NHL 20 Review

EA has come a long way with their NHL series since the first game of this generation, NHL 15. That game was a bare-bones experience that, quite frankly, almost killed the franchise. Slowly, EA has brought back all the features people come to expect (minus GM Connected) and made the gameplay experience as close to real hockey as I could ever have anticipated. The same can be said of NHL 20. While not the monumental upgrade I was hoping for after the addition of World of CHEL last year, the tweaks made to the on-ice product are the best they’ve ever been.

Presentation

The NHL on NBC package is the first thing you’ll probably notice is gone when you boot up a game of NHL 20. I thought this would take away from the presentation, but I think Doc and Eddie were getting a bit old and stale, and it was time for something new. James Cybulski and Ray Ferraro are great in the booth, provide a lot of witty banter between themselves, and don’t give you a lot of awkward pauses. The emotion is there, which I feel was lacking from Doc and Eddie, although I will say James goes overboard at times, and there are a lot of repeated lines in certain situations.

Stat Graphics

The commentators aren’t the only things that have changed. The presentation features colorful graphics that pulse with Power Plays and large pop-ups when a goal is scored. It’s pretty eye-catching to look at. I expected it to be too over-the-top, but it fits well. Additionally, there are some new Play of the Period and Play of the Game replays that capture a significant moment from a unique angle in slow motion. I’ve rewatched more of my plays than I care to admit. It’s something the presentation has needed for a long time.

Score Overlay

There is one considerable negative aspect to the new presentation package. The latest score overlay is positioned at the bottom of the screen, instead of the traditional top-left corner. While this is helpful to stay out of the action, it’s tough to see any of the information on the fly. I struggled with Power Play time left because of where this bar is positioned. A simple patch that could map it to the top of the screen instead might help, although it might be too big. It’s a shame because I do like the look of it. It’s a classic case of not needing to fix something that wasn’t broken. It isn’t like that in every mode, but for most of them.

Gameplay

Skating

So the game looks pretty good from a presentation standpoint, but how does it play? The answer is that it’s the best gameplay the series has ever seen. The skating itself looks very lifelike, allowing players to pick up a puck in full stride. This seems like such a simple thing, but it’s a monumental improvement. It makes the difference in getting a breakaway, scooping the puck behind the net, driving it up the ice, and closing a gap.

Shooting

Shooting has also undergone significant upgrades this year. Last year, players would complete a shot animation even when the puck would get to them, and they’d always shoot from the forehand when receiving a pass. Now, players shoot in the direction they receive the pass. Sometimes, they even take a knee to get a better shot. There are even signature shots this year with things like Alex Ovechkin’s one-timer from a knee and Auston Matthews’ toe-drag wrist shot. It’s cool to see some differences between players. Hopefully, there’s more of this to come.

Goaltending

Goaltending is quite a bit better in NHL 20. They’re still imperfect and occasionally let in a few suspect shots, but the better goalies are adequate. It’s harder to get a one-timer through this year’s game, and even when you do, the goalie reads the play quite well. More than a few times, I was surprised that the goalie got over to make the save. They do a much better job of redirecting rebounds into the corner and swallowing up long shots. I was impressed by just how much better the goaltending was.

Annoyances

The one thing that continues to annoy me is how the fans always look the same in this series (which could be due to the limitations of the IGNITE Engine, now in its sixth year), and that only select players resemble their real-life counterparts. This is especially true for alumni players, where individuals like Darcy Tucker and Dave Andreychuk appear remarkably different from their former selves. It takes me away from the experience. The players with accurate models look great, but they need to be more consistent. Every sports franchise struggles with this, but the NHL series seems to do so more than any others.

Game Modes

ONES

ONES returns this year with a few new rinks called The Farm and The Canal, which are pleasant to look at. There’s even the famous hockey dryer that Sidney Crosby used to shoot at in his basement in one of the cutscenes. There’s even snow coming down at times, which adds to the experience. It’s cool to see what EA is doing with World of CHEL and how it continues to evolve ever so slightly. There’s even an offline mode this year that allows you to play some couch coop, which will undoubtedly be a staple for bragging rights. There’s also an Eliminator game mode where you must win four games in a row to be champion. I won my first tournament and wanted to repeat the experience. It’s an addictive mode.

THREES

THREES returns as well with the standard crappy circuit mode that is quite frankly way too long for me to enjoy going through. I also have an issue because it is the same circuit as last year. They even named it Circuit 2.0 again. That annoyed me, but the online modes made up for it. THREES also features Eliminator, which allows you to team up online with other players to compete through four teams and win a championship. One of the cool things I found with this is that you can play with another person and an AI player if needed, so it doesn’t have to be a total of six human players. I had a lot of fun with this and will return to it. Also, you can play as Gritty in THREES.

World of Chel

World of CHEL itself has a little more to do this year that will net your character XP. You can complete weekly challenges across ONES, THREES, Pro-AM, and EASHL that will net you cool customization items and XP for your character to level up with. Last week’s theme was inspired by NHL 94. EASHL, unfortunately, hasn’t seen many upgrades, but I don’t know how I’d upgrade it much more than it has been, so I can’t say too many negative things there. It’s pretty awesome as is.

Be A Pro

Be A Pro is pretty similar to last year. There aren’t many improvements at all to note. Franchise has received some nice updates in the Trade Finder so that you don’t need to go looking to dump a player, and the coaching system. You gain the ability to hire your coaching staff and take control of your team’s direction. It’s not as in-depth as I would like, but there’s a nice conversation system to boost morale. It’s not precisely the updates most people would like, but it’s something.

Hockey Ultimate Team

Hockey Ultimate Team has been updated to include offline Squad Battles, which give you sets of teams to defeat to net you big rewards. There are even celebrity teams. Last week, it was Auston Matthews. This year seems like much less of a grind, with many more rewards to be had. It doesn’t feel like a pay-to-win game anymore, which is nice.

Final Thoughts

NHL 20 is as close to real hockey as I’ve played in my 25 years playing this game. It’s a game I haven’t been able to put down since I got it. The presentation is excellent; the gameplay is solid, the glitches that have plagued the game don’t seem to be there anymore, and all your favorite modes are here. If you love hockey, you’re going to love NHL 20.