NHL 15

A great game let down by its reduction of features on next-gen. NHL fans will be pleased with the gameplay but potentially disappointed by apparent laziness from EA

NHL 15 is a tough game to size up. I truly do believe that gameplay is king, and it's there that NHL 15 shines brightly. It plays extremely well, whether online or offline, proving why EA Sports' long-running series has been the king of the ice for over 20 years. But there needs to be a reason to keep playing, and it's there that NHL 15 falls short and feels somewhat vacant. The jump to new-gen hardware has left behind a host of missing features and options that we had last year, and that's simply not acceptable. A barebones Practice Mode, no Season Mode, gutted GM Mode and Be A Pro Mode, no W...

The gameplay and presentation of NHL 15 are arguably the best we've seen in the franchise.  The new commentary team of Emrick, Olczyk, and Ferraro really add to the in-game experience.  Some AI bugs do exist and may frustrate players, but the true problem with this game is the lack of modes to justify the $60 price tag.  It's unfair to call this game a beta, but with so many modes missing, even though some will be patched in, it doesn't feel like a completed product.  The hardcore NHL fans will pick this up, but casual players may want to wait it out and see if EA can patch in some of the feat...

NHL 15 looks impressive on the surface with graphics and gameplay, but way too many features have been cut or neutered this time around.

It’s all such a shame because at its heart NHL 15 is a very solid hockey game. It just doesn’t do any of the non-hockey stuff right. Honestly, newcomers to the franchise might not even notice. But, series veterans would feel incredibly cheated. If nothing else, this is a great foundation for EA Canada to build on as it gets more comfortable developing for Xbox One and PS4.

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Compared to previous efforts, NHL 15 falls incredibly short on new-gen platforms. Missing a swathe of modes, you can't help but feel that the franchise's debut on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 is something of a puck up. Disappointing.

During the transition to the PS3/360 from the prior generation, EA Sports made a gross miscalculation in stripping many long-established modes from the new versions of its games. This put off lifelong fans who expected more - or at least equal - value on their new systems. Madden took years to recover from this gaffe, and moving into the PS4/Xbox One era EA assured us it wouldn't make the same mistake twice. NHL 15 proves that is a bald-faced lie.

Hitting the ice, face first.

NHL 15 may be a step forward in terms of gameplay and presentation, but it’s a step back in nearly every other way. New players and those dedicated to the franchise will probably find something to like here, but everyone else will be left with a huge sense of missed opportunity.

NHL 15 plays a great – if somewhat atmosphere-free – game of hockey, but the sheer amount of modes missing from the package as a whole mean that unless you become obsessed with Ultimate Team or enjoy playing severely limited career modes, there’s very little to actually do. When a publisher steps up a week before a game is released and admits that it’s dropped the ball and will be patching in bunches of stuff in the future, that’s kind of a sign as to how poorly things have gone.

“NHL 15 offers stepped up physics and superb visuals, but it's a regression for the series due to a significant number of missing features.”