NHL 15 News Post

NHL 15: Reviewer Impressions (PS4/XB1)

11:45 AM - September 8, 2014 by RaychelSnr

After a delayed and protracted PR schedule, people are finally getting to play NHL 15 on Xbox One and PS4. To say that there has been a lot made of the missing EASHL and other features would be an understatement. Fans have made their feelings known that the absent features and modes are going to impact purchasing decisions, while EA has remained steadfast in their belief that the game will stand on its own merits and make people believers (well, only for so long, as EA plans to patch in certain elements).

After playing the game for some time, three things remain clear in my mind: this is the best-looking version of the game to date, it plays very well, and it�s not worth the full asking price.

Read More - NHL 15: Reviewer Impressions (PS4/XB1)

Game: NHL 15Reader Score: 6.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / PS4 / Xbox 360 / Xbox OneVotes for game: 16 - View All

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# 21 Inflict @ 09/08/14 03:02 PM

It's perfectly reasonable for fans to be upset that several game modes didn't make it into this years game, but I feel that too many people feel entitled as EA has spoiled us with a plethora of game modes in the past few years. The fact is, there are still a lot of game modes to play and should be enough to keep most gamers occupied for awhile. It does suck however that GM mode is incomplete and has to be patched, but I would rather have the game tomorrow then wait an extra month for it.

The problem I have is the same thing everyone else is complaining about. This shouldn't be a full priced game. Those who have bought or pre-ordered the game should at LEAST get some free HUT stuff or a free subscription to EA access for a year. A precedent (regarding games modes transferred over from last gen) was set with the next-gen Fifa and Madden games last year, so it's easy to see why people are upset. Lucky for me, I pre-ordered NHL on Amazon during their E3 sale while the game was still 59 dollars (plus 15% off).

Hopefully, EA listens to their fans and is planning something special (I.E. more content updates). The NHL team is usually quite good with fan input and and their community.

# 22 Inflict @ 09/08/14 03:10 PM

Also I wanted to point out that NHL 07, when it came out on 360, had several game modes missing from the previous generation. It was still a great game that made me purchase a 360.

# 23 Wiggy @ 09/08/14 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZB9


	Is it worth it if all I play is ranked head to head online? (X1)

If that's all you play, then you're probably going to have a better time than most. Again, the presentation and gameplay seem like they are something to care about, but a lot of users will feel quite adrift with so little to do and with so many missing pieces.

# 24 KomicJ @ 09/08/14 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaLiveKing


	I bet if this game came out in November people will still complain about it coming out later than usual. Nobody is forcing you to buy anything. The price is the price, deal with it lol

I bet they would.

...however, not to the magnitude of what we've seen these past couple of days. A 2-months delay, in these circumstances, would've been much more accepted by the whole market than this.

Parts of that would of course require EA and the NHL dev team to communicate and be upfront about the issues (which they usually aren't very good at it), but if managed well, postponing the game, even if it had to be announced today, would be seen as a far better thing than this.

# 25 centauris @ 09/08/14 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dovuto86


	I dont understand you at all..If you buy it for 60 dollars and play it for 3 months, Walmart will give you 40 dollars for it trade in so youd really only play it for 20 dollars.

what are you talking about?

# 26 statnut @ 09/08/14 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inflict


	Also I wanted to point out that NHL 07, when it came out on 360, had several game modes missing from the previous generation. It was still a great game that made me purchase a 360.

And that was then. When Madden and FIFA hit next-gen, they managed to get everything in and add things like coach glass, etc.

# 27 KomicJ @ 09/08/14 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaLiveKing


	They stated they are adding new features this month and next month, so they will be working on improving the overall quality of the game. Whether the improvements will satisfy most or some is yet to be seen. Maybe some will hold off and see what the improvements are before they buy it. Guys like me have no choice, cause I love hockey games and my 360 is KIA, so lol. But judging by what they did with the content updates with UFC, the game actually improved over time, so hopefully it's the same way with NHL

Believe me, I really hope it will. Just as I hope you'll have a blast playing NHL 15.

I'm from Montreal, so that gives you an idea how big of a deal the NHL series is for me. I owned every single game since the old SEGA Genesis days. So it's hard for me to skip this year's title. But without the ability to edit players (cause I'm that crazy the game), AHL Team and Auto-Draft (will be patched in), I just can't enjoy Be-A-Gm, which is the mode I'm primarily playing.

I thought the mode already had its flaws compared to other "Dynasty" modes in other sports titles (Scouting is weak, slow simulation, a few contract issues, offseason being way too basic, etc) so to see it go that much backwards is a dealbreaker for me.

But I'm stoked for NHL 16 though. Live draft is a feature that I was waiting for for quite a few years. If somehow they can get closer to Madden for Scouting, I will be a very happy gamer...next year !

# 28 Inflict @ 09/08/14 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by statnut


	And that was then. When Madden and FIFA hit next-gen, they managed to get everything in and add things like coach glass, etc.

I mentioned this in my previous post. There is precedent for both previous next gen EA games (madden, fifa) but that does NOT justify having all the game modes in NHL (it does justify a price decrease however). Expectations need to be drawn from EA Sports NHL's previous foray into a new console market, not other franchises.

And regarding last year's Madden, it was just a glossy version of Madden 25 on PS3/360. Not a big upgrade in any way, IMO. Fifa 14 however, was a gem that will make it hard to recommend purchasing another Fifa game for years.

# 29 scottyp180 @ 09/08/14 04:02 PM

I can't understand how this game took a year off and is still missing so much. Nba 2k14, in comparison, released at lauch with the new consoles, had tremendous graphics (up there with the best for these consoles), was fully featured with some modes getting upgrades, and played well on the court (better than previous gen). NHL, in comparison, has great graphics, good presentation, solid gameplay (though not the major improvement I was expecting, but a lack of core modes. Sure 2k14 had its share of problems, issues, and glitches (which can be expected for a launch title) but on paper it would seem as though NBA was the game that took a year off not NHL.

I am picking up NHL since I do enjoy the gameplay and I mostly play quick games with friends but I am disappointed with the lack of change and improvement overall, including the missing features. When it was announced last year that NHL 14 would skip next gen launch my reaction was "Wow NHL 15 will be the real deal and show us what a next gen sports game should be". Wrong. The game, especially on ice, will still be fun and enjoyable but I am beyond surprised by the lack of features and innovation in this game.

# 30 spidertour02 @ 09/08/14 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dovuto86


	To everyone not buying this game because of the missing game modes, Walmart will most likely give you 40 dollars for this game into November/December so if you buy it for 60 dollars, play it for a month or two it would only really cost you 20 dollars. It makes no sense not to buy it if you were planning on buying it to begin with

Unless you live in New York City like I do, where there IS no Walmart.

# 31 bad_philanthropy @ 09/08/14 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spidertour02


	Unless you live in New York City like I do, where there IS no Walmart.

Doesn't Target have a similar program? You could always hit up the Target at the Atlantic Centre in Park Slope. Pretty convenient. Have had to use it for various reasons over the past year while there on work.

# 32 statnut @ 09/08/14 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inflict


	I mentioned this in my previous post. There is precedent for both previous next gen EA games (madden, fifa) but that does NOT justify having all the game modes in NHL (it does justify a price decrease however). Expectations need to be drawn from EA Sports NHL's previous foray into a new console market, not other franchises. And regarding last year's Madden, it was just a glossy version of Madden 25 on PS3/360. Not a big upgrade in any way, IMO. Fifa 14 however, was a gem that will make it hard to recommend purchasing another Fifa game for years.

And prior to that games didn't have online or franchise. Should we accept that with the same rationale if a game cut those modes from their game? No we wouldn't. Because we've advanced. Expecting a modern sports games to have the modes it has had in previous iterations (new gen or not) is not a crazy thought.

And my point in mentioning Madden and Fifa on PS4/X1 is that both games didn't have to cut modes out. And the whole reason there was no next-gen NHL 14 was so that they could take the extra time to work on NHL 15. For that effort, we got an incomplete game with promises of patches to include some of the missing things.

Never mind game modes, how do you release an NHL game that doesn't have the Three Stars of the Game. Little exclusions like that are inexcusable.

# 33 ericromain @ 09/08/14 06:47 PM

Great review Glenn, I agree with all your points, particularly with the way the puck physics have subtly changed the game for the better with more realistic bobbled passes and bounces.

I'm not sure I'm with you on your HUT cynicism. I think that's a pretty popular mode (judging by the amount of active teams that were in the NHL 14 leaderboards), on top of that I feel like it's a pretty bare bones mode, lacking the complex logic and simulation that is involved with BAGM, or the 6v6 gameplay of OTP/EASHL (remember how often those most crashed in NHL09?). HUT is mostly a random card generator and a custom roster maker with some stats, and an online auction system.

I'm one of those guys happy with just playing 1v1 online and the gameplay feels solid, but I definitely feel for everyone else. It's unacceptable for EA to have allowed such a stripped down game to ship.

# 34 Leafs fan 2112 @ 09/08/14 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retropyro


	Exactly how I feel about the game. I don't think I'd pay more that $25 for the game in it's current state. But here in Canada they want $69.99.

Yea and if you add in the tax its $79.09. Now with games like destiny,the new dragon age, and assassin's creed unity. How does EA justify selling us this when there are far more option than a bare bones game? At the very least, they should've delayed it. I would've been happier if they delayed it than to give us this.

# 35 Inflict @ 09/08/14 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by statnut


	And prior to that games didn't have online or franchise. Should we accept that with the same rationale if a game cut those modes from their game? No we wouldn't. Because we've advanced. Expecting a modern sports games to have the modes it has had in previous iterations (new gen or not) is not a crazy thought. And my point in mentioning Madden and Fifa on PS4/X1 is that both games didn't have to cut modes out. And the whole reason there was no next-gen NHL 14 was so that they could take the extra time to work on NHL 15. For that effort, we got an incomplete game with promises of patches to include some of the missing things. Never mind game modes, how do you release an NHL game that doesn't have the Three Stars of the Game. Little exclusions like that are inexcusable.

You and several others clearly have unrealistic expectations. It's not just EA that comes across these types of issues when transitioning to a new console (gameplay over gameplay modes). Show me a yearly franchise that isn't a glossy port or a stripped down version of last gen. NBA 2K14 is missing several modes, is glitchy as hell to the point of frustration, and menu design is terrible. Call of Duty is just a glossy port. MLB the Show is missing several modes, and on and on and on. Only Fifa comes away on top and that my friend, is the only exception.

As for your other points, NHL 15 was mostly a one year cycle with most dev time spent on 360/PS3 during NHL 14 (check out Rammer's interview on this site). Also, three stars is not a game-breaker for me or anyone else. It's going to be added to the game anyways VIA patch, so it's not worth complaining about at all. It's like saying there are no nation anthems. Who cares.

People need to realize that gameplay is what drives a sports sim game like NHL. Therefore it makes sense to prioritize gameplay over more game modes. Want your old modes back? Go play NHL 15 for last gen and wait for NHL 16 to drop. Think NHL 15 is too expensive (you are probably right), wait for it to become cheap or trade in a game towards it.

# 36 mcpats @ 09/08/14 08:10 PM

Does anyone know if the dev team encountered some major problems when trying to make this game? It seems like their might have been some issue where bad code crashed what they were doing and the team had to double back and spend copious amounts of time fixing the bugs. It's the only explanation I can think of, because I sincerely think I remember EA saying they were skipping NHL 14 on next gen to have extra time to get the game right.

# 37 Inflict @ 09/08/14 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twelveone


	I don't want free HUT packs or free EA Access, I want the game modes that have been coming with the game for the past 7 years. Hopefully EA listens to their fans??? Were you born yesterday or did you just start playing video games a week ago? The NHL team hasn't listened to their community since 2005.

Seems like you are the one living under a rock. I guess you don't remember the community events or even bother to read any interviews. Go back to the EA forums with your other friends and continue to act like a super entitled 16 year old girl.

# 38 Christian9 @ 09/08/14 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inflict


	Seems like you are the one living under a rock. I guess you don't remember the community events or even bother to read any interviews. Go back to the EA forums with your other friends and continue to act like a super entitled 16 year old girl.

Dude do you work for EA??? Seriously. You just joined here and seem to have no clue what you're talking about. Your quoting other games with somewhat inaccurate information.

# 39 13whitebread @ 09/08/14 10:29 PM

It is almost crimminal what is going on here let's charge for a full game when it is an incomplete product. EA simply stunning. Bull-*#!#*!

# 40 joshtree14 @ 09/08/14 10:29 PM

I could deal with missing modes if the gameplay was revolutionary/ different. It plays like nhl 14. so where is this new base? Does this mean the game will play just like this in nhl18 with all modes back in?

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