NHL 21 Reviews
There is no doubt that this is a good game.
Review in Greek | Read full review
NHL 21 is a big knife in the back for fans and players from EA. The full price and the vision of a new game is just a well-disguised fact more than a new year it can be considered more like a DLC. Yes, you can definitely kill a lot of time in a game, but for the owners of some last year's NHL games is NHL 21 completely useless game in the library.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Sadly, NHL 21 doesn't offer anything new. However, it remains the best ice hockey video game out there by default.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
The last game of the NHL series on the current generation of consoles is, from the point of view of a newcomer to the series, very high-quality entertainment
Review in Slovak | Read full review
There were some pretty bad frame rate drops at times when the camera pans from the crowd to the ice, and there’s definitely a sharp learning curve on doing some of the shots and a level of complexity in the way they’re controlled which will be frustrating at first, but NHL 21 is the best Ice Hockey game I’ve played to date and it’s one sports franchise I’ll certainly be dipping in and out of in the months ahead.
NHL 21 isn’t a Stanley Cup contender just yet, but it’s definitely a game that’s showing contendership potential
For many NHL franchise players, the career mode has never been the reason to pick up the game, so it's easy to live with this lackluster story. The other game modes in NHL 21 are as good as ever. You may not be a big hockey fan, but if you enjoy sports games, it's hard to do better than this.
NHL 21 is an exercise in consistency, providing the usual improvements to graphics, sound, gameplay, and features while having the usual hindrances. Be A Pro is the real All-Star of this game but like every pro on the ice, there was still room for improvement and falls short in some very easy to notice ways.
NHL 21 is the best hockey game around by default – but it seldom genuinely stands out from this generation's pack.
Whilst the gameplay changes and additions to the game modes are welcomed, NHL 21 feels more like an update than a brand new game.
If you’re heavily gameplay-driven, you’ll probably have a love/hate relationship with World of Chel and Hockey Ultimate Team that’ll leave you scratching your head. And with no next-gen version of the game coming later on like Madden 21 and FIFA 21, it might be a good time to take a year off from “Chel.”
As the final entry on the current console generation, NHL 21 underwhelms. It plays a decent game of hockey, but with very few changes on the ice, and the new Be a Pro leaving something to be desired, it doesn't offer much to be excited about for returning fans.
By the start of my second year, I was somehow named the New York Rangers' captain, a rare honor traditionally reserved for a respected veteran and locker-room leader. I had managed to reach a 76 overall rating - appropriate for a sophomore season, though by no means impressive - but apparently hadn't raised my profile enough with the fans to unlock worthwhile perks. (Some are gated only by funds, but others are gated by social media followers; maddeningly, the game doesn't say how many followers you need.) This disconnect makes these ostensible milestones feel arbitrary and meaningless - what's the point of the brand likability rating if these other obstacles exist? - and saps any desire I might've had to bother pursuing impactful perks or the salary necessary to afford them.
In a year that likely not see any more hockey at the NHL level, it's nice to see that NHL 21 is allowing us to indulge our inner superstar. There may not be a ton of other huge innovations, but the enhanced take on Be A Pro alone makes this installment worth investing in. If you're looking to only dive into the season mode, this may be more of an off-year, but for everybody else, it's high-time to return to the ice with vengeance!
NHL 21 is absolutely a step forward. We won't be able to see if this improvement is a one-time thing until next year, but as it stands, this final release of the generation is also its best in that span. With a long-overdue update to the Be a Pro mode, alongside the pretty fun HUT Rush and the changes to Franchise, the series took a bigger step forward than it normally does. Sure, there's a give and take quality to many of the alterations, but the overall product is a net positive. It won't be scooping up an endless stream of awards any time soon, but this series has been in far worse shape in the past.
I appreciate the shots that NHL 21 takes at improving the formula, but at the end of the day, most of those shots are too little too late, and end up making the overall experience just barely better than mediocre.
The choices that you make can have an effect on how you look to your teammates, upper management, and to your fans. Before long you will be drafted to the NHL where you start seeing the big bucks come your way. Money in NHL21 is used to buy temporary amenities for your character which boost your stats or give you ability points. Ability points are used to boost stats such as Top Speed and Endurance permanently.
NHL 21 tries to end the current generation on a high note, but legacy issues continue to hold it back. Its revamped Be a Pro mode is particularly disappointing, proving to be a disjointed, somewhat sloppy experience. It has its usual strengths, with online team play being a definite highlight, but longtime fans of the series will likely find this year's entry eminently skippable.
NHL 21 provides more of the same, and with the uncertainty of the real world season, even less of what few changes fans come to expect of yearly releases.
NHL 21 feels like an incremental step up from last year’s game. What I enjoyed is that even with my limited knowledge of the sport I could hop in and have a great time. I really will come back once the NHL 94 mode drops into the game. Those classic games were great even if I had no clue what icing was. For those looking to upgrade it might not be revolutionary, but this year’s game sure is a lot of fun once you get past its shortcomings.