NHL 22 Reviews
It probably won’t surprise you to read that NHL 22 has failed to rekindle my love for this series. To put it bluntly, I didn’t have much fun playing NHL 22. And when all is said and done, how much more do you really need to know than that?
While consoles made a generational leap, NHL 22 is still very much stuck in the past. Some of the gameplay tweaks improve the experience, but the game has largely remained the same. The graphical improvements are minor, and the overhyped X Factor abilities are underwhelming. Aside from minor changes, everything else is pretty much in the same state that it was last year, except you can now pay the next-gen premium price for it. NHL 22 is still the best hockey game you can buy (mostly due to the lack of other options), but I'd strongly advise against it if you have played any other NHL title in the past few years. The series has been stagnating, and NHL 22 doesn't indicate any will to make meaningful changes, which is a shame because this would've been the perfect cut-off point to do something new and interesting.
NHL 22 delivers some good moment-to-moment hockey along with a needed visual upgrade, but the franchise feels tired and worn out.
Making a debut on new hardware has its pros and cons, but for NHL 22, the overt emphasis on Superstar X-Factors was a huge gamble to take that did not pay off. If this is your first NHL game in a while, then there is a solid foundation in NHL 22 with various game modes that can appeal. For fans who are hoping for more, however, it is disappointing to find little to no improvements despite all the hype, just like a draft pick that turned out to be a lemon.
This should have been NHL 22's coming-out party. Everything was in place for this to be a transformative season on a fresh new platform. Unfortunately, the next-generation jump feels more like a stop-gap solution than a proper evolution. If you already have last year's installment, I would be hard-pressed to find a legitimate reason to make the jump. Hopefully, the next outing will focus on bringing a more innovative offering to the rink, because lord knows this time around isn't going to set the stadium on fire.
With NHL 22, EA's long-running team finally gets a brand new game engine, providing better physics, graphics, and animations. As usual, we also get a variety of game modes that make most people happy, whether it's realism or party games that attract. What we do not get, however, is a sufficiently refreshed sense of play. The improved physics helps, but does not shake off all the old flaws. That said, NHL 22 is an excellent hockey game, although several long-standing problems still exist.
Review in Swedish | Read full review
NHL 22 surprises by making its debut on a new console without removing any of its modes, but those who played NHL 21 may find this version a little too familiar. X-Factors on paper should be a game-changer but are mostly underwhelming. The switch to Frostbite does massively improve the fidelity of the rink – even if character models still look downright demonic – but should that really be the biggest change to the game? The ultimate question is: can the price increase be justified on the PS5? And given how little really has changed from last year to this year, the answer has to be a “no”.
NHL 22 is enjoyable, but feels very similar to last year despite using a new game engine. Too much focus has been put on implementing Superstar X-Factor abilities and little else.
NHL 22 doesn’t feel like the next leap forward for video game hockey. It barely feels like meaningful DLC.
NHL 22's various arcade modes have their charms, but it's an uneven installment that puts the focus in the wrong places.
In the grand scheme of things, I’d say that NHL 22 is a skip overall, though long-time hockey fans will certainly find enjoyment. And hey — just like NHL 15 before it, this is one of those years that means double Achievements/Trophies because of its cross-generation release. Quite honestly, though, I’d prefer cross-gen play and one Achievement set instead, and that’s a lot coming from Mr 600,000 Gamescore over here. It’s very likely that the matchmaking problems I’ve encountered have been exacerbated by the lack of current-gen console availability; while the Xbox One version is near identical to Xbox Series X in terms of gameplay, I’ll stick to playing the prettier-looking one.
I can’t see the NHL franchise reaching the heights of its mid-2000s glory years anytime soon, but at least we have the Frostbite engine in there to start building upon. It took far too long to arrive, though; it’s here now. And while I can see the potential for it to one day have this series feeling exciting again, I don’t see that happening for a long time. But, hey, it’s the only hockey game in town, so I guess I’ll see you on the ice.
The richness of the game modes, the depth of the Franchise mode and the introduction of the X-Factor system are the indisputable strengths of NHL 22, but graphical uncertainties, an often de-structured commentary and the intrusiveness of microtransactions inevitably affect the final evaluation.
Review in Italian | Read full review
NHL 22 makes a successful jump to the Frostbite engine by playing it more safe than any other game in the past. It’s a fun game for any hockey fan, but won’t give you that true next-gen feel you may be wanting.
NHL 22 makes a careful and mostly smooth transition to a new engine and the new console generation. The new ice looks great, and some gameplay tweaks are enjoyable, but beneath the surface the experience still feels very much the same.
It's a transitional year for NHL, then. It's arguably better than ever on the ice, playing a mostly authentic and enjoyable brand of hockey that implements some subtle, but worthy new features to satisfy hardcore fans. It also looks meaningfully improved thanks to the Frostbite engine (and clearly a lot of hard work). But in terms of content and game modes, it's largely the same offering as last year, and that gets pretty old after a while. Hopefully, now that the engine transition is out of the way, we can look forward to some ambitious new modes and features in NHL 23 and beyond.
NHL 22 finally brings the series into the next-gen: the beginning is encouraging but we are still far from that magnificence that had characterized the EA series for long periods in its first thirty years of life.
Review in Italian | Read full review
It's odd that it took EA this long to bring their flagship Frostbite engine to their NHL franchise, but now that it's here in NHL 22, the wait was certainly worth it, as the game has never looked or played better.
NHL 22 relies on its superstar talent, and it's not impressive enough to give the gameplay the new life it so desperately needs
NHL 22 offers a new visual experience, but does not offer anything new in the usual modes. If you have already played last year's game, the experience will be more than similar for your wallet, whereas the editions on new-generation consoles are more expensive.
Review in French | Read full review