NHL 15 Review (XB1/PS4)

[Armor and Sword]

A very fair review. I can wait a couple of years to get a fully featured, fully realized next gen version of NHL. I love NHL 13 and will just continue playing that for a few more seasons.

[Peter10]

I got a question. Several guys in here are saying the gameplay itself is fine and that would be a good reason for me to buy it. However, a lot of reviews i have seen mention that defense and goaltending in particular are aweful and beyond.

From the video footage that i have seen so far (youtube, twitch), the AI seems to be only slight improved and goalies look like sieves, so that would be a big no-go for me.

So is there really any significant improvement?

I could somehow do without all the missing modes if the game itself would be somewhat realistic but considering that i would have to buy a PS4 first, I just can not justify this.

[GROGtheNailer]

This review is spot on imo. Great job on that Glenn. I suspect defensive issues are going to be a bigger problem as the game is played a lot more. The big issue is, you cannot really do anything with all the modes missing, what a let down on it's next-gen debut. This is another reason why EA as a company is so disliked. The did manage to get the money-grubbing HUT in though didnt they?

[statum71]

Quote: Originally Posted by cookjn

I wish people would stop defending this game. FIFA 14 and MLB: The Show 14 also provide great gameplay experiences without sacrificing the modes that many of us rely on for replayability. If those two titles can offer consumers both great gameplay and value, why does NHL 15, a game that only offers great gameplay, deserve a comparable review score?

Absolutely. Gameplay is indeed top priority. But even if gameplay is good it's only gonna last maybe a good month before the replay value is dead for me.

I can't believe ANYBODY would put out a sports game without a Season Mode. The reviewer forgot to mention that was left out too.

[Inhocmark]

The gameplay is fun but the http://assets1.osftw.com/images/button_submit.gifreview is spot on that its a bitter sweet experience because of the missing modes and terrible execution. I have it, I sort of regret it, and I hope that once the inevitable price drop comes there's some reward for those of us who shelled out full price.

EA should be embarrassed. The NHL game was a crown jewel, the resources should have been there, especially in the first year while building everything to offer feature parity with the previous gen.

[RaychelSnr]

Quote: Originally Posted by Simaofan-20

Its quite sad that gameplay isn't the most important thing when reviewing a game. After all, that's the core of a game and the reason why we play them in the first place. No way this game is a 5.5/10, I wouldn't give it a 9 but a 5.5? That's way to low, thats close to the game being broken or it has a ton of glitches. If the main reason why the score is low is because of not enough features, thats incredibly disappointing . I skimmed through most of it, I don't recall anything about the confirmed patch that implements some of the missing features already

"5.0 - 5.5 (Average) -- This is the quintessential average game. There are good spots, there are bad spots. You might love this game, then you might hate it. In the end, you'll just feel like it could have been so much more. Rent these for sure if you are a fan, and you might even buy the game if you can overlook the many flaws."

We review games and assign scores based on the entire game's total value. The word after the number and what it represents in the Rubric (now linked in the review) are just as important as the number itself in describing the game. We don't like the college grading scale where you are essentially using one of four ratings. If we wanted to do that, we'd switch to a star system and call it good

[statum71]

Quote: Originally Posted by MMChrisS

"5.0 - 5.5 (Average) -- This is the quintessential average game. There are good spots, there are bad spots. You might love this game, then you might hate it. In the end, you'll just feel like it could have been so much more. Rent these for sure if you are a fan, and you might even buy the game if you can overlook the many flaws." We review games and assign scores based on the entire game's total value. The word after the number and what it represents in the Rubric (now linked in the review) are just as important as the number itself in describing the game. We don't like the college grading scale where you are essentially using one of four ratings. If we wanted to do that, we'd switch to a star system and call it good

Good explaination Chris.

These guys that talk gameplay, gameplay, gameplay don't seem to understand that it's only one faucet of the game title. Yes, gameplay is tops. But it's not impossible to make a game with outstanding gameplay and still have great presentation, graphics, audio, and modes.

Just look at The Show and NBA 2k......they do it almost every year. (Almost, 2K wasn't good last year on PS4)

[thejudicata]

Quote: Originally Posted by Peter10

I got a question. Several guys in here are saying the gameplay itself is fine and that would be a good reason for me to buy it. However, a lot of reviews i have seen mention that defense and goaltending in particular are aweful and beyond. From the video footage that i have seen so far (youtube, twitch), the AI seems to be only slight improved and goalies look like sieves, so that would be a big no-go for me. So is there really any significant improvement? I could somehow do without all the missing modes if the game itself would be somewhat realistic but considering that i would have to buy a PS4 first, I just can not justify this.

I've played about 30 games, gameplay is a slight improvement over NHL 14. Computer D and goaltending is awful. Visually the gameplay just looks better because the animations are much better done.

I also feel like boardplay has been downgraded more. Along the boards seems to be the only place the computer D suddenly wakes up and plays D....