NHL 16

 PlayStation 4
User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 175 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 175
  2. Mixed: 43 out of 175
  3. Negative: 64 out of 175
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. LandenWolf
    Nov 9, 2015
    5
    Another down-step installment for the NHL series. Don't get me wrong, the game is beautiful, the crowd is still fantastically detailed, the ice, skaters, particles, are all still eye candy, but the game-play is still god-awful.... Something bad happened with the physics. Tiny players can check like semi trucks, and big players check like 4 year old children. the puck - floppy and feelsAnother down-step installment for the NHL series. Don't get me wrong, the game is beautiful, the crowd is still fantastically detailed, the ice, skaters, particles, are all still eye candy, but the game-play is still god-awful.... Something bad happened with the physics. Tiny players can check like semi trucks, and big players check like 4 year old children. the puck - floppy and feels like a pancake. and the collision.... its awful. EA still effs up player balancing, turning great goalies (Semyon Varlamov) into pee-wee level players. And holy crap. The M*****F*****G poke check is sooooo overused and exploited, it makes the game unfair in online modes, And I cant stand how much people use it. All is terrible.... excuse me, "well"
    now that a FEW of the old game-modes are back, but its not enough to make me fell better. The only reason i give NHL 16 a 5/10 is because it still looks great. everything else is horrible.    … Expand
  2. Ollep7
    Sep 21, 2015
    7
    NHL 16

    This game should it be called NHL 15.2. It brings modes cruelly lacking to NHL 15, and a bit more. This is really the gist of it: modes are back, some minor improvements to menus and gameplay. Is it worth $79.99? That all depends on how long ago you played this series and how much you want to play a hockey game. Personally, I feel like the steep price is counter-intuitive if you    NHL 16

    This game should it be called NHL 15.2. It brings modes cruelly lacking to NHL 15, and a bit more. This is really the gist of it: modes are back, some minor improvements to menus and gameplay. Is it worth $79.99? That all depends on how long ago you played this series and how much you want to play a hockey game. Personally, I feel like the steep price is counter-intuitive if you felt robbed by last year's edition due to the lack of changes. This is also why this game in no way deserves neither a 10 or a 5.

    The gameplay is fun, the most realistic yet, but it still feels like a copy-paste from last year, with a couple of tweaks.

    Online, lag is often present. However, expect a hot fix soon. Matches are competitive and goalies are as hard to beat as ever.

    This EA game is lagging behind its colleagues, FIFA and Madden, notably visually. We can feel that EA is diversting this game. I felt compelled to review this as other websites seem to be biased.    … Expand
  3. brandoncargill1
    Sep 22, 2015
    7
    NHL 16 is a good game. The gameplay is smooth, and I really enjoy the myplayer mode. The myplayer mode features a EXP system based on your play style, and really challenges the player to develop overall skill, instead of just buying attribute points and scoring on terrible shots. The down part of myplayer is that the defense is still not fixed. The RD and LD cannot stop plays in theNHL 16 is a good game. The gameplay is smooth, and I really enjoy the myplayer mode. The myplayer mode features a EXP system based on your play style, and really challenges the player to develop overall skill, instead of just buying attribute points and scoring on terrible shots. The down part of myplayer is that the defense is still not fixed. The RD and LD cannot stop plays in the slot, and make it difficult to forecheck. Also, the LD and RD turn the puck over quite a bit, which makes offense quite frustrating.

    The game is quite pretty, and your actions are fairly crisp as a individual skater. It focuses on your skill, making you be a overall hockey player instead of just a generic gamer. Playing goalie is quite a bit of fun too, but the mechanics still need a little work.

    Online play is still as fun as ever. Team play is the best thing in EA Sports right now, and this is the best game for it. You will need a good player goalie to compete however, otherwise you will be subjected to the glitch goals that are in every game.

    Playing goalie online requires a good connection. Lagging controls and visuals can be a huge detriment to your team. I know that it seems as though it takes almost a whole second to move one direction or the other after you press the button online.

    All in all, negatives are easier to write, but the game is very very fun. I fell in love with the game all over again, and if you enjoy hockey, you will love this years game! The Myplayer alone was worth the buy. Out of any EA Sports game, NHL is the one you want.    … Expand
  4. Zegu
    Sep 29, 2015
    5
    Better than last years game, but still a poor overall showing. This franchise is in desperate need of some quality competition to get it back into it's A game.
    Be a pro mode has been improved slightly. A huge piss off for me was that even with the "Simulation Penalty" setting un selected and after a year where my pro lead the league in scoring and won almost all possible trophies, he    Better than last years game, but still a poor overall showing. This franchise is in desperate need of some quality competition to get it back into it's A game.
    Be a pro mode has been improved slightly. A huge piss off for me was that even with the "Simulation Penalty" setting un selected and after a year where my pro lead the league in scoring and won almost all possible trophies, he didn't get drafted. Line demotions / promotions seem random, there is no interaction with your GM / Coach / Agent, I wish they had something like what 2K did with their career mode.
    GM Mode is ok. I don't know why you can't sign players to extensions during the season, it would make the trade deadline a lot more interesting. There seems to be an emphasis against making trades because it ruins your player morale. Draft picks are utterly useless as you can't get any good prospects, they should at least make the first few picks in the 80s overall with decent potential scaling so that in 2 or 3 years they could compete for a first line slot.

    Pro: The game is better than last years fumble
    Con: If I hear Ray Ferarro say "Team X has been doing a great job blocking shots in the last few games..." I am going to snap. The on ice coaching seems to give you a task and not move from it even if that task seems difficult to do, for example I was stuck with "Pin opponent to the board" for a few months in game. No re-signing during the season in GM. Poor player - everyone else interaction in BaP.

    Final thoughts: I didn't play online modes, so I will not comment on them.
    Overall the game is better than last years, but that is setting the bar very low. I believe there should be a certain standard for quality for a yearly release $80 game, and they have not hit it for the last few years.    … Expand
  5. TatsMcGee
    Sep 8, 2018
    5
    What sport is it?

    Its a hockey game. Was it fun? I am a huge hockey fan so I enjoy hockey video games but this game was a bit of a disappointment. I bought the PS4 so I could specifically play this game but then I slowly started to realize that its not a great game. Are there any similar games? Eventually I am going to talk about all the hockey games that I owned over the    What sport is it?

    Its a hockey game.

    Was it fun?

    I am a huge hockey fan so I enjoy hockey video games but this game was a bit of a disappointment. I bought the PS4 so I could specifically play this game but then I slowly started to realize that its not a great game.

    Are there any similar games?

    Eventually I am going to talk about all the hockey games that I owned over the years. Sadly this game was the first game that I owned on PS4 and its a huge let down.

    Would you play it again?

    Offline maybe but my friends have no interest in hockey so probably not.

    Any complaints?

    I hate the momentum in this game. The momentum is too strong, there are times where you are unbeatable, you can fight off hits and the puck can not be taken from you. Other times, every pass you make misses, every shot you take misses and your players will not go and retrieve the puck. Oh and all of this is in the span of 5 minutes, its a game that punishes you or rewards you for doing the same thing.    … Expand
  6. robinzvak
    Jun 13, 2016
    6
    I want play with my friend online-coo op season vs COM., But theres no option for this, why? World Cup with national team? NO. AI still do one type of faul( tripping) .
  7. Iggyshow4351
    Nov 24, 2017
    5
    Thumbs down. The game was much better on theThumbs down. The game was much better on the ps3.555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555… Expand
  8. bdu754
    Aug 10, 2018
    6
    This game did improve a lot upon NHL 15, but it had many problems.

    1: Continues to have terrible AI 2: Icetilt is a thing. For those who don't know, Icetilt is where the game is balanced favorably upon one team. Icetilt gives that team better calls, more powerplay opportunities, and less penalties. 3: Referees are abysmal. Too many penalties 4: The new goalie controls they introduced    This game did improve a lot upon NHL 15, but it had many problems.

    1: Continues to have terrible AI
    2: Icetilt is a thing. For those who don't know, Icetilt is where the game is balanced favorably upon one team. Icetilt gives that team better calls, more powerplay opportunities, and less penalties.
    3: Referees are abysmal. Too many penalties
    4: The new goalie controls they introduced are highly overrated. Terrible controlling of the goalie's skating, completely wild and insane, and it's impossible to make a safe. Plus, the AI teammates suck at defence.
    5: Be a Pro's new leveling system felt too annoying. It does give you the opportunity to improve your player beyond playing in games, but it does make leveling up your player more difficult and slower.

    But the game did add back some more features, and then some.
    1: Online Shootout Mode
    2: Sim to Next Shift in Be a Pro, plus the CHL and the NHL entry draft
    3: A more complete feeling GM Mode
    4: On Ice Trainer

    The game improved upon the features in NHL 15, but it still didn't fix the most critical issues.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

71
#71 Best PS4 Game of 2015
58
#58 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2015
42
#42 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. CD-Action
    Dec 16, 2015
    80
    A very enjoyable game rich with well-designed modes, none of which feels forced or redundant. [12/2015, p.55]
  2. PlaySense
    Nov 23, 2015
    80
    A fun and elaborate hockey game that manages to be both accessible to newcomers and challenging to veterans. Online you'll definitely encounter a couple of hick-ups, but none of them are bad enough to ruin the experience.
    Read full review
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Oct 22, 2015
    60
    New and better attempt – NHL 16 is NHL 15 how it should have been. Is this praise or a curse? That's for you to decide - depends what NHL game you purchased last time. [Issue#257]
See all critic reviews »