NHL 15 Review
So I spent a good chunk of yesterday playing NHL 15 and I have no idea how to review it. I was tempted to just give the thing a 10 sight unseen because the promo videos looked so good, but that would make me a blind consumerist [Exclusive Apple Watch Review: 10!]. The way I see it, there are two types of NHL players, and therefore, there needs to be two reviews.
[Here’s a stream of me playing a Flyers-Penguins game, narrated.]
If you’re like me and don’t have the time or patience to play a 30-season franchise, or guide a created player from infancy to Flyers Ambassador, or rule a multiplayer online Matrix, and just want to play – online or off – casually and against friends, then you’ll love the game. The graphics, presentation and, most importantly, gameplay are outstanding. Never has so much attention been paid to detail in a hockey game (I’m pretty sure the Wells Fargo Center actually includes the retractable risers behind each net). The controls and feel of the game are familiar, but it’s crazy realistic, and the new puck and player physics will allow for maybe unprecedented variety. I feel like you could play this game for a year and still see new types of goal (deflections, tipped pucks, scrambles in front of the net, etc.). There are few sports video games that accomplish this. FIFA is a great game, but, at least in the current version, there seems to be a finite number of ways to score, and goals start to look and feel repetitive (it sounds like the new version is improving this area). That’s not the case with NHL 15— every game, every play feels unique. There is of course an element of randomness with all of this that makes it feel like you have less control than before… but that’s realism, for better or worse. When you do pull off a great move or set up a great play – like that gorgeous Read goal – you feel like you’ve earned it. Gone are the days of defying the laws of physics by cutting on a dime (two dimes?) or setting up one-timers all over the place. Your players… actually have to be in shooting position. I really do get the sense that this will be one of those games that the longer you play, the more you’ll appreciate it. It’s fun, and from a gameplay and graphics standpoint, it delivers. 8.8.
Most reviews are coming in well below mine, however. There’s no sense in rounding them all up, because the consensus amounts to: Great gameplay, horrifying lack of modes. Here’s a screenshot from Operation Sports of what’s not in the game:
That’s… a lot. And some of those things are basic, mundane features (three stars?) that have been in games since Sega (SEGA!). To his credit, the game’s lead producer, Sean Ramjagsingh – RAMMER! – posted an update on Operation Sports and outlined the modes that will be added, including playoffs and online team play.
Basically, depending on how much you play these modes or rely on these features, your score will vary. Start with an 8.8 for gameplay and work backwards from there.
