NHL 14 was one of my favorite video games I've ever played. I played from when it first came out all the way until the day NHL 15 came out. I played pretty much every day, rarely ever taking a day off. And when I played I played for hours at a time. In June, months before NHL 15 came out, I was already preparing for NHL 15. I was making pucks, building my collection, and playing games in Hockey Ultimate Team to make my returning user bonus in NHL 15 better. I was super pumped for 15, but EA let me down. Big time. NHL 15 is the most disappointing game I have ever played. It is a disgrace to the franchise and EA should be ashamed. In this review I will tell you why.

Graphics (9/10)

Might as well start with the only decent aspect of the game, right? The graphics in NHL 15 are the only part of the game that live up to standards. Everything looks really realistic. A new feature that was added to NHL 15 is the realistic arenas. Now instead of playing every game in the same boring arena, the arenas match the team's real life arena. (I said arena way too much in that sentence). It is a very cool feature and I'm glad that they added it in. Overall, the game looks great. There are some graphical glitches, such as the shoulders of tall goalies going through the top of the net when they hug the post, but what game doesn't have minor glitches like that?

Sound (6/10)

Pro: EA actually changed up the commentary for the first time in years. Con: They commentators still have very limited phrases, so it doesn't even matter that it's new, you will still be sick of them after three games. (If I had a dollar for every time they said "He wished him a happy birthday 4 months early!"....) The commentators in NHL 15 are Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk, who are the commentators for NHL on NBC. In my opinion, their voices are rather annoying, so it makes the overused sayings even worse. Another of the many things about NHL 15 that ticks me off is that they removed the menu music. Now it's like Madden, with one song playing over and over and over again. It's not even a song really, just a little instrumental piece. I think it might actually be the Madden music, but don't quote me on that. So yeah, EA messed up big time in the sound department this year.

Addictiveness (6/10)

Addictiveness is a tough category for me to rate. Even though I hate this game, I play it all the time simply because it is the only hockey game on the market. I mentioned earlier how I was insanely addicted to NHL 14. 15 just isn't the same. It is more dry, boring, and just overall less fun to play. I have already had plenty of gaps where I went up to a week without playing, and the game is still relatively new. EA just did a terrible job with this game, and it really doesn't appeal to me the same way that NHL 14 did.

Story (N/A)

There is no story in NHL 15. If it would make EA money though, I wouldn't put it by them to put in a story. Then again, they were too lazy to put in even HALF of the game modes NHL 14 had, so I doubt they would spend the time on it.

Depth (3/10)

If you couldn't tell from the bad rating, this is where the BIG rant comes in. NHL 14 had 19 game modes. Play Now, Be a Pro, Be a GM, Be a Legend, GM Connected, Hockey Ultimate Team, EASHL, Online Team Play, Online Versus, Season Mode, Playoff Mode, Tournament Mode, Shootout Mode, NHL Moments Live, NBC Live Matchup, Winter Classic Mode, NHL 94 Anniversary Mode, Create a Play, and Practice Mode. NHL 15 has 9. Play Now, Be a Pro, Be a GM, Hockey Ultimate Team, Online Versus, NHL Moments Live, Practice Mode, Online Team Play, and Tournament Mode. OTP and Tournament Mode weren't even in the original release, they came in an update. So really it started with only 7 game modes compared to 19 game modes on NHL 14. They also removed a bunch of sub game modes, such as Play a Friend in Hockey Ultimate Team, Tournaments in Hockey Ultimate Team, Fantasy Draft in Be a GM, etc. If you don't like Ultimate Team then the entire game is pretty much pointless. Play now is just a quick game, just a stupid mode that you play once or twice. Practice mode is just you and the goalie. Another stupid mode. Tournament mode is also dumb. It is just a few consecutive games. In NHL 14 they had tournaments in HUT (Hockey Ultimate Team) which actually made sense since you would get some extra coins if you won them. But these tournaments have no prize and are pointless to play unless you have friends over or something. Be a Pro is still somewhat fun, but they removed half of the Be a Pro features that existed in NHL 14, such as starting in the CHL and making career decisions. Be a GM is a similar case to Be a Pro. Still fun if you like it stripped down to the basics. Online versus is pointless too, it's just Play Now but online. That leaves NHL Moments Live, Online Team Play, and HUT. NHL Moments Live isn't really even a game mode though, it's more of a mini game. You are put in situations and you have to achieve whatever goal it sets for you. Fun at first, but doesn't last very long since there aren't that many moments to complete. Online Team Play is entertaining I guess, but just like Be a Pro and Be a GM it is barebones. You don't get to customize anything at all, it is pretty much Online versus with position lock on. That leaves HUT, the only game mode that EA put any time into, and it is still lacking. The only options you have for playing a game is online or offline, no tournaments or things or that nature. And they removed the option to play a friend as well. EA really took the piss in the depth department. There is barely anything to do in this game. Fortunately for me, I enjoy HUT so I get a little bit out of this game. But if you are not a HUT fan, there is really no point in buying the game. Just stick with NHL 14.

Difficulty (6/10)

I don't think I really need to write much for difficulty. Controls are pretty easy to use. If you are good at the game it is easy to play against people online. There are four computer difficulties; rookie, pro, all-star, and superstar. Rookie is easy, Pro is easy, All-Star is easy, and superstar is easy. Yeah, beating the CPU is not much of a challenge at all if you have experience, but it might be difficult if you are new to the NHL franchise.

So that's my two cents. Well, it was more like two dollars I guess, I wrote a lot. I hope you enjoyed reading my review and that you learned a good deal about why NHL 15 is a piece of trash. I strongly suggest you avoid this game at all costs. Thanks for reading!