When it comes to watching the sport of ice hockey, I tend to avert my attention elsewhere. In the world of gaming though, I’m open to delve into anything from the sports genre, because it’s often more enjoyable participating than viewing. And so, when NHL 16 was launched by EA I was drawn in, curious as to whether it’d be suitable for a gamer that has played plenty of hockey games, yet still doesn’t really understand what’s going on. Will I be left out in the cold for my lack of knowledge or can NHL 16 embrace my newbie nature and sculpt me into an ice king?
The first thing I noticed was the main menu layout, which for anyone unsure what most of the game modes are, are well sectioned off with their own headers for easy navigation. These headers are Quick Play, Ultimate Team, Team Play, Career, Offline and Solo. Immediately I can see that there’s a hell of a lot to do, but that doesn’t mean they are all enjoyable. Where do I begin? EA Sports Hockey League!
Making its return this year, the EA Sports Hockey League mode seemed the ideal place to start, in a team with people that I know where they can mask my lack of skill. Taking up to six of your club members online to climb the leagues or participate in cups, it was genuinely the mode I was really looking forward to. That’s why I was pretty disappointed when I figured out you can’t grow your customised player up from scratch. Instead, it offers preset player types to choose from at the start of each match such as being an Enforcer in defence or a Sniper in one of the forward positions. Half of the enjoyment for these types of modes is earned by acquiring attribute points over time and becoming a master of the ice. EASHL is all good apart from that, as long as your team knows the offside rule, otherwise it gets messy!
That may have fallen short of my expectations, however there are plenty more modes to sink my teeth into. Ultimate Team in any of its incarnations is a highly popular mode and it’s no different in hockey where the amount of teams present brings a huge selection of players to find in packs. Building teams using players from the NHL, SHL, AHL and Liiga, to name just a few, adds great variety to proceedings. I haven’t got a clue who most of these players are, but the fact that you get free packs for completing full team sets means I need to find them all. Even buying non-Gold packs is fun because it’ll add to a collection in some way, which is fortunate considering how expensive the pure Gold packs are.
Obviously you need to play matches using your Hockey Ultimate Team Squad in order to earn the in-game currency. That’s where the online and offline Seasons leagues come into play; here you can test your skills against regular teams controlled by various difficultly levels of A.I. or venture online to see how you match up to other people’s best teams. Alternatively it allows you to take on the Team of the Week, play a one off solo game or play versus a friend.
Where the EASHL let me down, the Be a Pro Career fills the void nicely. I chose to start out with the juniors in the Ontario Hockey League as part of the Niagara Ice Dogs; if I’m going to begin a career then it might as well be from the very bottom of the ladder. Growing as a player can happen two ways, either by choosing the training workouts for the areas that really need improvement (these occur behind the scenes which is a shame) or by your match performances. Playing badly will take away XP, especially if you don’t look after the energy of your skater as it can have negative effects on your endurance.
As is the nature of ice hockey, the player will have lots of spells on the bench throughout the three periods. That could get boring; however it can be simulated till your next shift or you could read over the coach’s feedback which is rather helpful. My defensive play across the whole of NHL is poor but thanks to the coach’s notes and the in-game trainer to show optional buttons to press, I can steal pucks and make blocks like a pro. I’m no longer sending my player sliding on his stomach on every attack that comes my way. This is definitely the best mode for refining your skills at any one position.
Now, for what I’d call the last two modes of any substance, Be a GM and Season. Season mode is a simplistic version of Be a GM where you’ll play as the entire team, edit lines and strategies whilst also being able to sign free agents and make trades. Be a GM takes it that one step further with more control over the roster, scouting and a big emphasis on ensuring you’ve got a happy locker room using team talks (and winning of course). I can even switch to the developmental team to help them out at any time.
The best part is that it’s up to me whether I play out the whole games as either the entire team or be locked into one position. If I trust the team that I’ve picked to do the business without me, then simulation is possible. We all know how simulating games is a risky strategy and that’s why it’s great that I can simulate as much of the game as I wish to. Should the Chicago Blackhawks go behind, I just jump straight in to the match to try and turn the tables on the opposition.
Still want more to do? Well, the majority of other modes aren’t so expansive or in-depth but if you fancy a quick hockey fix there’s Play Now, regular online Seasons which is basically 1vs1 action, NHL Moments Live to re-live great moments from last year’s season in real life and Playoff mode for a custom playoff series. For those that enjoy the thrill of a Shootout then you can take part in those exclusively both online and offline.
Considering my rookie status, the gameplay and controls are very daunting to begin with. That’s where a combination of the Practice mode, the On-Ice Trainer – which recommends buttons to press in relation to what’s happening on the rink and the difficulty levels can make it a welcoming experience.
The actual gameplay itself is exciting end-to-end action when the puck is in play, with plenty of stick control in attack to drag the puck away from defences and line up an epic slapshot. When transitioning to defence, skating is smooth and not only can the stick be used to poke at the puck, you can lift the opponents stick then steal back possession too. Sometimes you can’t get close to an opponent and so sticking your body across his line of sight on the floor could be vital; this is last ditch defending at its best.
Being a Goalie however is overcomplicated with too many different button combinations to remember. I just want to raise his arm up to cover the top corner of the goal but instead I have to do a butterfly pose or just fall down. Surely there’s a better way to allow us to control this position!
I also have my reservations about the huge amount of face-offs across a three period game after the Goalie freezes the puck. Having around fifty breaks in play just kills the momentum at times but if it happens this much in real life then that’s just how it goes.
Graphics-wise there are no complaints from me; the players don’t look as real to life as in other games but the overall presentation seems good, especially the pre-match build where real footage is used with real commentators hyping the upcoming match. I’ve only seen one graphical glitch of note and that’s a puck teleporting to another player. In the grand scheme of things, I can deal with that.
Taking into account that I’m a novice, despite having dabbled in hockey games before, I felt that NHL 16 is a darn great way to break into the genre. With so many different modes it’ll suit loners, teamplayers and competitive gamers in some way. It looks good, plays really well and allows even the worst of players a way to enjoy most of what’s on offer.
NHL 16 is easily the best ice hockey game I’ve played and has even taught me a few things along the way; so get on those skates to pick it up and hop onto the ice. You won’t regret it!
I’ve got EA access so I can play it free for a few hours, I will give it a try seeing as you rate it so well. Thanks.