Tag: NHL 16

Posted on by

EASHL returns in NHL 16; more information released

After going into its release with great expectations, NHL 15 struggled to deliver on what many expected of the 2014 Best Sports Game winner (E3 Critic Awards). The game failed to give players the full selection of game modes that had been a crucial aspect of the franchise for the previous seven years. Now, EA Sports is coming back with a new focus in NHL 16 as they look to build a great game around the fantastic gameplay that’s already in place.

The most notable game mode to return is the beloved EA Sports Hockey League (EASHL) and its 6v6 gameplay offering players the opportunity to create their own character and take him or her online as a part of a club. While EASHL and the other game modes were incorporated into previous generation versions of NHL 15, the new generation was left with little variety in the ways players could play. This year of NHL looks to offer everything that should have been there since the last NHL release.

Outside of the online team focused mode, the Be A GM mode that is apparent in all EA Sports games in some fashion is also getting some fine-tuning a minor additions. A new “Player Morale” aspect is being incorporated giving each player on a team a designated personality that needs to appropriately meshed with the team as a whole. GMs can now call team meetings or adjust the roster to ensure that player performance is at the highest level it can be.

Another major drawback to NHL 15 was the extremely toned down Be A Pro mode. Now major features are again returning like a progression from CHL to NHL, and the ability to sim to your next shift rather than wait on the bench.

Gameplay wise NHL 16 will add improved skating techniques for “refined movements with your skater” and seamless puck pickups create quicker and more fluid animations “giving you more time and control to make your next move.”

And how about some more dynamic beard growth?! NHL 16 will add accurate representations of beard patterns, length, thickness, and growth rates for individual players.

NHL 16 is expected to release in early-to-mid September only on Xbox One and PS4 as the development team drops support for the old generation.

For a full list of new features check out EA Sports’s official release.

Posted on by — 1 Comment

What hockey fans need from EA Sports’ NHL 16

After so much promise from their new generation iteration of the NHL series, EA Sports ultimately failed to meet the expectations of NHL 15 for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

With major game modes like EA Sports Hockey League and GM Connected (Online Franchise) omitted from the game, EA produced an excellent game based on the gameplay, but left out the variety that kept NHL an exciting game for hockey fans.

Before the official reveal of the game modes just weeks before NHL 15’s release, this year’s game was shown to be incredibly promising after winning the E3 Critic Awards’ Sports Game of the Year.

The award to EA was certainly not understandable. The base of the game is fantastic as the visuals took an incredible jump from the previous generation games. Along with fantastic new commentary and smooth gameplay, it seemed NHL 15 was going to be the best upgrade to the series in a very long time.

But now that the core of the game is set, and the resources allocated to development should be able to handle the addition of the game modes and fine-tuning the rest of the game to make NHL 16 a worth-while product.

Here’s what needs to happen for NHL 16:

  • The return of EASHL and GM Connected. A club mode with all the features present in the last NHL game’s rendition present. EA Sports Hockey League and GM Connected are crucial components of the NHL series since their launches in NHL 09 and NHL 13 (respectively). The removal of these modes in NHL 15 was unacceptable for the majority of fans.
  • Implementation of EA’s “Game Face” technology with the NHL series would be greatly appreciated. The FIFA and Madden series have long incorporated the more personalized touch to their online game modes and its certainly time for NHL to do the same. While there was some customization to faces with scars, complexion modifications, and eye color offered to be edited and changed, NHL 15 removed the bulk of this customization and left players with a single list of preset faces.
  • More detailed customization of EASHL team logo and jersey designs. Since EASHL’s advent in 2008, virtually zero upgrades to team personalization have been added. Coming up on the seventh year later, there is little reason for such a meager assortment. With other games like GTA, and Call of Duty promoting very customizable (albeit small) options for gang symbols, weapon decals, and logos, NHL currently offers nothing that can be compared to the level of detail permitted in these other games.
  • Tune down the jersey flutter. Adding the layered player models to the game looks fantastic upon first glance, but after repeated play, many gamers will notice the absurd amount that the jerseys dance with the nonexistent wind.
  • Slow down the dekes. The one-touch deking system is another great addition to the game to create smoother looking movement on the ice, but when players like Zac Rinaldo can seemingly cut and maneuver in the same vein as Vladimir Tarasenko there is a definite problem. Greater variation in how the “deking” stat is attributed to players is needed.

While there are certainly other issues and problems that fans can gripe about like there is every year, EA must take an intrinsic focus to ensure that the continuation of NHL on the new generation not only optimizes the bugs and minor issues, but also deliver on the players’ expectations for fleshed out variety of game modes and immediately noticeable improvements.