NHL 22

 PlayStation 5
User Score
4.3

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 62 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 62
  3. Negative: 34 out of 62
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  1. donsiphono
    Jul 28, 2023
    4
    I'm a bit late, but I recently decided to play a bit of hockey on my PS5 and pop up NHL 22 (given by a friend) and damn are hockey games (and sports game in general) disappointing in general.

    The good (there's some): It is playable and by messing with the sliders you can literally transform the game into NHL Hitz and it's funny as hell. Graphically, it's good too. The bad: Huge lack    I'm a bit late, but I recently decided to play a bit of hockey on my PS5 and pop up NHL 22 (given by a friend) and damn are hockey games (and sports game in general) disappointing in general.

    The good (there's some): It is playable and by messing with the sliders you can literally transform the game into NHL Hitz and it's funny as hell. Graphically, it's good too.

    The bad: Huge lack of content and substance.
    TILTED ICE : when you're supposed to lose, you will lose be your 96 OVR goalie letting in 6 goals in 15 shots while their 74 OVR goalie stops 60 shots out of 64). Your player losing the puck at the slightest push by the opponent while every opposing players seems to play with a magnetic puck that sticks to them no matter the direction of the pokecheck.
    TONS OF BUGS: Fans of the opposite teams with your name on their sweater (and it's like that for EVERY single fan). Achieving a coach challenge and get a failure nonetheless in Be a Pro. Numerous bugs concerning overlay texts during games, here's some examples: when they show my pro stats and the opponent best scorer stats, the number of goals are identical for both players. Let's say I scored 30 goals, 20 assists and their best player had 14 goals 10 assists, the text will show 30 goals 10 assists for my opponent. Another bug after the period highlights, they show the score but, from time to time, it will show the period score NOT the game score. Like it's 2-1 after the 1st and then we score 4 goals in the second the end of period scoreboard will show 4-0 and not 6-1
    LACK OF SUBSTANCES: About 2-3 types of interactions with your coach during a game (they were WAY much interactions in previous games, like 4 years ago I think); not being able to see what's going on in the league in Be a Pro (like trades, signing or whatnot), the best innovation to have been created in the past still not back (Connected Franchise), lack of choices in dialogue (1 to 4 choices, all of them mostly boring... remembered being able to rip some teammates after a bad game (now, you seem to be the only player affected negatively of a game outcome... I got negative XP even though I scored 4 goals in a game but I was on the ice in OT when the opponent scored in a 7-6 loss).

    Anyway, that's what a monopoly does to a IP (look at what happened to Star Wars during the Dark Times of EA monopoly).    … Expand
  2. SgtSocks
    May 11, 2023
    6
    Lags, Clunky, And Some things are way to slow to get into, but It makes a good party game, and is really the only hockey game out there sooooooo
  3. timkore
    Aug 30, 2022
    5
    There's some fun to be had, but the my pro career is pretty lacking. Lots of glitches with the scoreboard where it won't show the right score. I'd love to see some of the features that were in NHL games 20 years ago be included.
  4. dunkarooz
    Aug 29, 2022
    0
    Another year another terrible NHL game. Like always, EA just copy and pastes the previous years game and updates the roster. I was really hoping this would be the year that theyd make some big improvements with the jump to PS5 but no, its still the exact same. Reading the critic reviews make me sick. It is not a step in the right direction. EA needs to be held accountable for charging $100Another year another terrible NHL game. Like always, EA just copy and pastes the previous years game and updates the roster. I was really hoping this would be the year that theyd make some big improvements with the jump to PS5 but no, its still the exact same. Reading the critic reviews make me sick. It is not a step in the right direction. EA needs to be held accountable for charging $100 for the same **** game every single year.… Expand
  5. hamiltonreview
    Aug 23, 2022
    9
    Love this game on PS5 (it was not good on PS4). Have really enjoyed HUT, the updates, and graphics. Still, some changes can be made to improve cut-scenes, animations, etc….
  6. nvcjr1
    Jul 1, 2022
    0
    I am not a fan of needlessly score-bombing, but a rating this low is more than justified for this game. It’s clear that EA puts minimal effort into this game and every new edition is a carbon copy of the previous years’ title, just like with every other EA series. Gameplay is atrocious and that’s the main reason for this 0 (putting every other small detail aside, which I could go on aboutI am not a fan of needlessly score-bombing, but a rating this low is more than justified for this game. It’s clear that EA puts minimal effort into this game and every new edition is a carbon copy of the previous years’ title, just like with every other EA series. Gameplay is atrocious and that’s the main reason for this 0 (putting every other small detail aside, which I could go on about endlessly). AI goalies, especially in online play, go from hopelessly clueless to Igor Shesterkin from shot to shot. AI skaters are also hopelessly clueless (such as not forechecking at all with an empty net while the other team has the puck, and failing to pass to wide open teammates while being pressured by an opponent) but occasionally make a dazzling play out of nowhere. “Puck luck” is not even a thing in this game; the most chaotic pile of bodies along the boards or a loose puck in open ice with 4 men collapsing on it can seamlessly turn into a breakaway in an instant, thanks to no one skater’s individual effort to secure the puck. I could keep going about other infuriating issues both in terms of gameplay and overall user experience, but MetaCritic doesn’t allow enough characters for that. Overall, this game is a mediocre arcade experience at best and should be marketed as exactly that, not some hyper-realistic sim game. I have hundreds of regrettable hours in NHL 22 and have been a devoted follower of the EA NHL franchise for years, but I am very close to being unable to justify spending another penny on NHL, or any other EA game for that matter, going forward.… Expand
  7. Vetroplach81
    Jun 17, 2022
    9
    In NHL 02 I spent hundreds hours, then I haven ´t play for 20 years (family reasons). And now I got this, NHL 2022. And I really like it, Im enjoiyng every match, it´s real hockey!
  8. jetgm
    Jun 9, 2022
    4
    Don't know where to start with this game and how to even deal with it. The game itself is relatively good, it's just a causal ice hockey experience like most sports games brought out to consoles. I love playing the game and think its got awesome graphics and the players look great. However lets get to the problems. First of all, the CPU players on your team, are garbage, and the CPUDon't know where to start with this game and how to even deal with it. The game itself is relatively good, it's just a causal ice hockey experience like most sports games brought out to consoles. I love playing the game and think its got awesome graphics and the players look great. However lets get to the problems. First of all, the CPU players on your team, are garbage, and the CPU players on the other team, are too good. They move to the right spots and work their way around the puck, and the CPU players on my team, always just seem to wonder off and not do anything even if I change the strategy. The goalies are just terrible. Unless you have a 99 rated goalie, they are going to have a save percentage of below .9. I got Fluery in franchise mode and he let abot 5 goals in a game, even on easier modes and when the defence is relatively strong. Absolutely impossible to win games on the harder modes if the goalies are just rubbish, but the goalies for them can stop anything you put on them unless you make a really good play. The umpiring is just so bad man. Pre much poke checking is just always a trip, and when my players get boarded or interfered with, even on the other end of the ice, its no penalty, but as soon as I try and poke check whilst the player has the puck out in front of them and we are facing, they fall over and its a trip. Makes no fricken sense. I avoid going into the settings of the game, simply because it takes about an hour just to get from the game to switch something like the camera view and to get back. Am I not mistaken that EA makes 2k and other games like fifa and all that? Why is NHL22 loading screens so long even when the 2k franchies are a bigger game? They put so much effort into career modes and in those games and NHL22 career mode is just useless. You could be terrible and still get drafted as Number 1 to Sabres, and when you play career mode, there is no fun involved like 2k with neighbourhood and all the cutscenes and decisions you have to make. NHL22 career mode has a couple of these conversations and decisions, and they are all just like the best player of the team your playing for coming over and talking, with no audio, asking if you want to go sightseeing or something, then it just cuts back to the main screen of career mode with nothing useful happening. Player's don't deke when they are supposed to, when I use the deke control and they decide to do something else, the game is full of glitches and its so slow. Whilst I still play because I love ice hockey, it never ends happy unless you play on semi-pro mode. Do not pay full price for this, if you can get it discounted then get it if you truly want it, but do not pay full price. It is not worth it. Fix it EA, make it as good as 2k, or give it someone else who will make it better… Expand
  9. Metacrot
    May 31, 2022
    0
    As consoles evolve NHL video games do the opposite. Yet another brutal unenjoyable EA Sports game on the market.
  10. Samheis
    May 24, 2022
    2
    It's baffling to me how a game that is quite literally copy/pasted year to year, somehow manages to get worse. More bugs, less capable AI, slower gameplay, less realism - even the graphics, while better overall thanks to the new engine, are subject to numerous issues, such as darkening screens while using HDR and random camera breaks.

    EA needs to lose the hockey license so badly. This    It's baffling to me how a game that is quite literally copy/pasted year to year, somehow manages to get worse. More bugs, less capable AI, slower gameplay, less realism - even the graphics, while better overall thanks to the new engine, are subject to numerous issues, such as darkening screens while using HDR and random camera breaks.

    EA needs to lose the hockey license so badly. This series is dead in the water. Don't buy this game. I swore off the NHL series in 17 and all of the same problems that made me quit buying them then still exist in this iteration. It's only because of EA Play that I've even touched the last couple generations, and I'm currently getting ready to delete this one from my hard drive.

    This is not a hockey game, it's a cash grab. As a hardcore hockey fan, NHL, please, I beg you, give this license to someone who wants to make a real hockey game.    … Expand
  11. BreakzJ
    May 18, 2022
    8
    4.4/10 user reviews is ridiculous. I’ve been playing NHL games since Wayne Gretzky on NES. NHL games have had a lot of issues over the years but ‘22 has been a radically different game from the past 5-10 years. The player systems, puck handling, AI are all improved. Anyone who has been playing hockey and the video games for as long as I have, knows that this game should be rated 7 at the4.4/10 user reviews is ridiculous. I’ve been playing NHL games since Wayne Gretzky on NES. NHL games have had a lot of issues over the years but ‘22 has been a radically different game from the past 5-10 years. The player systems, puck handling, AI are all improved. Anyone who has been playing hockey and the video games for as long as I have, knows that this game should be rated 7 at the lowest. From here on out this series will only improve. Especially thanks to next gen consoles.… Expand
  12. Khederk222
    May 1, 2022
    2
    As soon as I went to HUT and saw the game had been overhauled with the superstar traits from this year's madden, I knew this game would be a disaster. Im done with madden, and now you can add NHL to the list. madden and nhl 1993-2022 RIP. done w these 2 and leaving them in old gen where they belong
  13. TickleNuggets
    Apr 10, 2022
    0
    Just don't buy it unless you REEEEEEEAAALLLLY love hockey but even then don't buy it. EA holds a monopoly on NHL branded hockey video games.. they literally don't care about their games at all.. especially sports games
  14. Bergerking
    Mar 24, 2022
    0
    This game is so broken on both ps5 and PS4 this happens with any game EA sports makes. EA sports is for sure the most evil company in the industry. Boycott anything EA sports makes short there stock. Bancrupt them. They are the worst. They need to disappear. I'll do everything In my power for now on to make sure EA fails
  15. Serx79
    Mar 5, 2022
    0
    unplayable game on release from company that are super politically engaged.
  16. KalKenobi83
    Mar 3, 2022
    8
    The Transition to Frostbite has been fantastic also the Superstar X Factor has been an Improvement as well as well roster sharing as well helped make some of the rosters my only issues have been with limited selections of some things but overall a great improvement over the previous titles happy we got all 32 Teams with The Seattle Kraken Being The Last also should getter with theThe Transition to Frostbite has been fantastic also the Superstar X Factor has been an Improvement as well as well roster sharing as well helped make some of the rosters my only issues have been with limited selections of some things but overall a great improvement over the previous titles happy we got all 32 Teams with The Seattle Kraken Being The Last also should getter with the Frostbite Engine 8/10… Expand
  17. TatarN
    Jan 12, 2022
    3
    I was ready to give a good mark playing offline. This is something like real hockey. But online it looks more like an Arkanoid at maximum speed. Reduce the game speed, add inertia to the players and send all "xxx" to EA fightings with their super speddy button checks. At the moment this is not a hockey.
  18. lizardking420
    Nov 30, 2021
    5
    Another NHL game Another NHL game Another NHL game Another NHL game Another NHL game Another NHL game Another NHL game
  19. JRand
    Nov 27, 2021
    1
    This game requires you to sign into your EA account to play online and it made me sign into an account I made 10 years ago with an email I don’t have access to anymore. I chatted online with EA’s customer support and they were complete A holes and couldn’t help me sign in. EA is an absolute joke. I’ve been playing games for 29 years now and not one of them has required me to sign intoThis game requires you to sign into your EA account to play online and it made me sign into an account I made 10 years ago with an email I don’t have access to anymore. I chatted online with EA’s customer support and they were complete A holes and couldn’t help me sign in. EA is an absolute joke. I’ve been playing games for 29 years now and not one of them has required me to sign into their service to play online not even past EA games. I’ve never had this problem before and I will never buy another EA game ever again. “Let’s Go EA!”… Expand
  20. Eagle16
    Nov 25, 2021
    8
    Playing this game for over a month, it's the best NHL out there. World of Chel seems lacking. I couldn't get into it this year, I miss 6v6 only-option, with 3v3 options you can never find a match for Chel 6s when everyone is playing 3v3. I don't enjoy Chel where there are 10 penalty shots per game. Hitting is improved but still isn't what it could be. Sometimes you perform a hittingPlaying this game for over a month, it's the best NHL out there. World of Chel seems lacking. I couldn't get into it this year, I miss 6v6 only-option, with 3v3 options you can never find a match for Chel 6s when everyone is playing 3v3. I don't enjoy Chel where there are 10 penalty shots per game. Hitting is improved but still isn't what it could be. Sometimes you perform a hitting animation but the player doesn't react to the hit which is annoying but overall, game is fun, great gameplay, slightly improved presentation is a + too, game feels and plays totally different than NHL 21. It's much better feel than transition from NHL 20 to NHL 21. 9/10… Expand
  21. PMG-Writer
    Nov 21, 2021
    8
    So EA managed again this year with "NHL 22" to make another good spin-off of the series. The new presentation and the new graphics engine make this a title that is really worth seeing. The controls are once again excellent and the game modes are also good. A few innovations haven't really become great, but still round off the good impression of the improvements well. If you want to playSo EA managed again this year with "NHL 22" to make another good spin-off of the series. The new presentation and the new graphics engine make this a title that is really worth seeing. The controls are once again excellent and the game modes are also good. A few innovations haven't really become great, but still round off the good impression of the improvements well. If you want to play with your favorite team, you can't do without "NHL 22". Other players should also take a look.… Expand
  22. Gwimpon
    Nov 19, 2021
    5
    The game is a copy paste of NHL 21 which is a copy paste of NHL 20 and so on and so forth. You know exactly what you're buying with EA at this point. But if you're surprised that EA isn't innovating you probably get surprised when your alarm rings in the morning. There's no excuse for it and I still enjoy playing the game but if there was another NHL game and EA didnt hold a monopoly onThe game is a copy paste of NHL 21 which is a copy paste of NHL 20 and so on and so forth. You know exactly what you're buying with EA at this point. But if you're surprised that EA isn't innovating you probably get surprised when your alarm rings in the morning. There's no excuse for it and I still enjoy playing the game but if there was another NHL game and EA didnt hold a monopoly on sports games this game would not sell at all. I enjoy it because its hockey, I don't enjoy it because EA did anything right… Expand
  23. Radionov
    Nov 16, 2021
    0
    Покупал игру на старте продаж после бета теста, игра была супер. После патчей игра превратилась в NHL21. Брать не советую, от слова совсем.
  24. Mimi10
    Nov 10, 2021
    0
    Be a pro is not good the rosters change up way to much, franchise mode has been the same forever, the game only looks better in instant replay, The a.i. is horrible per usual, I think they need more customization for players, It’s the same game every year with 1 new feature still same garbage, but Seattle looks very good in game DO NOT BUY IF YOU HAVE 21 !!!
  25. givefomindireti
    Nov 10, 2021
    1
    It's just a terrible game from every angle. Apart from the graphics, there is nothing of hockey here. Always crooked passes, inadequate physics of the players, out of sync when playing online. HUT is just a wrestling with the coolest players, no intrigue and interest.
    The game is slow, the skating of the players is terrible, as is their maneuverability. Why 3on3 has been present for which    It's just a terrible game from every angle. Apart from the graphics, there is nothing of hockey here. Always crooked passes, inadequate physics of the players, out of sync when playing online. HUT is just a wrestling with the coolest players, no intrigue and interest.
    The game is slow, the skating of the players is terrible, as is their maneuverability. Why 3on3 has been present for which year is a mystery to me.
    To summarize, in this game there is only a beautiful picture on PS5, in all other respects the game does not stand up to criticism. What has this hockey inherited from the present? NOTHING! A piece of cow cake in a beautiful candy wrapper.    … Expand
  26. PattyIce2927
    Nov 4, 2021
    10
    Even if they did very little to improve some things with franchise. The nhl series is in a better state than madden. Great gameplay improvements. Great career mode. Great visual. What more can you ask for?
  27. TCTC222
    Oct 25, 2021
    3
    I’m so disappointed. As a 56 year old, I’m not the target audience…but have still played for years and have enjoyed it. This year, it is almost unplayable. Poke checks from 5-feet away are common and it plays like the computer has decided the outcome before the puck has dropped. Even graphics suffer..no more facial bruises after fights etc. The flow of the game is ruined by the FrostbiteI’m so disappointed. As a 56 year old, I’m not the target audience…but have still played for years and have enjoyed it. This year, it is almost unplayable. Poke checks from 5-feet away are common and it plays like the computer has decided the outcome before the puck has dropped. Even graphics suffer..no more facial bruises after fights etc. The flow of the game is ruined by the Frostbite engine. Really sad to see it go in this direction.… Expand
  28. OnlyOneHere
    Oct 24, 2021
    0
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the NHL was a professional hockey league. The gameplay in this game is too slow. It feels like I am playing like an amateur, not a professional. The developers made the player movement so sluggish, to give players the illusion that the game is realistic. None of that is realistic for me. The menus are also slow and unresponsive. The physics areCorrect me if I'm wrong, but I thought the NHL was a professional hockey league. The gameplay in this game is too slow. It feels like I am playing like an amateur, not a professional. The developers made the player movement so sluggish, to give players the illusion that the game is realistic. None of that is realistic for me. The menus are also slow and unresponsive. The physics are garbage.

    The multiplayer is trash with so many server issues. The pass assist is terrible, making the gameplay tedious. I buy sports games, because I can't play like a pro in real life. If I can't play like a pro in a fake videogame, then what is the point paying $70 for this sluggish garbage? I don't recommend this game at all.    … Expand
  29. zachmamba
    Oct 22, 2021
    0
    Fix passing. Please, for the love of god fix passing. It never goes where you want it to. Not to mention picking up the puck still doesn’t work half the time. You can completely outplay the other team and lose 3-0. Not worth getting, they’ve improved literally nothing.
  30. Hockeydef
    Oct 22, 2021
    0
    This has been the worst hockey game I have ever played. It's amazing how sluggish it is an on top of that you lose the puck super easy. Players don't even want to accept a pass. Say your money, I don't know how they did it but they made a copy past game 10 times worse.
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Awards & Rankings

86
#86 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2021
45
#45 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. Games.cz
    Jan 13, 2022
    70
    A solid ice hockey simulator with very few true innovations. The new Frostbite engine is probably the most important one - not that it will blow you away, mind you. If you want your miracle on ice, look elsewhere.
    Read full review
  2. The Games Machine
    Nov 2, 2021
    79
    NHL 22’s gameplay is substantially unchanged from its predecessors. The Frostbite engine brings a breath of fresh air to the graphics, but the gaming experience does not differ dramatically from what has been seen in the past. The result is a fun and full of game modes title, which however would need an update in the game mechanics to be able to take it one step further.
    Read full review
  3. Softpedia
    Nov 1, 2021
    75
    At the end of the day, NHL 22 just feels like a transition to a kind of gameplay that would eventually feel even more real, probably not this year but in the upcoming releases. It’s still fun to play, and the graphics are clearly the best improvement on new-gen consoles, but otherwise, those who want to get the game on old-gen wouldn’t necessarily notice a massive refresh.
    Read full review
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