Side Note: you should check out my favorite hockey blog at downgoesbrown.com.
If you are like me and happen to like Canada's favorite sport and be a gamer, then you have been looking forward to EA's annual franchise and its debut on these new consoles. So let's drop the puck and see what I think of NHL 15 for the Xbox One.
It is worth noting that the versions for the last-gen consoles is quite different from the newer versions, so I am focusing on the new ones because (A) that's the one I bought, and (B) that's the one people are most interested in.
From all the screenshots of the game, we were led to believe this would be a great looking hockey game, and it delivers mightily. From the players to the presentation, this is an absolute gem. I'll set it up:
Let's say we have a game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers, choose the jerseys (I am partial to the old 1991 Black and Yellow), and see a video flyby of Pittsburgh with the NBC Sports theme and overlay, already I am excited for hockey, it's like I am watching it on TV. Cut to the crowd inside Consol Energy center losing their minds cause it's A GREAT DAY FOR HOCKEY! Then we see actual video of our commentators Mike "Doc" Emrick (who shares the same birth DAY as me) and former Penguin Ed Olczyk. I gotta stop here. This is AWESOME, and something Madden needs to look at implementing for next year as opposed to the animatronic nightmare of digital Phil Simms and Jim Nantz. Also, Doc and Ed actually have interesting things to say...mind-blowing! Then to the ice to look at a few star players including this guy named Sidney F'n Crosby who looks JUST LIKE his actual counterpart.
What I am saying is that this game is real pretty and the presentation is the best in a sports game. EA even took the facial animation technology from EA UFC, which was one of that game's biggest highlights.
Then the puck drops and it's game on! The action on the ice is just as smooth and fast-paced as ever. The A.I. has really stepped up its game this year and can be downright brutal, but there are sliders to adjust and help make it more of a fair challenge. It'll take you a bit to get used to the player's momentum and quickness but, once you do, you'll be flying around making plays in no time.
I deliberately used that picture because (A) The Winnipeg Jets jerseys are awesome, and (B) that fan sign. Fans in the stands will have signs with your players' names on it saying different things. It's the little touches like this that helps NHL 15 be the best sports game when it comes to in-game atmosphere.
Off the ice is a different story...
The current slew of game modes in NHL 15 pale in comparison to the previous games in the franchise. Here is a quick list of omissions:
- No EASHL mode
- No "sim to next shift" in Be A Pro
- No Coach Feedback in Be A Pro
- No Live The Life
- No Fantasy Draft
- No Winter Classic
I could go on, but you get the point. Yes, this is the first NHL game on the new consoles, so I knew things weren't going to be there. I also know there are post-launch patches that will add some of these features in, but the point is that these modes were in previous games and it kinda sucks having to wait (and end up playing NHL 14) just for modes and features that should already be here.
What IS in the game is fine. Hockey Ultimate Team returns, though I haven't found the "generate best lines" option, which means I get to go in and assign every player manually, which I suppose is fine, though it would be nice to have that auto-generate option to at least give me a foundation to build off of.
There is Be a GM and Be a Pro mode, which boil down to a season mode and a "control a created player" mode respectively. There also is no "start in the CHL" option, so you can't come up from the juniors and get drafted based on performance, you can either choose the team you want to play for, or go into a completely random draft. One time I was drafted 15th by Detroit, the next I went 3rd to Edmonton, real random and real strange. Also, after I was drafted by Edmonton, I went straight to their 3rd line, whereas in previous games, you had to fight for your spot on the roster, or be sent to the AHL. Sure, it may just be that I was a good enough player to play on the Oilers' 3rd line since, well....it's the Oilers, but not even giving me the chance to fight for a roster spot makes it all feel bland and full of random chance.
It all comes down to this: when actually playing NHL 15, it's an awesome time. It looks fantastic, sounds great, the atmosphere is captured superbly. There is just an unfortunate lack of substance (which, sure, is getting added by patches, but it should already be there) that makes the whole experience feel empty. I look forward to the features being added, and even more so to what NHL 16 will end up being.
Go Iowa Wild! GO PENGUINS!
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