NHL 16

As a lifelong hockey fan, I have a special place in my heart for EA’s NHL video game series.  I grew up playing the legendary NHL 94 with my friends, on the Sega Genesis system, making those one-timers, and always picking Jeremy Roenick because, for some reason, he couldn’t be knocked off the puck. Then, the series moved to real stick-handling in NHL 07, using the “Sports Skill Stick.”  I learned the game all over again, and grew to love it even more.

All those stripped out game modes are back and they're just as fun as they should be. Gameplay is better than its ever been for both veterans and rookies while the presentation is spot-on and a pleasure to take in. There's no denying that the NHL franchise is back to where it should be.

The gloves are off

While some game modes still feel like they are living in the past, the return of fan-favorites like EASHL and the improved Be A Pro make NHL 16 a power play that hockey fans are bound to love.

After a small misstep in NHL 15, NHL 16 feels like a huge apology letter to fans. Many removed features have returned, but that also means improvements are few and far between. EA Sports Hockey League features a nice shot in the arm, but the Be a GM mode seems to be taking a back seat. Be a Player has received some nice additions, but not being able to alter the period length seems absolutely asinine and ruins the mode. NHL 16 is a well-written apology letter that will bring fans back to the franchise, but if you are looking for monumental upgrades, look elsewhere.

When played by yourself or with a friend on the couch, NHL 16 is a fast, sharp-looking, and fun hockey sim that (unlike last year’s game) includes enough modes to keep veterans happy while doing an admirable job of welcoming newcomers as well. It still suffers technical problems with online play, which is a shame, because outside of noticeably repetitious play-by-play calling and some non-gameplay-affecting framerate issues in cutscenes and replays, NHL 16 is an otherwise excellent game.

NHL 16 isn’t perfect, but it’s a substantial improvement over what released last year. Mind you, that’s not some sheer brilliance; it’s just because of general competence. The NHL franchise seems back on track, and it has even introduced the wonderful on-ice trainer. But, that trainer aside, it’s tough to shake the feeling that NHL has just caught up instead of innovating. EA Sports spent this iteration making up ground. It was a necessary move, but not one that instills confidence that the developer has grown comfortable with the generational shift in consoles.

When EA Canada said that NHL 14 would be skipping a next generation release so that it could concentrate on making NHL 15 the best that it could possibly be, no one really batted an eyelid. It sounded like a perfectly reasonable thing and for the most part it was accepted. That is, until NHL 15 released. Hockey's first foray onto the PlayStation 4 was nothing short of an unfettered disaster; a game full of AI problems, exploits, and lacking so severely in content that it felt like an outline – we didn't look upon it too favourably. Thankfully, the hockey gods have answered this time around, as...