All those stripped out game modes are back and they're just as fun as they should be. Gameplay is better than its ever been for both veterans and rookies while the presentation is spot-on and a pleasure to take in. There's no denying that the NHL franchise is back to where it should be.
NHL 162015
NHL 16
2015 EA Sports79Good
Playtime
LongTypically 80 hours
Playable on
Game modes
Details
Overview
NHL 16 is a hockey video game developed by EA Canada and published by EA Sports. It is the 25th installment of the NHL series and was released on September 15, 2015 in North America and September 17 and 18 in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The game was released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with a separate release for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 titled NHL: Legacy Edition. Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks is the official cover athlete, marking his second appearance on an NHL cover, following NHL 11. Upon release, NHL 16 received positive reviews and was declared an improvement over NHL 15 by critics.
Screenshots
Reception
Press80
Great- Metacritic78from 28 reviews
- OpenCritic81from 37 reviews
After the disappointment of last season's effort, NHL 16 feels like a solid rebuilding year. It may not go all the way to the Stanley Cup, but it definitely won't miss the playoffs.
NHL 16 isn't perfect, but it's a substantial improvement over what released last year.
At the same time, NHL 16 represents a nice return to form for the virtual hockey franchise. From its various modes to the more responsive gameplay, NHL 16 addresses many of the issues that scuttled last year's game. If you weighed and measured NHL 15 and it left you wanting, NHL 16 could be the game to get you back on the virtual ice once again.
When you come right down to it, NHL 16 is an improvement over last year's release in virtually every department. Unfortunately, that isn't exactly saying a lot.