NHL 16 feels tighter and even more true to the real thing

The transition to the current generation of consoles has been particularly rough on NHL - the one and only hockey sim left on the market. After missing launch, the series launched to poor reviews and fan discontent. The NHL team apologized and promised to turn things around for NHL 16. Have they? For the most part, yes. This year's version has everything that should have been in last year's version, NHL's team-based EA Sports Hockey League foremost among them. But lest you think you're paying $60 just to get everything that was cut, EA Canada has gone ahead and made at least one notable addition to each mode. And in the case of the EASHL, it's been completely revamped.

This may be the best-playing NHL title in years, but the franchise still has some flaws in need of fixing. Despite EA touting an improved puck pickup system, I repeatedly saw baffling reactions to passes. Players looking directly at the puck sometimes turn away when the pass starts coming their way, and other times fail to notice that the puck is at their feet, making no move to gain possession. Loose puck awareness from A.I. teammates is also frustrating in the offensive zone. The nearest player can fail to realize he’s got a great chance to play the puck, resulting in a lost scoring opportunity. Checking could use more fine-tuning as well. Players lose their balance and fall to the ice too often when getting hit from behind, and those who get checked to the ice can sometimes get up and retrieve the puck faster than the defender can make a play.

Board play in general is lacking, and the game also needs work with jostling in front of the net. This is especially noticeable when you are guarding the crease with a defensemen in the revamped EASHL. Be-A-Pro benefits from basic features that it should have had last year, such as support for CHL teams, the ability to simulate shifts and proper coach feedback. Starting on a minor league team is a welcome return, as is the absolutely necessary sim-to-shift option. Now you can see your guy hanging over the boards and jumping on when it’s his turn, and all of that looks quite good. Coach feedback is separated more clearly now, and you get more of it, but it’s just as inconsistent and wacky in the grading as it ever was.

The one wrinkle for Be-A-Pro is the progression system (sponsored by Gatorade… yes), which allows your character to progress by what you do. So if you hit a lot and pass well, just those stats will go up. If you take penalties, your discipline goes down. It ends up working well, and all of these returning elements end up making Be-A-Pro feel fresh again. On the gameplay side of things, NHL 16 feels tighter and even more true to the real thing than its most recent predecessor did. The action is easy to pick up and play, but tough to master, and there are a lot of different nuances to be found. Its speed will differ, though, based on the game style that you choose to use.

If you pick Arcade, you’ll get the fastest, most accessible and arguably the most fun experience available, whereas if you choose Simulation or Hardcore, things will slow down and be both more methodical and more challenging. Team’s have their mascots. Little arena nuances like the cannon in Columbus and the “Yes” chant in New York make their debuts in the game as well. The NBC graphics have been updated, and the commentary from Mike Emric, Eddie Olczyk and Ray Ferarro sounds less robotic and more live than last year. It doesn’t do anything to the gameplay, but it adds a special feeling of realism to a franchise that needed it.

There's also the Be a GM mode if you're interested in more granular player and franchise management, playoff and season modes, shootouts, a more useful practice mode and NHL Moments Live, which recreates real-life NHL situations and has you take over at pivotal moments in games. Let's be honest, the only direction the NHL series could have gone was up. But NHL 16 is way more promising than just a simple do-over. If the messaging is authentic and this is in fact a new feedback-focused age for the series, there's plenty of potential for the franchise to ascend to the juggernaut it once was.