NHL 15

It's unfair to call this game a beta, but with so many modes missing, even though some will be patched in, it doesn't feel like a completed product. The hardcore NHL fans will pick this up, but casual players may want to wait it out and see if EA can patch in some of the features that this game desperately needs.

The new physics system, presentation elements, and graphics are definitely a step forward for the franchise, but the wholesale removal or scaling back of so many modes leaves you wondering how such a great series could struggle so mightily with the console transition.

A backwards step. [Dec 2014, p.81]

Moment-to-moment gameplay is great, making it such a shame that the elements connecting matches is so underwhelming. [Issue#117, p.82]

A jarringly inconsistent first poke at next-gen hockey. Makes bold leaps forward in terms of game day presentation, physics and AI, but large swathes of it seem unfinished. [Dec 2014, p.82]

In the end, NHL 15 feels like the skeleton of a better hockey game.

It's all such a shame because at its heart NHL 15 is a very solid hockey game. It just doesn't do any of the non-hockey stuff right. Honestly, newcomers to the franchise might not even notice. But, series veterans would feel incredibly cheated.

As soon as you're on the ice, this is an entertaining enough Hockey game. But if you're looking for anything in the way of variety in terms of game modes, this is a difficult game to recommend. It plays well, but in this form it doesn't do enough to justify full-price.

From the execution of hockey matches point of view NHL 15 presents a solid ground for the years to come. However, the Ignite engine is not showing itself to the full, therefore NHL 15 looks like a half-baked release. A lack of game modes, lots of technical issues and trimmed gameplay possibilities are here to remind us how much we have been spoiled by the previous instalments, and how much we miss such care.

Compared to previous efforts, NHL 15 falls incredibly short on new-gen platforms.

Taken on its own merits, NHL 15 feels incomplete. In light of the NHL franchise's stellar history, NHL 15 is a colossal disappointment, and a major misstep for the series' first outing on a new generation of consoles.

Don't let the allure of authentic arenas and improved NBC-branded commentary fool you - NHL 15 is a colossal disappointment. Missing modes like the six-on-six EASHL, GM Connected, and Live the Life, NHL 15 starts the game down a man. When you add the fact that existing modes like Be a Pro and Be A GM have been fundamentally stripped of essential features, it's downright insulting to hockey fans everywhere.