A Triumphant Return to the Ice
Coming from the UK, my experience of ice hockey has been quite a rare thing. It was something you saw in American films, where padded men slipped around and had the occasional punch-up. But in the early ’90s, on the Sega Mega Drive, NHL 94 hit hard in my town. We would gather after a few drinks and sit around playing against each other in tight competitions. You could have fights (virtually and in real life), you learned about terms like ‘icing’, and you heard mutterings of some hero called Wayne Gretzky. Now, over 30 years later, the franchise is still going, and I’m back on the ice with NHL 26. Does it still hold some of that magic?
Things have changed since 1994, with a wide variety of different modes on offer, from careers to quick play games. But the gameplay is still the same intense, on-skate action. Now, this reviewer hasn’t played an NHL game for a good few years, so this review is coming in quite fresh to this generation of gameplay. There has been some criticism from others in recent years that the franchise hasn’t moved on enough in each of its yearly instalments.
But for me, it’s quite a fresh experience.
The Journey to the NHL
There are a myriad of modes to get stuck into as you load up the flashy intro screen of NHL 26. Firstly, let’s start with the gameplay itself and I’ll admit that it was hard to pick up the rules again, but once I did, I was fully immersed. The developers have added new animations, which add to the fluid gameplay, and I think this works well, mostly because everything flies by at breakneck speed. I
And let it be known, it’s hard to score, and that’s what makes the game interesting. I am used to 15-0 games against the AI in football games, but these ones, in all modes, are tight and edgy affairs where you must use your wits and skills to get one point ahead. Of course, score in the last few seconds of overtime, and there is no feeling like it.
Be a Pro mode is where I invested most of my time. Here you can take a player you have designed, from the minor leagues all the way up to the NHL. It’s a good mode that provides the opportunity to scour stats and take in your coach’s advice and feedback. You have press conferences and interviews where your dialogue choices affect your brand or the balance with your teammates. You can gradually build out your stats and tailor them to your gameplay style, and there are elements like X-Factor style abilities that you can choose to enhance the position you’re playing in. I liked this mode a lot because I always enjoy going from the bottom and seeing that journey to the top of my game. It’s exciting and hard, as you need to keep performing at the highest level, or you will get demoted.
Beyond the Ice
Other modes in NHL 26 include the career mode, where you can play forever with a team of your choice. There is the classic Franchise mode too, as you take on the management side of things and work on taking your team to the top, all while negotiating player contracts and fees.
Ultimate Team is here as well, where you build up your best team from packs. Seasons have now been introduced, which give more substance than in previous years; at least as far as I am led to believe. From there, in NHL 26 you should expect to partake in an offline season mode called Cup Hunt, which pits your team against computer opponents and is a nice addition.
In regards Ultimate Team, and like in other sports games, is something you either buy into or not. For me, it’s a hard one to get excited about because I don’t know the players well enough, as I do in football, so it hasn’t got that “gotta collect ’em all” feel to it that Ultimate Team may normally bring. If you’re a big fan of hockey though, it’s more than deep enough to drag you along.
ICE-Q 2.0 and Commentary
NHL 26’s visuals are spot on and what we’ve come to expect from EA Sports. This time around, the developers are using ICE-Q 2.0, which sounds like an energy drink, but works a system that takes real-life data from real-life players and puts it into the in-game animation. For me, the game feels fast, frenetic, and looks great on the ice. The menus are crisp, clean, and easy to navigate. I like the little touches in Be a Pro as well, like the press conferences and the little cutscenes.
And of course, we’ve got the comms. American sports commentary is the best because they never stop, and it feels like a massive story is being told while also becoming background noise as you play the game. It is very cleverly performed and fits perfectly with the gameplay. I like the other bits of voice-over too; for example, the agent in the Be a Pro mode is perfect casting. Sound effects, whistles, and the crunch of ice on ice are all brilliant, just as I imagine they have always been. There is a good selection of music, from indie rock numbers to some easy-listening tracks that I stumbled upon.
A Season’s Worth of Great Hockey
Sports games, if they are good, will last you a whole year of gaming. They have hundreds upon hundreds of hours of gameplay, whether it’s player-vs-player, offline or online multiplayer. There are some modes you might never touch, and that is still fine.
NHL 26 is one of those games that will easily last you the year, working as a welcome return to the franchise. Whether you are a hockey fan or not, you’ll get thrills from the on-ice action, taking you back to the glory days of decades gone by.
Perhaps it won’t take over from my sports game of choice, but it is a lot of fun, and I have finally worked out what ‘icing’ means…
Important Links
Lace ’em Up – EA SPORTS NHL 26 is PLAYABLE NOW on Xbox and PlayStation – https://www.thexboxhub.com/lace-em-up-ea-sports-nhl-26-is-playable-now-on-xbox-and-playstation/
EA SPORTS NHL 26 Crowns the Tkachuk Family as Cover Stars, Laces Up for a September Release – https://www.thexboxhub.com/ea-sports-nhl-26-crowns-the-tkachuk-family-as-cover-stars-laces-up-for-a-september-release/
NHL 26 is on the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/nhl-26-standard-edition-xbox-series-xs/9MXS9MK0BK9S/0010
There’s a Deluxe Edition if you prefer – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/nhl-26-deluxe-edition-xbox-series-x-s/9pmd9spc7wwl
