PlayStation 3
Released in 2015 by EA Sports
Grade: A+
This is genuine simulation hockey, fine-tuned and polished.
Where it falls in the series
It’s the last of nine NHL games on PS3 (and last of 10 on Xbox 360). I suppose it’s called Legacy Edition because it comes 25 years after the original NHL Hockey on Sega Genesis. It aligns with NHL 16 on PS4 and Xbox One, where the game has a new engine.
Everybody complained when Legacy Edition came out, calling it a $60 roster update of NHL 15. Luckily, you can get it for under $10 today. It’s like NHL 14 without the bouncy puck, and it’s like NHL 15 without guys knocking into the goalie, but there are other hard-to-pinpoint improvements. In the PS3 generation, my favorites are this and NHL 12.
Praises and gripes
The skating control can be tough to learn, but it’s worth the effort. Skaters very naturally turn and side-step and skate backwards when you want them to. You can speed up, slow down, stop, go, turn, spin, cut, and dart like a real player.
The skill stick is tuned to perfection. Shots and dekes require touch and precision, making the learning curve that much longer and more rewarding.
Physical contact is realistic. In some hockey games you can blast dudes off the puck no matter what angle you come from, but here you’ve got to line up hits just right. I love how many different ways players collide, how many ways the puck can pop loose or be picked up. Hockey’s chaotic nature is well depicted.
Scoring is a tactical and skill-based challenge as you ramp up the difficulty. Scoring methods are aplenty, and you need to get crafty with how you set up your attacks. The frequency of “ugly goals” seems right; the puck deflects naturally and occasionally squirts past the goalie.
The AI is very natural. Teammates know where to go. The CPU is tenacious and savvy. There are a lot of strategy options, which you don’t need to fiddle with, but are great to have. (If you want the CPU’s coaching help, there’s a handy slider to determine how aggressively it makes changes.)
There are a ton of options in general, but I like how there’s a simple slider for difficulty. Once you can beat the CPU on “superstar” difficulty, just dial that slider up one click for a tougher challenge. Speaking of which, the CPU makes for a very genuine, human-like opponent.
You want some gripes? The menus are clumsy; customizing teams and players would seem more appealing if it didn’t take forever. The sound isn’t great. Mike Emrick does play-by-play, but he’s repetitive. Local two-player games are messy because the controls are hard to handle when shooting at the net at the bottom of the screen. But that’s pretty much it. It doesn’t stop this game from getting my highest recommendation.