As a single-player-centric gamer myself, I've always gravitated towards offline modes, which is where the lack of content really started to sink in. NHL 16 doesn't even have a Season Mode, which was originally introduced in the Super Nintendo and SEGA Genesis era. To play a season, I had to actually jump into Be A GM Mode... only to find that it’s been stripped of some of its own features, including basic online functionality. Be A GM Mode is actually awesome; I've enjoyed it in years past and it's always made me want a fully fleshed-out NHL game where you're a general manager. But it's really unfortunate that you have to extract Season Mode out of it instead of keeping them separate. I'm confused why I can't play a single season as a team of my choice without having to jump through hoops. It's 2014, not 1994.

 

The top-rated player in this year’s edition is Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby. The talented player won the Hart Trophy last season and racked up over 100 points (104) for the fifth time in his career. With the ability to score goals on his own or make his teammates around him better, Crosby is considered the best player in the league and was awarded a rating by EA Sports to back that up. Like most EA Sports NHL fans, the very first thing we decided to do was choose our favourite team and start an exhibition match, for the sole purpose of starting a fight. We did. It was epic. The fight controls are the same as NHL 16, but if you’re not comfortable using the sticks you can always change the settings back to buttons. Every week (depending on how many games you are playing) you are allotted a specific number of hours per week that you can use to perform drills that increase your skills like speed, agility, and awareness that don't have one-to-one analogs to the stats the game tracks on the ice. Your coach assigns one drill per week he wants you to work on, and from there you can fill in the rest of the time. The popular EA Sports Hockey League returns with most of the same core functionality as the last generation. You can play full 6v6 matches, but if you can't recruit enough skaters to field a full team you can still fill out your lineup with A.I. replacement players.

 

But, let’s set things straight for the record before we dive into this review. I only played the new generation version of NHL 16. I played it on the PlayStation 4. The new generation version features new physics, new arena presentations and better graphics. The old generation misses all of that stuff, but it keeps the modes that are absent in this year’s game on the PS4 and Xbox One. Let’s start with the bad. If you buy the new generation version of NHL 16, you’re getting a product that arrives without several of the series’ now staple modes. 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. Fans of the series may be disappointed to hear that many of the modes present in previous versions of the game have not been included in this iteration. This may seem odd seeing as EA managed to include them on last-gen versions of the game. But the players look incredible and the gameplay itself manages to be realistic - but not too complicated that it is no longer fun.

 

That’s not to say that NHL 16 doesn’t have redeeming qualities, but good core gameplay and impressive presentation don’t make up for the fact that there’s very little for you to do. There’s a lot of potential here for future games in the franchise, but that’s really all it is: potential. Right now, the game is a lot like a player that beats everyone to the goal and has a wide open shot, only to bounce the puck off one of the posts. There’s clearly potential for future success there, and he’s obviously doing quite a few things right, but in the end, all you’re left with is a missed opportunity.

 

And yet I find I’m even forgiving of these design issues and flaws. NHL 16 still feels like a step forward, an improvement, a more focused and accurate experience of hockey than ever before. Maybe I’m really forgiving. Or maybe I’m just accepting. Now that the NHL season is actually starting, and I’ll have plenty of hockey to watch on television, I’m sure I’ll keep right on playing, trying to emulate in the video game what I am seeing on TV. Exclusivity agreements between the sports leagues and publishers have all but eliminated choice in the sports simulation market, so we get what we get. Liking a sport enough equates to liking the game based on it.