On the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, NHL 15 is essentially NHL 14 with three new announcers plus some tweaks to the puck physics and player collisions.

All of NHL 14's modes and features have returned, except for the EA Sports Arena, where gamers could wager real money in head-to-head online matches.

If you've played the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One demo of NHL 15, you'll immediately miss that version's significantly upgraded skating and stick-handling mechanics, as neither aspect has been improved on the Xbox 360. You'll also notice that NBC Sports' theme music and presentation overlays are oddly absent from the Xbox 360 version, despite the fact that NBC's announcers do replace Gary Thorne and Bill Clement.

After playing several hundred games of NHL 14, only three gameplay differences stand out so far in NHL 15:

1) The puck no longer bounces like a basketball whenever it's dumped into the corner. In all situations, the puck tends to behave more believably.

2) Player collisions are slightly more realistic, though they still look silly at times.

3) Goaltender interference penalties are called more accurately.

Other than that, you could easily turn off the announcers, and convince spectators that you were playing NHL 14.

Be-A-GM/Season Mode

In the one season that I simulated, the only difference I saw from NHL 14 is that the GM menus now appear inside a generic smartphone instead of on a branded BlackBerry. As usual, the CPU teams will make many dumb decisions. In year one, I saw Nashville waive its first line center, Mike Fisher, and waive one of its top prospects, Calle Järnkrok. One CPU owner offered me two third-round draft picks for 35-year-old grinder, Chris Neil. Another CPU team sent me a pair of third-round picks for Chris Phillips, a 36-year-old defenseman.

The AI is even more inept on the ice, as they still display zero defensive aggressiveness, have no clue how to break through the neutral zone, and possess no ability to hold onto the puck or create legitimate scoring chances. They'll still score once or twice a game, but only because your own AI goalie is guaranteed to do something dumb eventually, and let in a laugher of a goal that would make even Marc-André Fleury blush. The slow data processing and frequent pop-up notifications while simulating through a season make it tough to get through 1 year, let alone the full 25.

Be A Pro/Live The Life

I could not find many changes here, either. You still start out playing the Memorial Cup to improve your draft stock, then it's off to the preseason, where you will either make your NHL club's roster, or get sent down to their minor league affiliate. The same female player models from last year's game are selectable, but the new announcing team still uses male pronouns to describe female skaters.

EA Sports Hockey League

You can no longer wear the jersey number 0. Aside from that, I noticed nothing different in the one drop-in game I played.

GM Connected

I did not spot any new options or features in the test league that I created. The loading times between each menu and during every schedule advance remain frustratingly long. It's no wonder that such a small percentage of EA's NHL users play this mode, since full 82-game seasons continue to be the only choice.

NHL Moments Live

Placeholder graphics for the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 NHL seasons are shown, but the only challenge currently available for download is the second overtime session of the clinching Stanley Cup Final game between the Kings and Rangers.

Winter Classic

There are no new Winter Classic venues, just the same 2011 (Heinz Field) and 2012 (Citizens Bank Park) stadiums. You can still use any team that you want in these outdoor events. But if you stick with the default matchups, Mike Emrick's new introductions for these two games are fantastic.

Ultimate Team

This mode is not playable during the Season Ticket period. We will have impressions of Ultimate Team when the retail version of NHL 15 releases on Tuesday.

Overall First Impression

After a full day of playing, I can find no compelling reason to spend full price on the Xbox 360 version of NHL 15. NHL 14's online servers probably won't be discontinued any time soon, considering that NHL 12 remains fully functional. Xbox 360 hockey fans should keep playing their old copies of NHL 14, or buy it used for $15 to $20 if they don't own it already. It will take a bit more time to fully discern what NHL 15's value is, but the value proposition in rushing out and getting NHL 15 isn't the highest from our first impressions of the title.

Look for our full review of NHL 15 on the PS3/Xbox 360 soon!