NHL 16 developers told Polygon last week that notes from those play testers influenced the new direction of EASHL - in particular, the elimination of player progression from the mode. For more details, check out our in-depth report on EASHL. Interested parties who own NHL 15 will be able to try EASHL for themselves starting July 30, when EA launches a playable beta for the mode that will run through Aug. 6. The beta download is available through the main menu of NHL 16 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Beta access will also be available to all EA Access subscribers. Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 300 million registered players around the world.
The font choice for the numbers and name bars on the jerseys closely resembles that of the Ducks, and it can be best seen on the interlocking SD on the jersey’s right shoulder. On the left shoulder, the Gulls will wear the Ducks logo - putting the NHL affiliate’s logo on the AHL jerseys is something many teams have taken to doing. Overall, the design is a departure from the style the Ducks wear, which is also an interesting but welcomed choice. One of the biggest failings of Be A Pro last year was the curious omission of being able to sim to your next shift. This meant if you took a five-minute major for fighting you had to sit in the box twiddling your thumbs and watching the painful A.I. players pass around the boards. EA mercifully has added sim to next shift back this year.
In fiscal year 2015, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.5 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such as The Sims? Madden NFL, EA SPORTS? FIFA, Battlefield, Dragon Age? and Plants vs. Zombies? Upon starting the game and navigating the menus, one thing becomes clear, there’s no song-based soundtrack, and instead, a repetitive beat. There is still a sound track for in game between plays but no menu songs. Weather this is a good or bad thing reveals itself the more you play and navigate the menus. At first some might be grateful that we don’t have to listen to mediocre songs on repeat all day, however, after the beat loops 40 or 50 times I found myself wishing for a play list of anything instead of the repetitive sound that just. Doesn’t. End.
Perhaps my biggest NHL 16 AI-related frustration comes from my AI teammates, who don’t seem to display much situational awareness in either end of the ice. In the offensive zone, I have been frequently dismayed to see players unwilling to come for the puck when I try to kick it along to them from a player engaged at the boards. No matter how quickly I switch to the player closest to the puck after kicking it in their direction, the default movement by the AI is to move away from the puck-presumably to drop back on defense, as though “reading” that a turnover has occurred-so instead of maintaining possession in the offensive zone, I have to quickly adjust and switch to a defense mindset. Point defenders are also hit-and-miss with how well they hold the zone, so you’ll still see instances where a pass back to the point results in the puck leaving the zone and either an offside call or the need to regroup and get back onside; a familiar issue to NHL veterans.
Hockey NHL 16 Ultimate Team is very similar to that of the FIFA mode. You build a fantasy team of players and compete against the AI and real-world opponents. This is the mode many will play for hours, but it’s easy to burn out on. I had only played for a few days but was already tired of my squad. HUT is perhaps NHL 16’s biggest mode, and the best bet for extended hours of play. You’ve also lost the ability to simulate to your next shift in Be a Pro. Now, you have to watch the entire game on the bench when you’re not playing, whereas last year, a button press would move you forward in time. This becomes particularly painful if you take a penalty and then have to watch the minutes tick off on the clock from the sin bin. I don’t want to watch a hockey videogame. I want to play. These subtle omissions have turned one of my favorite modes from last year into an afterthought when I boot up the game now.
This next-generation console release (I reviewed the game on Xbox One) has a few issues under the hood perhaps most notably in rubber-banding physics that can send a puck flying as if you were playing foosball with the world’s most enthusiastic number-one-foam-hand-waver. Skaters can occasionally pull off awkward dance moves, though the animation system remains dedicated to the simulation and hits look better than ever.
