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Review: NHL 16

It’s a big week for games actually living up to our expectations. First, Destiny’s “Taken King” expansion proved Bungie could still tell a story and now EA Sports’ NHL 16 is making up for the lobotomised mess that was last year’s first attempt at a current-gen outing.

When summarising NHL 16, it’s easy to say the game is NHL 15 with all the good things simply re-inserted, but that’s doing a disservice. In actual fact, NHL 16 is so much more.

Be a Pro mode once again lets you build your career-focused player from the CHL up. Offline shootouts are front and center on the main menu. EA Sports Hockey League (EASHL) is actually available at launch. But more than that, mechanics feel tighter and more true-to-life than ever. That, and I very much approve of a game that features the famous Green Men heckling anyone playing against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. Just ’cause.

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I play as a defenseman and it’s never been more enjoyable. Hits have actual weight, passes are hard and crisp, poke checks and stick lifts play out the way you expect; in short, everything is just so professional and as in you were actually on the ice. Even better, if you’re sitting there scratching your head and saying, “the way I expect!? I have no idea what I’m doing!” then this year’s iteration of the game is for you.

New, on-ice training prompts make their first appearance in the franchise, coaching you through everything from face-offs to beautiful shots. The instructions are most useful for newbies, teaching how to perform every single action in the game. Veterans should find a lot of use for them as well; as a devout fan of the franchise, the adaptive prompts really focus on areas where you’re lacking. I can honestly admit they’ve helped me to improve my overall game. I leaned on them quite heavily when playing as a goalie; I suck in net, even with NHL 16’s greatly-improved goalie controls. As your skill increases, the trainer decreases. It’s a magical thing.

Though they’re useful, I’d warn newcomers to work on a couple skills at a time; there are so many things happening on the screen at times it can definitely be overwhelming. That said, I’ll take the training prompts over a boring tutorial any ol’ day.

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Changes to Be a Pro mean returning players may have to change the way they play. I am a self-confessed ice hog, staying on the ice far too long and ignoring my positioning to get an all-important assist or goal. In NHL 16, this is a sure-fire way to fail, and fast. Like the on-screen training, XP notifications will flash over your head, both good and bad. Make a great pass or shot? You’ll be rewarded. Ask for a suicidal pass or stay in the ice too long? That’ll cost you. It’d almost like you’re playing through an RPG. Play too horribly — or too selfishly — and you’ll be riding the pine.

Alongside practical skill improvement, you’ll also be tasked to schedule a finite amount of off-ice training to improve a multitude of stats. It’s up to you to choose what to do; since I’m an offensive defenseman, I used the opportunity to funnel some defensive defenseman skill points my way.

Be a GM is a simulator’s dream. Those who’re willing will find screen after screen of stats to get lost in, chronicling everything from scouting to player morale and so much in between. A fervent Be a Pro fan, I had more fun actually acting like the GM in this mode, doing things like team huddles and holding player meetings to solve issues rather than actually intervening in games. I suffered a bit, as the game does generally favours playing over sitting on the sidelines, but I still had a blast. Again, a small warning: while there is lots to do, NHL 16s UI is a bit of a mess; it’s quite easy to get lost in options.

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If stats are your thing but you’d actually prefer playing hockey, head on over to Hockey Ultimate Team. There’s a certain amount of pride in building up random rookies into a decent team, but be warned: buying Gold card packs with real-world money gets expensive – quickly – and the random nature of the card-based game means you might be spending a lot of cash for nothing.

Online offerings are robust though might prove frustrating for us Aussies. With a relatively small user base in the country, we tiny few will find ourselves matched up with North Americans more often than not. While lag is most definitely an issue, a gap in skill levels is even worse. No offense Aussies, but tried-and-true hockey fans — and those that are up all night playing online to boot — will crush us (note how I included myself in that grouping). For that reason, it’s better to find a bunch of friends and play through the EASHL rather than taking on Online Team Play haphazardly.

As tight as everything is, NHL 16 isn’t perfect. While commentary for the franchise was finally refreshed in NHL 15 by the NHL on NBC’s Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick and Eddie Olczyk, nothing was really touched up this year. More concerning, I’ve encountered the same glitch numerous times where the puck sits just behind and to the left of the goalie when attacking towards the top of the screen; in that certain spot, it’s like a dead zone — none of the AI-controlled characters make any attempt to grab the biscuit.

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Additionally, I think newcomers are going to have a bit of a problem with game difficulty. At Rookie setting, things are way too easy (read: goalies are idiots), but on Pro, I think most will have problems scoring. Keep at it; you’ll feel so awesome when it all clicks. Use that on-ice trainer!

NHL 16 is the game we were hoping for last year and then some. If you took my advice and passed on last year’s effort, follow suit again — this it the year to jump back in. You’ll be very glad you did.

NHL 16 was reviewed using promotional codes on Xbox One and PS4 as provided by the publisher, as well as a copy on Xbox One as purchased by the reviewer.

 

Review: NHL 16
8.5 out of 10

The good

  • Everything! Leaps and bounds better than last year.
  • The on-ice trainer will help any player improve.
  • Nice little touches like mascots and the like.
  • Gameplay has never been more solid.

The bad

  • Menus are clunky and confusing.
  • A weird behind-the-net puck glitch.
  • Online offerings may frustrate Aussies.

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About the author

Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.