9) NHL 16
Whenever a new generation of consoles is announced, one of my first thoughts ends up being, “How will the hockey games look and play on this new, advanced hardware?” Or, at least something to that extent. After all, I am Canadian, and I do love the Toronto Maple Leafs and the NHL in general, although I feel cursed for having become a Leafs fan during childhood. That argument will be better served for another day, though.
It’s no secret that NHL 15 released to disappointed reception, as a result of a lack of modes and gameplay options, even after the developers had taken the first year of this generation off. The gameplay was solid and rose above those problems, but it had issues of its own and wasn’t enough to satisfy hardcore fans like myself, who’d been waiting what felt like a long time for EA’s first current-gen hockey game.
Thankfully, EA listened to our criticisms and delivered with NHL 16; releasing a fantastic hockey game that made up for its predecessor’s shortcomings. It’s deep, addicting, and well made, offering almost all of the bells and whistles that we hoped for last year, with just a couple of exceptions that will hopefully be ironed out or added in in time for NHL 17.
If you skipped out on buying NHL 15, I don’t blame you, but NHL 16 is a marked improvement and something that is certainly worth its price tag.