Review

Being born in Canada, maybe there's something in my genetic code that means I have to like ice hockey. Or maybe it's just that any sport where fighting between opponents is allowed (although they do end up in the sin bin to cool off, violence is wrong people!) is instantly entertaining. Either way, being able to watch matches on TV in the UK is incredibly difficult unless its a Winter Olympics year, so playing videogames of it has always plugged the gap nicely.

NHL 15 is the first entry in the long-running EA Sports series to come to the Xbox One and as you'd expect, it looks fantastic. In the past, games that have used FMV for the TV-style presentation have jarred with the game action but we've finally reached a point where the two sit comfortably alongside each other. Furthermore, the excellent commentary keeps up with the action perfectly and doesn't suffer from repetition.

You get two options of how you want to play: Arcade is the more traditional method with passing and shooting handled by buttons whereas the Skill Stick option puts everything on the right joystick. The latter is supposed to give you more freedom but I personally found the Arcade mode to be a lot less fiddly and therefore more enjoyable.

There are the usual league and online modes available as well as an Ultimate Team option that operates just like the one in FIFA. I didn't spend much time in any of these however, as this is a game best enjoyed with your opponent sat next to you on the sofa. Just load the game up, pick two teams and let battle commence.

Unfortuntely for EA, this means that everything that's good about NHL 15 can be experienced by downloading the free demo. This is not a game I would sit and play for hours on end, but it is one that I would have a quick couple of games of, every few days for months. With the existence of the demo, there's no need to spend £50 ensuring I can do so.

About the Review

Platform

Microsoft Xbox One

Developer

E.A. Canada

Publisher

Electronic Arts

Released

12th September 2014