NHL 22 Review (PS5)

As I said not a long time ago when I reviewed FIFA 22, sports simulators are a niche that’s going to have millions of fans for as long as the sports themselves are popular.

And regardless of the changes developers make to these games, people are still going to buy them every single year, and without a doubt, FIFA is just living proof in this regard.

NHL, on the other hand, is an even smaller niche. While it’s theoretically aimed at Americans and Canadians, it also has fans all over the world, though it goes without saying its player base isn’t necessarily as large as the one of FIFA for obvious reasons.

But NHL is still a franchise that’s selling like hotcakes every year despite all the criticism it sometimes receives, and make no mistake, NHL 22 will be a hit as well even if some players out there aren’t necessarily impressed with EA’s changes.

If you’ve never played NHL before but you’re a hockey fan, there’s no doubt you need to get the game on new-gen consoles. The new Frostbite engine makes the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game the ones everybody should buy, especially if they’re planning to experience the new NHL in all its beauty.

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Let’s start with the thing everybody loves and then continue with the thing everybody seems to hate this year.

So our first stop is the graphics. There’s just one word to describe how NHL 22 looks in 4K on a PlayStation 5: sensational. The graphics are amazing, and I was totally impressed to see how the ice looks from certain angles, not to mention the level of details that every player now comes with.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s still room for improvements, and the crowds, for instance, could use more polishing, especially because EA still focuses on their reactions mostly between the three periods or after scoring a goal. The animations of the spectators still seem to be rather unrefined, and if you watch them closely, you’ll figure out EA hasn’t necessarily tried to make each individual look different from the other.

Other than that, there’s no reason not to be impressed with how NHL 22 looks, though once again, this is only the case with the new-gen version.

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Now let’s talk about the thing that’s causing so much controversy this year: the gameplay.

The detail that seems to be upsetting most fans of the franchise is the passing system. The game certainly feels different, and when I say different, it’s because the pace overall is much slower. The passing system itself has a major contribution to the whole thing, but I don’t think the slower pace is necessarily a bad thing. And there’s a very good reason for this.

EA has clearly tried to make NHL 22 feel more real, especially on new-gen consoles, so by reducing the speed of the gameplay alongside the introduction of new tricks, including this passing system, the company actually makes the game overall less arcade-ish. In other words, NHL 22 feels like a hockey game right now and less like an arcade title where nothing else besides scoring a goal matters.

You need to plan every move more thoroughly this time, and yes, the passing system gets plenty of time to get used to. If you pass too hard, the puck will almost certainly bounce off the stick, but this also depends on who’s at the receiving end. If you pass too slow, the puck will be intercepted, as defenders seem to be almost every time ready to grab it at the smallest mistake you make.

On the other hand, the moment you end up mastering the passing, you could easily pass the puck past defenders and score a goal. Of course, it’ll take time, but this is hockey after all, and you shouldn’t expect every pass to be spot on every time.

Scoring a goal is no longer as easy as it used to be, and again, this only makes NHL 22 feel more real. Defenders are quick to react and block the shot, and in online play, you end up facing a body check almost instantly. You need to understand how the stick works before taking a shot, so once again, NHL 22 just feels like the kind of game that you need to give more time to.

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In fact, the online playing mode is quite a challenge unless you’re an experienced player, and I think you should spend more time playing against the AI before launching the multiplayer.

The penalty system is the one that I think needs to be refined as soon as possible. It’s extremely easy to get a 2-minute penalty when on defense, though, on the other hand, it seems to be easy to defend when one of your players is sent to the penalty box.

On the other hand, this seems to only work unless the player you’re playing against doesn’t turn to cross-crease goals. If you’ve played NHL 21 before, you certainly know this has long been a problem, and as it turns out, the issue still persists in the new version for whatever reason. It’s hard to defend and prevent this trick from happening.

So at some level, abusing the mechanics is still possible, and there’s no doubt other glitches still remain, and really now, EA should deal with all of them because otherwise, the whole gameplay is ruined and this doesn’t make any sense, especially during online play.

So yes, NHL 22 does come with an improved engine, but this doesn’t necessarily mean the old habits are dead. Unfortunately, this somehow reduces the skill gap, letting some people abuse the same tricks over and over again, eventually making the experience overall less fun.

All gameplay modes seem to align with this approach, though obviously, the Ultimate Team is the one that allows you to expand the gameplay beyond the one on the ice. So you can further upgrade your players and unlock new abilities, all to eventually become more efficient against your opponents.

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The Good

The Bad

CONCLUSION