EA Canada has been hosting community events since this past spring for NHL 16, looking for critical input from playtesters on EASHL and other pieces of the game. EASHL was a fan-favorite mode that didn't make the transition to NHL 16, but is returning in NHL 16 and is being shaped by fan feedback. The first look at the jerseys comes 30 seconds into the trailer as the teams line up for an opening faceoff, but the best view comes at the 2:20 mark when a goaltender wearing the Gulls’ threads celebrates a victory. The jerseys are much different that the concepts put together by Justin Cox at Mayor’s Manor earlier this year and work to incorporate all of the club’s colors, not just the Ducks’ orange, black and gold.
Midseason contract negotiations are once again not in the game. EA says the player morale system will set them up for a way to potentially build up to this in future games. The season hub is largely the same, but EA is doing some things that help you get to hot spots in the menus more quickly. Player morale issues may surface in the Twitter feed as well to let you know when a player may be going to the trade block. Thankfully this control scheme has stood the test of time since its initial implementation at the start of the last console generation, but there are still issues with other aspects of the controls which carry over from last-gen as well.
Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA), the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) announced today during the 2015 NHL Awards? that three-time Stanley Cup? Champions Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane from the Chicago Blackhawks? will both appear on the cover of EA SPORTS
NHL 16. This marks the first time in franchise history that the cover has featured two teammates as well as the Stanley Cup trophy. Kane and Toews are also the only athletes to appear on an EA SPORTS NHL cover twice. The duo spotlight embodies the spirit of NHL 16, where you’ll play together and win together.
Visually when I play this game I’m very happy. Celebrations look more professional, players acknowledge the person who scored rather than skating around with their arms flailing in the air, spot lights follow the players and not all fans are presenting the same emotion. It's awesome! I myself have played and watched enough hockey in my lifetime to say for one that I've never seen so many same player collisions in a game before, until I played NHL 16 of course. The mechanics of the CPU are completely far-fetched and frustrating as hell to deal with.
In terms of controls, players once again have the option to use the well-loved Skill Stick (the Right Analog Stick controls all stick movement), a Hybrid scheme incorporating the Right Analog Stick as well as button controls, or full button controls with a NHL 94-style scheme. EA SPORTS is touting a revamped “Superstar Skill Stick” in this year’s game, but players familiar with the franchise in the past few years will feel right at home with these controls, as they’re largely the same. The biggest change with regards to the Skill Stick is that quick inputs on the Left Analog Stick, when partnered with inputs on the Right Analog Stick, can result in “modified” puck movements and dekes.
The dramas offline are also all about missing features. The first thing I always do with a new sports game is build a player and start a career. Be A Pro mode is now very limited. It’s hard to even think of it as building a player. You choose from a limited number of options - male or female, their face and position, and then you get placed on an NHL team. No training, no pre-draft trial, and no draft. Also, there is no playing your way through the minor leagues and onto a first team roster. Which is frustrating because you can still play in all the minor leagues, and a lot of European competitions, in quick matches.
And yet, odd things linger. The improvements to player and puck movement only serve to make dekes feel incredibly canned and almost out of place. And as good as the new puck physics are, the thing seems to spend a good chunk of the time either magnetically attached to your stick or never really under your control. It’s an odd dichotomy that even carries over to the AI. Most of the time, everyone is where they should be, and the AI players do their job very well, but moments later, your goalie will knock the puck into the goal himself because of his overeager thrashing, or a teammate will stop a good drive in its tracks because he’s randomly decided that he needs to be offside.
