvements makes NHL 15 look, and play, incredibly life-like. That’s what I want from a sports game, and since I play the genre very little, I welcomed this one with open arms. The behaviour of the players is something I especially enjoyed, since they react as I’d expect actual people would to the on-ice action unfolding around them. For instance, there was a time I accidentally shot the puck into my own goal net, and the player I was controlling began whacking his stick against the ice in complete frustration, while his team-mates off ice looked really angry (in which case I was glad they weren’t on the ice). It’s the little touches.

 

Elsewhere, Be A Pro mode is disappointingly bare. You still control one player on the ice, which can be great, but the mode is missing basic features. The draft is effectively random; the minor leagues have gone, and working your way up the rankings is non-existent, as you instantly become a starter upon signing. Here the questionable AI becomes even more obvious, and the ability to skip time when not playing is nowhere to be seen, so expect to watch a lot from the bench. Finally we have Be A GM mode, which is now the only way to take a whole team throughout a complete NHL season. Fortunately the mode remains largely unchanged, which isn’t a bad thing. Online functionality is nowhere to be seen, though, so if you want a deep online mode HUT is the only way to go.

 

I started a season as last year’s Stanley Cup champions and got put away, though a few more games had me poke-checking, out-skating, and generally locking up every face-off. NHL 15 lends itself to new players in this way, encouraging steady growth in opposition to hail-mary offensives I always felt I had to default to in game’s like Madden. But rather than stressing over the clock, NHL 15’s defensive mechanics reward steady hands and almost always result in a smooth turnover and a scoring opportunity if you learn to pass.

 

The final part of the visual coup d’etat comes in the form of arenas. NHL venues have been individually recreated to make a home game feel more genuine than ever before. Playing at TD Garden or Gila River Arena actually feel like different experiences, which is great for devoted fans. What’s filling the arena is equally impressive. NHL 15 features some of the most impressive crowds to ever grace a sports title. Fans are physically varied from each other and wear an impressive amount of varying team apparel. They’ll even hold up signs at the right times. Instead of the entire venue rooting for the home team which is unfortunately unrealistic, sections and scatterings of visiting team devotees have been added. More than fans, vendors, ushers, security, cameramen and more can be seen in the background during games.