PlayStation 3
Released in 2014 by EA Sports
Grade: A
By making subtle refinements to the previous version, NHL 15 is an amazing hockey simulation with deep AI and great controls.
Where it falls in the series
It’s the whopping eighth installment on PS3, and it coincides with the first releases on PS4 and Xbox One. It was slightly improved upon for NHL Legacy Edition, the last on PS3 and Xbox 360. NHL 12 is also a favorite of mine.
Praises and gripes
Since EA was busy taking this series up to the next generation, you might be worried they didn’t pay much attention to the PS3 version. Luckily, NHL 14 was already great, and this version just smooths out a couple kinks.
That means you’ve got some kickass hockey action with intricate controls using the right thumbstick to deke and shoot. The deke control is slightly re-tuned from NHL 14, and I initially lofted weak shots when I meant to deke, but I made the adjustment quickly.
The AI is a bit more tenacious than before, forcing more passing and allowing fewer 1-on-1 scoring chances. There’s a healthy mix of scoring methods, but if I gotta nitpick, I’d say there are too many goals right off faceoffs. Despite that, the “hardcore simulation” setting offers a pretty darn realistic depiction of NHL action.
The thumbstick is also used on defense for checking, and players collide with lifelike realism, only connecting on big hits when defenders line up their man just right.
One big improvement is that the detested “moon puck” from NHL 14 is fixed. When someone dumps the puck into the corner, it no longer bounces around like it’s made of flubber. I notice the CPU opponent doesn’t dump it quite as often either, and in general gives you a very genuine challenge, along with plenty of gameplay sliders to tweak.
Unfortunately, one odd quirk is replaced with another, and now you’ve got skaters plowing into the goalie way too often, and it’s regularly ignored by the refs. Somehow this doesn’t result in unfair goals, but it’s unsightly to say the least.
The graphics look fantastic again, although some of the menus are a bit of a pain. They added the play-by-play stylings of Mike Emrick, who’s famous for the hockey thesaurus in his head, but unfortunately he’s not too impressive here, awkwardly repeating the same fancy words.
To keep you coming back for more, this game is fleshed out with an entire minor league system and European pro leagues, an NHL ’94 throwback mode, a ton of coaching strategies, create-a-team, create-a-player, and create-a-play.