In every NHL and sports game for that matter prior to "NHL 16," you could simulate the time your player isn't playing so you don't have to just sit there and watch computer players play out the game. Because I can't simulate these shifts, I end up watching my player sit on the bench more than actually playing with him. This is just a small taste of the missing features. A full list is available on the Operation Sports gaming forums. EA Canada is working to slowly re-introduce these forgotten features and has apologized profusely, giving interviews about just how hard it was to plug all those features in while also creating a truly next-gen visual experience. All of these moments felt natural and were executed beautifully. Regardless of the game's other shortcomings, it had a deep capacity to make me smile and marvel at how much it felt like real hockey.

 

Beyond the gameplay basics and my defense frustrations, NHL 16 allows for some really incredible moments. In my very first game as the Sharks, I shot the puck into Quick's net after a whistle, without really thinking about it, and immediately got into a fight with Dustin Brown, who took offense to what in a real NHL game would have been an incredibly provocative thing to do. In my second game, I had a goal reviewed because of a possible high-stick (it was good! Hooray!). In my third game, I lost out on a chance for a perfect one-timer goal because Tommy Wingels broke his stick on the shot.

 

I'm pretty sure every one of you with a PS4 or XBox One have read the long list of missing features. No GM Connected, no on-line team play on game launch, no EASHL, no Live the Life or ability to sim shifts during Be a Pro games, no season mode... the list is pretty damn long. It's a problem. EA has said that they will be patching in some aspects of gameplay will be patched in, such as online team play. GM Connected and EASHL, however, do not appear to be on the docket. Three stars will be coming back and so will coaching guidance.

 

After that, I tried out Be A Pro, which allows you to create your own player and take them through their career. This is usually one of my favorite modes, but just like Be A GM, it seems incredibly unfinished and basic as possible. There is almost zero customization outside of choosing the face of your player from 179 options as a male or two as a female, white or black. At this point, you are randomly drafted onto a team with no rhyme or reason, as there is no sort of tryout game to show your skills. This is something that should always be in this type of game mode as it allows the game to access your skills and place you on an appropriate team rather than be completely random.

 

Going back to the Season Mode, there is one, and to find it you’ll have to play the ‘Be a GM’ mode where the General Management and Season Modes have essentially been combine, only with less features than what you’d expect from both modes. Getting the trend here? NHL 16 certainly gets off on the right foot early on, with a brilliant visual presentation that has authentic arenas, outstanding character animations and plenty of pretty effects from reflections to ice spraying up from the blades of the player's skates. After years of the same basic commentary, a new commentary team also helps to breathe some new life into the proceedings. Unfortunately these bells and whistles fail to deliver once you start to dig a bit deeper into the game.

 

Regardless of what it lacks in extra gameplay modes, once on the ice, “NHL 16” is a damn good game of hockey. Its a graphical showcase, fueled by plenty of solid gameplay tweaks to an already amazing game and makes us wonder where the series can go once everything extra makes its way to the current generation via the announced updates. Even with that, it's still a bit of a letdown in terms of extra content, it’s far from a disappointment and is best judged by those who play for the love of the series and sport and not those obsessed with extra bells and whistles.