NHL 26 - Review

There is no doubt that EA sports have dropped a lot of new buzz words and features in the lead up to the release of NHL 26 and topped it all off with the tagline ‘Think, move, and play like a superstar in NHL 26.’  The new ICE-Q 2.0 system claims to make every player play more like their real life counterparts by importing NHL EDGE positional data into the game, which influences player attributes such as skating speed, acceleration and shot power. Unique player behaviours are also captured by EDGE data allowing for players to exhibit unique traits and intangible behaviours that make sure that each encounter on the ice plays out as close as to real life as possible.

Goalies have also been shown some love and EA has promised more control than ever in the net, with goalies adapting to the action seamlessly, focusing on angles and depth for more consistent saves backed by 81 all new animations for close range saves and poke checks. Player X-Factors have also been given an overhaul that will bring superstar players to life with the ability to change the game through unique, game-changing abilities, 28 refined and enhanced X-Factors across five categories are now in the game and will ensure that all of them bring genuine strategic differences to each game played. Let’s step onto the ice and see if NHL 26 lives up the hype!

I am sure most people that are remotely interested in sports have had moments as they grew up where they envisioned themselves as the QB throwing the game winning touchdown pass, the baseball player hitting the walk-off home run in game 7 of the World Series or as an ice hockey player smacking the puck into the back of the net in OT to win the Stanley Cup. This is why modes like ‘Be A Pro’ in sports titles have always been where I tend to spend most of my time. There is something magical about bringing  your childhood dreams of being a sports hero to life, creating yourself as a player and participating in sports that you love, all the while trying to become the hero of your chosen franchise. The past few iterations of Be A Pro mode in the NHL series were sadly carbon copies of the previous years, which had led to the game mode to become very stale, which caused me to lose interest in the mode. Thankfully this year the tired old ‘pond hockey’ intro is gone, and EA Sports have given the game mode a substantial overhaul.

Be A Pro now features a chapter-based progression system like the one seen in Madden’s recent superstar mode and it allows your hockey journey from an up-and-coming rookie through to superstar with new storylines, characters, challenges and cut scenes that make the mode more authentic and engaging than ever before. As a player you can make your way from the world juniors through to the NHL draft and experience the highs and lows of a pro hockey players career. The mode feels much improved with all of the additions EA Sports has added, especially the press conferences where your replies can give your player significant boosts with coaches, sponsors or your teammates, the only issue I had was with the press conference before entering the NHL draft as the responses you can pick from did not give me a heads up as to which of my stats would be affected with each choice, which lead to me dropping a significant way back in the draft even though I felt I was giving an appropriate and positive response to each question, which was frustrating. Be A Pro mode felt much more immersive and interesting than it has the past few years and I am looking to spend a lot more time in this mode.

Franchise mode remains largely the same as in previous years, though it certainly does benefit from some of the new gameplay additions and enhanced presentation features that have been added this year, along with the addition of The Delta Center which is the home arena of the newest team in the NHL, if managing the finances and being the GM of an NHL team is your thing, then you will certainly find a lot of depth within franchise mode. For the online players amongst you both HUT and CHEL modes return this year. HUT has several featured new enhancements such as an all new seasons mode, where every match up matters, there are also new team building mechanics that allow for more freedom than ever to construct your ultimate lineup, season specific rules with rotating team captains and player combinations have the potential to provide boosts to your team attributes and salaries, there will also be new heroes and icons cards released each season which will allow you to take control of some of the NHLs most impactful stars across multiple eras.

Offline play is also represented in HUT through the ‘HUT Cup Chase’ which allows players to play through a full season of 18 games against the CPU before hopefully qualifying for and winning the playoffs to unlock exclusive seasonal rewards. CHEL features season specific objectives grouped into four categories, weekly, season and two other rotating objectives that activate during key moments of the season, these challenges have been designed with all positions in mind, so no matter what position you play in CHEL mode, you will have a chance to complete the objectives and earn rewards. Online play in the NHL series has never really been my cup of tea, it’s a skill issue and quite frankly I don’t have it, but there certainly is a lot of depth available here for those who wish to explore it.

When it comes to the on ice action the NHL series can be a frustratingly difficult place for newcomers, to the point of practically smashing your controller, it takes most player a good ten hours to acclimate themselves to the speed and pacing of the game, and this years version is no different, even as a veteran of the series I found some old frustrations setting in until I had familiarised myself with the feel of this years game, I promise though if you put the time in then there is a wonderfully rewarding experience to be had. The gameplay feels better than ever in NHL 26, with players feeling like they have weight and momentum, the new ICE-Q 2.0 system also ads a lot more variety to the way players feel when you take control of them and makes the NHL experience deeper and more immersive than ever before, NHL 26 feels like a major step forward where gameplay is concerned, to the point I would even say this is the best the series has felt to play in many years.

Presentation has also had some major improvements this year especially where graphical fidelity is concerned, the new ‘dynamic cinematic’ lighting system makes the arenas and players look better than they ever have before. NHL 26 also features on screen breakdowns of players feats and extended replays are considerably jazzed up by presenting player data such as skating speeds, threat analyses on scoring chances, expected goals and save zones. The commentary is also much improved this year and ramps up and down with peaks and lulls in the gameplay, the commentary can now even react to narratives that stretch over several games, resulting in a more immersive experience whilst on the ice. There is also a new UI and menu system that I found to be well designed and responsive to commands, the only issue I found is that in Be A Pro mode the menu can sometimes be confusing in regards to how far you want to sim forward and can result on you missing out on events, such as conversations or interviews that you might have wanted to actually participate in.

NHL 26 made some big strides in the right direction this year, especially if you are into Be A Pro, HUT or CHEL, unfortunately franchise players have been largely neglected this year when it comes to updates, though even in franchise mode the much-improved presentation and on ice action do help the game to feel fresh. This is as close to a real life NHL experience you can get and if you are interested in hockey then I can assure you that you will get hundreds of hours worth of enjoyment from NHL 26.

The Score

8.0

Review code provided by Electronic Arts

The Pros

Fantastic video game representation of the NHL with multiple modes and unprecedented depth throughout these modes

ICE-Q 2.0 does a fantastic job of bringing real players tendencies into the game

Presentation and commentary are much improved and storylines that play out through multiple games really help bring to life the sense of being in the NHL

Be A Pro Mode is much improved and helps bring the excitement and drama of the NHL to your console

The Cons

Soundtrack is lacklustre and does not feature any memorable tracks

Voice acting in be a pro mode is very hit or miss

The game can be very frustrating for new players to pick up and requires patience and time to get the best out of.