NHL 16 is a mixed bag in many ways. The game looks better than ever and plays very well, but the amount of content that was stripped from the game almost outweighs the improvements that have been made. In terms of value, EA shot itself in the foot here. Unless you’re really dying to play an NHL game this year on next-gen consoles, I can’t see why you should spend $60 on a product that’s missing more than half of the features previous iterations included. For those buyers that don’t read reviews, I can already feel your pain. NHL 16 is far from a bad game. I personally think it’s the best NHL in terms of gameplay and visuals thus far. If you can deal with the lack of features then I say go for it.
EA spent two years developing the game for PS4 and Xbox One after skipping NHL 16 for the consoles in an effort to get it just right. Despite the extra development time, the game falls well short of expectations. But it's not all bad. As you would expect, the graphics on the PS4 are top notch, and never before has EA Sports' catchphrase "it's in the game" been more apt. NHL 16 is presented in full broadcast style - in this case the NHL's US broadcaster NBC - complete with video exteriors of the city and stadium, introductions from the commentators, broadcast transitions, graphics and highlights packages in all the right places you'd expect if you were watching on TV.
While some people will lament the lack of three stars being awarded, the missing Online Team Play, and no EASHL; that the real issue with NHL 16 is that specific modes that made it into the game also feel stripped down when compared to other contemporary titles. For example, inside the GM mode (not the GM Connected mode which was not in the game when this review was published) I didn’t go to some big, and frankly common, NHL events like the league’s all-star game or the NHL draft. On top of that, when you want to practice you are now limited to practicing against one NPC goalie while you control one player. The list goes on, but personally, I feel like the biggest issue with NHL 16 is the fact that you can’t simulate shifts in the Be A Pro mode, so I quickly lost interest when I was not playing.
Yes, it is insanely good. NHL 16 is a mind-blowing leap from NHL 2008 and they have, in my opinion, perfected what they can do with hockey and the PlayStation 3. The game play is fluid, dynamic, and wonderful. I’ll get to that a bit below, but yes, the game is awesome. If you haven’t really played hockey on a video game before, this is an amazing game. If you like hockey, you will like this game. It’s addictive and fun. It has tons of options and game modes and while hockey is easily the best two-player video game ever invented (with a possible exception for Worms Armageddon) it’s also fun to just play the computer. The game looks good, it feels good, the music is crap, but the sound effects are awesome. I recommend this game without reservation to anyone who happens to be a fan of both hockey and video games.
In game you can no longer simulate between shifts either. Personally I like to play as the goalie where this isn’t an issue however, NHL 16 seems to be the hardest iteration yet for this play style. On top of being difficult on the ice, the new UI system does not make it very friendly in customizing your equipment. I say customizing, but most of the customization has gone from the game. You can’t change any of the colors of the goalie pads as you could previously, and searching through all the goalie masks has been made extremely tedious. Also missing are the attribute boosts that you could unlock throughout your career, so XP is the only way to improve your players skills now. Goalies as a whole seem to have taken a battering in NHL 16. Every game seems to be a tightly fought match up with a relatively close scoreline, but there’s a LOT of goals. Almost every match I’ve played has seen upwards of five goals, and while hockey fans love to see this much action in a game, it just doesn’t happen every night.
Basically, what I’m saying here is: avoid the new-gen versions at all costs if you can. If you’re absolutely craving hockey and you sold one of those to pay for one, don’t get your hopes too high without doing your research first. However, if you’re the kind that only buys a sports game every few installments, you owe it to yourself to get back in the swing of “NHL”; you’ll at least have a nice piece to display in your collection next to your sealed copy of “Mutant League Hockey” for the Sega Genesis or your signed Tuukka jersey.
