The company opted against developing a NHL title for the new consoles last fall, increasing the expectations on this year’s NHL 16, which marks the critically-acclaimed franchise’s debut on the newest home consoles. Though the game boasts significantly improved graphics and presentation, the trade-off has been that a number of fan favorite modes-and elements of some other mainstay modes-did not catch the team bus on the way to the new game. Can the on-ice product offset disappointment regarding the game modes on-disc? Read on for our full review!
Still, NHL 16 is not quite perfect. Some cutaways are a bit crude when it comes to watching replays, awkwardly going back to the action on the ice just when things are getting good. Also, player celebrations are rather generic, with less pile-ups on the ice themselves and more of just skating along the sideline and fist-bumping everyone. Almost every single time. Best Looking Hockey Game, Ever: Better player models and arenas are one thing, but even the crowds reek of polish. If you have gripes about the game, it won't be from the visuals.
In terms of NHL 16 commentary, announcers Doc Emerick, Ed Olczyk and Ray Ferraro are well-informed and provide entertaining voice work - it just lacks that extra punch. There’s plenty of drama and speed on the ice, but it never translates to the TV team. While the new NHL on NBC presentation is a step up in a myriad of ways, there’s not enough emotion from the play-by-play team. The release of the top player ratings was a smart move by EA Sports. The company understands the hype that releasing these numbers has on gamers, and just like the frenzy over the Madden series, hockey fans are clamoring to get their hands on this game.
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Your AI team-mates could use a bit of work, though. On defence they fail to pick up players, and seem to take an age to transition from one end of the ice to the other. They also fail to offer any assistance when against the boards, which happens quite a lot thanks to board animations kicking in whenever you are in the vicinity. That being said, they do occasionally create a brilliant bit of space, which often results in a goal. The graphics in NHL 16 have also made a spectacular transition to the new console generation, and everything looks sharper and crisper-you can almost feel the chill of the ice itself. What’s more, the player models are amazingly realistic and even borrow a few tricks from EA Sports UFC when it comes to bruising and facial contortions from fights. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing the eye of a guy you pummeled in an earlier bout swelled shut by the third period.
In that way, EA’s game practically leaps out of the TV to draw the player back in and drive home a sense of success that almost transcends what a goalie might feel if his team is having a hot night at the other end of the rink. Successful hockey fans will discover lines that open up shooting lanes like no other and it’ll be easy to exploit those openings if the computer isn’t set to a proper difficulty level. If you’re about to start a new career as a GM or a Pro, make sure to put some practice in exhibition and then tackle the challenge as if it were real.
I performed slightly better during my time in Hockey
NHL 16 Ultimate Team Mode, the fantasy sports/level up/online multiplayer mode that is a little bit Farmville and a little bit Call of Duty. You rank up, it rewards you for daily play, and there are minimal actions that you can do outside of playing the game to increase your ability. In my short time with this game mode, the Boston Gandalfs played a riveting online game rife with lag that ended in fifteen consecutive shootout runs. It was a brutal experience for everyone involved, but I won after cursing at the screen for a solid thirty minutes.
It doesn’t help that the difficulty scaling is abhorrently broken. NHL 16 features four difficulty levels, starting at Rookie, ramping up to Pro, then All Star, and ending on Superstar. And none of them progress properly into the next level. Rookie will be too easy for most people as the AI just about stands still. Pro may be too easy for veteran players but at the same time presents the most accurate representation of hockey. I say this because boosting up to All Star seems to make the AI overly aggressive while dumbing down your players.
