NHL 15 Reviews

NHL 15 is ranked in the 17th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7 / 10.0
Sep 11, 2014

Since EA has no competition as far as NHL games go, if you want a next-gen hockey title and you don't want to wait for next year, then you're going to end up buying this one. It's not a bad game as it is, and the promised additional features will be nice. There's plenty of replay value and deep modes to explore, if you're so inclined. The basic difficulty is challenging enough to keep you challenged for a long time, and the harder setting can be positively brutal.

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Sep 11, 2014

NHL 15 looks impressive on the surface with graphics and gameplay, but way too many features have been cut or neutered this time around.

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Sep 10, 2014

Whatever steps forward NHL 15 has taken in visual presentation hardly make up for the alarming gutting of many of the series' best features.

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3.8 / 5.0
Sep 10, 2014

It boils down to this: if you like hockey, you will probably like NHL 15. It definitely has enough gameplay options to keep a hardcore hockey fan busy for months. If you aren't a hockey fan, it's a toss-up whether or not you would like NHL 15, just like any other sports game. But I will say that NHL 15 shows a lot of movement in the right direction on the new platforms and is a strong basis to make even better games for years to come.

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Ray Carsillo
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Sep 9, 2014

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.

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IGN
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Sep 9, 2014

NHL 15 is fun to play and pretty to look at, but it's disappointingly light on modes to keep you hooked on hockey.

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80 / 100
Sep 9, 2014

The next generation jump for NHL 15 is far from a mind blowing one. It brings about fantastic visuals and more of the same excellent gameplay we have come to expect. Unfortunately, it really is just more of the same but with an impressive visual bump. Of course, the improved presentation is nice as well but it lacks that oomph needed to wow consumers. That being said, EA Canada has done enough to create a very recommendable hockey game, but they may have some trouble on their hands if they continue to provide more of the same next year.

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Ken Barnes
Top Critic
5 / 10
Sep 9, 2014

NHL 15 plays a great – if somewhat atmosphere-free – game of hockey, but the sheer amount of modes missing from the package as a whole mean that unless you become obsessed with Ultimate Team or enjoy playing severely limited career modes, there's very little to actually do.

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80 / 100
Sep 9, 2014

NHL 2015 truly has glimpses of being a fantastic sports title on its own merit, given the improvements in the gameplay mechanics, visuals, physics and even sound. That being said, we have been spoiled to a degree by some outstanding previous versions with all the features and now I find that the series has lost a bit of its lustre given what they cut out to get this one out the door. The omission of key modes really hurts the end product, and in a way it feels like we're stepping back somewhat.

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7 / 10.0
Sep 9, 2014

The gameplay and presentation of NHL 15 are arguably the best we've seen in the franchise.  The new commentary team of Emrick, Olczyk, and Ferraro really add to the in-game experience.  Some AI bugs do exist and may frustrate players, but the true problem with this game is the lack of modes to justify the $60 price tag.  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.

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2.5 / 5.0
Sep 9, 2014

NHL 15 is one of the most frustrating sports releases to date. The core experience has been markedly improved.

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5.5 / 10.0
Sep 9, 2014

Hockey fans are better served playing the old-gen versions of the game

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Sep 9, 2014

Devoid of many important modes and features, NHL 15 feels incomplete, and will not appeal to long-time fans.

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Shacknews
Top Critic
6 / 10
Sep 9, 2014

If you're expecting a completely stacked, feature-laden game as you've gotten in the past, you're bound to be disappointed and on the phone with EA's customer service department, wondering where the majority of your game content has gone. However, if you're an avid hockey fan, you probably won't mind hitting the ice and taking part in a well-rounded contest of hockey, and seeing what the new visuals and audio have to deliver.

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63 / 100
Sep 9, 2014

NHL 15 stumbles as it hits the ice on the new generation of consoles. Fans should wait for a price drop and a few patches, or just skip this year altogether.

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Sep 9, 2014

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.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 9, 2014

NHL 15 may not be as feature rich as its last generation predecessor. But what it does offer is the most visually striking hockey experience available. The strong core gameplay for which the series has been lauded returns with slight tweaks to the physics. Everything looks great, plays well and feels like the NHL hockey I love. Even the tricky teammate AI can be addressed via settings tweaks. Where NHL 15 disappoints, however, is in the trimmed features and modes. NHL 14's fully featured practice mode is now just a single skater on ice who gets to practice his shootout skills only. And that kind of change just seems silly. I mean, we're talking about practice, man. Practice. Not a game. Practice. Ultimately, I prefer a solid core gameplay experience to a wealth of modes built around dodgy game mechanics. And with EA's announced content update schedule, fans can expect to find more reasons to return to the title in the coming months.

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7.8 / 10.0
Sep 8, 2014

The choice to rebuild from square one on a new engine has resulted in a game that doesn't necessarily stand up to last year's on paper, but shows promise when taking into account the track record of EA Sports NHL. In the game of hockey, sometimes you have to make the counter-intuitive decision to take a big penalty to prevent a season-ending goal.

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 8, 2014

For the last couple of weeks, the majority of the talk surrounding Electronic Arts' NHL 15 has been what is not in the game

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USgamer
Top Critic
Sep 8, 2014

NHL 15 is right to focus on improvements to the gameplay and the presentation, but they aren't nearly good enough to justify the cuts made elsewhere. It dazzles out of the box, but it doesn't take long for the upgrades to feel shallow in comparison to what's missing. Ultimately, NHL 15 feels like a major misstep for a franchise that doesn't necessarily have a lot of room for error.

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