At the 2015 NHL Awards in Las Vegas last week we saw the announcement to have two NHL stars displayed on the latest NHL game coming out this September. With the dominance that the Chicago Blackhawks have had over the last six years it was only fitting to put their Captain Jonathan Toews and elite star Patrick Kane on the cover holding the Stanley Cup. NHL 16 will only be released this time around on Xbox One and PS4 with the older generation consoles still getting an NHL game, it just won’t be as beefed up as the cheap nhl 16 coins for Xbox One and PS4 versions.

Hockey has come a very long way, I mean if you were to take a video of the game from twenty years ago and compare it to a game played last season you can easily see a huge difference in the way the game is played and was played. I mean it’s fantastic how competitive the sport has become and almost amazing to watch the rivalries between teams and fans grow larger every year. On the other hand, this isn’t a review about the actual NHL that we all love. We’re talking about the NHL that EA sports is watching. Which I’m slowly starting to believe is in some other country or maybe even on a different planet.

Once we start an actual game we notice a few things before the puck drops, the true arenas that are showed before the game and the new play-by-play announcers. I was personally very excited for the new voices after years of the same 2 announcers with what sounded like the same 5 phrases. This change was to me going to be one of the small improvements that makes this game more tolerable than the previous ones became, however, before even completing my first game, I was already hearing the same phrases coming from the mouths of the new announcers. To top it off, some of the thing they say make no sense, don’t fit the situation and aren’t even funny. If you got annoyed with previous games announcers you will probably be in the same boat with this game after only a few games.

While making NHL 16 a new-gen exclusive will certainly help it make better use of the consoles’ power, it’s hard not to compare this decision to last year’s Assassin’s Creed fiasco, where Ubisoft released two underwhelming games following 2013’s stellar Black Flag. Of course, only time will tell if the split development hurts or helps the series, and with only four months to go until the two games launch, we won’t have to wait too long to find out. Better yet, the release will include the features missing from NHL 16 when it hit current-gen consoles for the first time last year. Our review of NHL 16 said the game had “half a heart and zero soul” due to “too many cut-down or missing modes.”

Re-added to the mix is the EA Sports Hockey League (EASHL), a competitive online 6v6, team vs team mode. Moreover, modes like Online Team Play (OTP), added to NHL as a post-launch patch, will be included in NHL 16 coins online at launch. Being a GM is about more than just getting the best players, it’s about getting the right players to play well together. Each player on your NHL and AHL team has a different personality that you will have to manage. Deal with trade demands, teammate relationships, and much more by calling team meetings or adjusting your roster to directly affect your team’s on-ice performance.

“In NHL 16 there is a brand new way to control goalies. We have added all new motion capture which allows for much more realistic motion when moving in the crease. You can now decide between controlled strides and longer t-pushes. If you want to track a single skater with the puck or push over quickly to track a cross ice pass, you now have the tools to do so.

The mode organization is largely the same as last generation. As teams perform well, they will rise up to more competitive divisions. Teams can still select their team name and one of the many jerseys in the game. NHL 16 does not support customizable jerseys. EA is working long-time team names into the audio to recognize their important role in making the EASHL a destination mode.

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NHL 16 will see the return of EA Sports Hockey League when it releases on PS4 and Xbox One this September, EA has confirmed. The popular online team mode was absent from last year’s NHL 15, but will return in a “reimagined” form in NHL 16, letting players choose a specialised player class “to deliver a balanced competitive experience on the ice”. EA goes in on all of its sports games each year. From Madden to FIFA and NBA Live, the video game developer looks to improve on the gaming experience of virtual sports fans. And when it comes to NHL 16 coins, EA Sports is really emphasizing teamwork especially during E3 2015.

With the announcement that NHL 16 is coming this September, fans of the long-running series have already started asking whether or not this year’s game is going to be a step up from NHL 16. It seems as though Electronic Arts better be answering those questions with a resounding “yes” if they want to keep those fans coming back. While the first iteration of the long running hockey series offered on the Xbox One and PS4 brought features such as better graphics and fun gameplay, it also apparently left quite a few features on the cutting room floor.

Lace up your virtual skates, grab your equipment, and this year – find some friends, as NHL 16 is on the way, and this time it is bringing back the much-loved EASHL. The inclusion of EA Sports Hockey League, better known as EASHL, is big news for many fans of the EA Sports NHL series. The mode allows up to 6 online players to form a team, competing together to rise through the leagues and achieve glory. It was left out of last years game, as EA cited development issues in the transition to the next generation of consoles, prompting fans to convey their displeasure through various social media outlets.

Be a Pro Mode brings us a new progression system that influences your attributes earned with the actions you make on the ice. As you work your way through the CHL as a rookie your actions on the ice will determine your legacy and the path you take to make your way to being an NHL Superstar. Arena authenticity improves a lot with the inclusion of arena effects, props, team celebrations, mascots, chants and even signature props we see from around the league at NHL games.

NHL 16 hits store shelves on September 15, 2015 in North America and September 17, 2015 in Europe for Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and PlayStation 4. EA SPORTS? NHL? Legacy Edition brings together the most popular modes and award-winning gameplay features from nine years of NHL hockey and will be available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, and the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. Become a fan of EA SPORTS NHL on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. NHL 16 is an Officially Licensed Product of the cheap NHL coins online for sale.

Unfortunately this was not the case. I don’t even give blame to the announcers because I’ve heard them do commentary before (I believe for the buffalo sabres) and thought they had great characteristics of their own. On the other hand, hearing them on NHL 16 makes me want to lower the commentary volume. It’s so bland and frustrating to listen to. Think about having someone you know with a very monotone voice, repeating to you everything that’s happening with not a single dime of excitement. EVEN DURING GOALS!

In the end, this game is mediocre. With only one game mode to play with your friends (online versus), the removal of EASH and other game modes, the lack of many detailed features, the sense of confusion when navigating most game modes, the repetitive annoying announcers and the fact that when you break it down, aside from visual improvements and new voices, it’s basically NHL 16 with a roster update on next gen, except with actually fewer things gives it very little play value. So before you go out ad buy it ask yourself, do you want to pay this price to play Hockey Ultimate Team? Because that basically all it has.

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Releasing in September 2015, EA Sports announced today that NHL 16 coins is only going to be available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This doesn’t mean PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 gamers will be left out of NHL this year though, as an NHL Legacy Edition is also coming to those consoles in September 2015. In lieu of a proper NHL 16 release on Xbox 360 and PS3, EA will offer something called NHL: Legacy Edition that sounds as if it will primarily serve as a way to play with updated rosters and schedules. “Legacy Edition brings together the most popular modes and award-winning gameplay features from nine years of NHL hockey,” explains EA’s website. “Featuring updated rosters and authentic schedules, it’s the perfect experience for fans looking to get that complete hockey fix on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.”

EA Sports GM Dean Richards gave out more info on a blog post in which he said the company turned to its fans and asked them what they wanted in the next edition of the current gen only game. “We spent more time listening and working with them this year than ever before,” he said. “Their most requested features and modes are in NHL 16 and include new experiences that make NHL bigger and better.” Included with the new EASHL comes a slew of new options for player customization. New face templates, stick tape designs and custom skate laces are all new for NHL 16. In addition there is the ability to grow actual playoff beards that start off as a 5 o’clock shadow and blossom into full, glorious beards as you and your team battle it out in the EASHL playoffs, a ritual that is known and loved by hockey fans around the world. Thankfully these customization options are present in every other game mode, online and off.

Also back for NHL 16 online store is online couch co-op, meaning you and a friend can have a few beers and team up online against others, this is a great way to get your practice in for Online Team Play and EASHL, and a feature that many fans have wanted back. Now that the E3 dust has settled, we’ve had a chance to reflect on what we did and didn’t like about NHL 16. To give our readers a clearer idea of what we think of the game at this juncture, I sat down with fellow GI editors Matthew Kato and Kimberly Wallace to share their hands-on impressions.

For Xbox 360 and PS3 players, EA is going to be bringing NHL Legacy Edition. This game is apparently a scaled down version of the game that also offers updated rosters and “brings together the most popular modes and award-winning gameplay features from nine years of NHL hockey.” We don’t have a trailer for NHL 16 yet but you can see a video below that gives at least a glimpse of what the game offers. Hockey Ultimate Team is possibly the biggest part of the NHL series (and nearly all of EA’s sports titles), and EA are keeping quiet on that front for now. The only news for HUT is the inclusion of single player seasons, which is likely to accompany the normal online seasons options.

Goals scored on you are intended to make you say “oh wow i’m an idiot for allowing that much space” not “how the heck does my goalie keep falling for that exact same deke?”. You’ll also notice that your goalie will have a terribly difficult time trying to find the puck and as always the refs never blow the play down because they can obviously see between the goalies legs. And the list of features missing literally drags on. Sure some of you may just buy NHL specifically for HUT or Be A Pro, so you’re satisfied. But this isn’t all about you, or me for that instance. It’s the idea that EA may have removed a bunch of features that someone else liked.

Along with the many more upgrades to graphics, precession skating, puck control and stick handling we also see playoff beards making it’s debut to NHL 16. As your team progresses through the playoffs you will notice your beards growing as they would in a real Stanley Cup Playoff tournament. NHL 16 will deliver accurate styles, length, growth and thickness on the NHL stars with the beards. The road to the NHL Stanley Cup just got a little hairier. NHL 16 comes to Xbox One and PS4 on September 15, 2015.

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Play online with up to twelve skaters including user controlled goalies. Using real-world NHL rosters you can compete in ranked drop-in games against players from around the world or invite your friends to a private OTP session before you step into EA SPORTS Hockey League. Whether you’re an armchair GM, want to live out your NHL pro fantasy, or build your ultimate dream team, NHL 16 will deliver a single-player game mode for every type of hockey fan – each with new features that you’ve never seen in EA SPORTS NHL.

Play Couch Co-op Online: It is the best platform NHL 16 providing for some practice action session before a real battle in OTP or EA Sport Hockey league. Play with your friend, stick together with some forces and play some cool hockey online. NHL 16 is among the first EA Sports titles to complete the transition to current-generation consoles. Gamers won’t have the option to buy NHL 16 for anything besides Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PS4. It’s only those versions that video game retailer GameStop is talking pre-orders for already.

We also learned that there is an early NHL 16 release date on Xbox One with EA Access. The EA Access program offers new EA games up to play five days early, with six hours of gameplay. These are the full games and progress carries over to the official release. EA Access is $5 a month or $30 a year. The service also offers access to a range of older EA games. Gamers can pre-order NHL 16 on Amazon, at GameStop and Best Buy. The game is $59.99 for the base version and $69.99 for a deluxe version with Hockey Ultimate Team bonus content. Expect to see NHL 16 deals closer to the release. Take a player that you could quick-sell for 306 NHL 16 pucks and put the starting price at 350 pucks.

EA says it has tweaked player awareness so they are better at using a skate to stay onside during a rush. Player ratings are still sky high, which gives the game very little in terms of player differentiation. The NHL series is notorious for a serious lack of roster updates during the season. EA says this is because of the large number of players on its various rosters and that it’s “currently assessing the feasibility of more frequent roster updates.” In terms of changes to this year’s game-play, the new class system is easily the biggest change.

Gamers who crave team experiences should know that 6 v. 6 Online Team Play, Online Couch Co-op, or the fan favorite, EA SPORTS Hockey League have all been rebuilt with this new class system that EA Sports is touting as “a more competitive and balanced experience.” While we don’t have all the details, the basic idea behind the class system is that you now select what types of players will be on your team. Will you pack your team full of big bruisers and try to smash your opponents into submission? Will you choose mostly fast skaters with strong puck handling skills? How you outfit your team will determine the strengths and weaknesses of your team.

Players can also create themselves inside the game, with an expanded personalization tool for the Be A Pro career mode. During careers, coaches are more likely to offer advice and direction, and new visualizations are in place to help new players through training. In the Be A GM management mode, there are new concerns as player morale is being added as a factor. Players who wish to be traded play less effectively, while those who are teamed up with old friends are likely to excel.

The Stanley Cup playoffs are well under way, and hockey fans have only just recently been treated to news that many of the axed game modes from NHL 15 will be returning in this year’s NHL 16. With an official unveiling of the game now imminent, we can’t help but wonder which professional, puck paddling athlete will be gracing the cover of the new title. EA Sports released an official gameplay trailer for its “NHL 16″ video game at E3 on Monday and it showcases a quick 1:40 snapshot of the forthcoming game.

A few things that stand out include arena atmosphere, smoother passing, the addition of mascots and better celebrations. All 30 arenas were upgraded last year in regard to presentation, look and authenticity. They will be even more life-like this season with chants – including the “YES! YES! YES!” chant from New York Islanders fans – and goal songs, including the Chicago Blackhawks’ “Chelsea Dagger.” Player faces also look much more real. Even facial hair, such as San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns’ epic beard, look amazing in HD. “NHL 16″ will be released Sept. 15 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The cover athlete has yet to be announced.

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NHL 16 featured with HUT single player mode that will allow every player to practice before challenging any friend or player online with play a friend feature. This feature is incorporated with more improvement and fun. On screen signs of Ice Training: This feature is really useful when one wants to hone his playing skills. This feature will certainly sharp the skills of offense and defense in the game. When one practice in this mode signs appear on screens that helps the player to learn more and fast about passing lanes, shooting targets and many more.

 

Best in class arena authenticity gets even better with the inclusion of authentic arena effects and props including team specific celebrations, mascots, chants, and even signature props like the Lighthouse at the Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota. Doc Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, and Ray Ferraro are back and now call the game with even more emotion. Hear Doc’s voice rise and fall with the action on the ice and get analysis from Eddie & Ray on the peaks and valleys of a NHL season. An expanded NBC SPORTS broadcast package and new pre-game intros brings the drama to life in more ways than ever before.

 

When users are playing online they’re able to team up with five other players and play against a rival team of up to six players. Electronic Arts calls this Online Team Play. Online Couch Co-Op is another coming feature. In this mode, EA Sports is trying to remove all the unnecessary obstacles and menus that keep gamers from playing online with their friends. Players can drop in and out of Online Couch-Cop sessions, making it the perfect mode for users with tons of friends or just looking to wind down after a long day.

 

EA Sports confirmed the NHL 16 release date for September 15th. This places the game ahead of FIFA 16 and leaves room for a NHL 16 demo release date in early September. At the EA E3 2015 press conference EA Sports revealed a new NHL 16 gameplay trailer. This is not completely gameplay, as much of the trailer is cinematic, but you get an idea of what the game engine is capable of. To help newcomers who don’t know a slapshot from a wrist shot, EA has developed a new in-game tutorial system. As you play, an overhead marker will give you tips about when is the right time to pass, shoot, check, etc.

 

Since videogames are still a business. EA Sports wanted us to pass along that fans who pre-order the game will receive up to $15 worth of Hockey Ultimate Team? content. Gamers can also start their hockey experience with the NHL 16 Deluxe Edition that comes with up to $50 added value of Hockey Ultimate Team content. As for NHL? 15 owners, they will receive 10 HUT packs if they pre-order or purchase NHL16 through direct digital download on the Xbox Marketplace or PlayStation Store when the offers are available.

 

That kind of playmaking creativity has been limited in hockey video games because of the way they’ve fudged the act of pass reception. NHL 16 developer EA Canada is seeking to eliminate that problem this year with a subtle gameplay tweak that could pay major dividends on the virtual ice. Until this point, EA’s NHL games have forced skaters into a glide as they receive a pass. Players will now be able to receive a pass while accelerating or turning. New puck pickups are designed to lead to smoother transitions to the player’s next move.

 

Our most memorable game in NHL 16 went to a shootout, which we won. The game had been pretty even prior to that, but I’d had a lot more hits and quite a few more shots/scoring chances. The pressure fluctuated, and things got pretty crazy at times, like a playoff game between two teams who hate each other. As I sit here in my hotel room, typing away on my laptop, all I can think about is how much I’d like to be playing NHL 16 right now. Not only is that a great indicator of the game’s lasting impression on me, and its fun factor in general, but also how much of a Canadian I really am.

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