"If we don't have any changes (in NHL 15), I think we've got a fabulous product," Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. "I think it's a safer workplace than it's been in a long time. I think the game is in a great place." The possibilities of altering the overtime format of regular-season games to include a portion of 3-on-3 play and expanding video review to include goals scored as a potential result of goalie interference will be two of the main topics discussed at the annual March meeting of the NHL's general managers.
Be A GM is similarly stripped down; it feels more like a season mode with some roster management trappings than a true general manager simulator. You can't currently start the mode with a fantasy draft (that's being patched in). And even the draft that takes place between seasons is fully automated, which makes it pointless to spend time scouting players during the year. Preseason games don't exist, and you can't play the games for your NHL team's minor league affiliate; the only available interactions are sending players down to the minors and calling them up. Of course, EA managed to include Hockey Ultimate Team, in which players build fantasy teams with virtual trading cards. But even that micro-transaction-based mode didn't survive unscathed: Right now, it only lets you play random opponents in matchmaking, not friends of your choosing.
Of course, this excellence in production translates to the visuals, as one would expect from a game on current consoles. Everything that's happening is sharper and more detailed. The player models look fantastic, and give plenty of reason to watch post-goal celebrations. When you watch the ice shavings as the goalie carves up the crease after an intermission, well, you get sort of nostalgic for that trademark hockey rink smell. While the game takes leaps forward to make it a quality production, NHL 15 ultimately slips on the slick presentation. Huge swaths of features feel missing from the PS4 and Xbox One versions - features that were present in last year's game and remain in NHL 15 on Xbox 360 and PS3.
If you want to get your nhl 15 team to a level where you can compete with almost anyone, you're going to have to spend some time working the markets, often for several hours at a time, for several days -- or even weeks -- in a row. Unfortunately, all the tips in the world won't prevent you from having to put in the time and work required to build up your team and bank account. Pay specific attention to some of the higher priced cards typically selling for more than 50,000 Pucks. Learn what they are worth at that specific time, then look for that foolish player that put them up for auction well below value. This is an extreme example, but if someone puts Phil Kessel up for 25,000 Pucks, buy him, then sell him to someone else for about the 100,000 that he typically goes for. It takes a lot of luck and patience, but one sweet deal can get you on the right track.
Be A Pro mode has also taken multiple hits. You can no longer be drafted by an organization and work your way up through the ranks from lesser, ancillary leagues and into the pros. Now, you're drafted by an organization and you immediately -- and mysteriously -- make the team. I created a pro that was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens. As I played, I was as confused as to why I couldn't skip forward to my next shift automatically as I was confused by how I -- a young rookie on the periphery of the roster -- could just jump on the ice whenever I wanted. Be A Pro still has deep customization options, but it also felt hollow and half-baked.
Even the presentation of the game feels like it's walked back from previous years. Games are introduced with video footage of the arena you're playing in, as well as the real-life visages of Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk. The choice to use actual video footage of the two commentators is an interesting one that I think helps get rid of the strange, uncanny valley-ness you'd see in, say, this year's Madden with Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, but it also looks strange juxtaposed against the in-game players. More irritating is the in-game commentary itself, which is exceedingly light on detail or flavor. Olczyk barely talks outside of a few key game situations, and he rarely has anything of value to say. Emrick's play-by-play is strangely devoid of energy, and also feels like it was edited together by a complete lunatic.
