This NHL 22 review is based on our experience of the PS5 version.
It’s hockey season. As a long-time hockey fan, there was a time I’d be as excited for the latest EA Sports release as I was for the real-life season to begin. But, in more recent years, the series has become stale. It’s also lumbered with the “same game every year” reputation like so many other sports titles. Can NHL 22 – the series’ first attempt at next-gen ice-hockey – rekindle my adoration? Let’s find out….
NHL 22 review: What’s new?
Whether it’s intentional or not, trailers for NHL 22 were released later than many expected. This left some fans crossing their fingers that delays indicated a game-changing revolution was coming. And when a series of trailers were released, players were excited to hear that the rumours of a switch to the Frostbite Engine were true. Several other significant improvements were shown, too. And, to top it off, EA were calling NHL 22 “the greatest leap forward the franchise has ever seen”.
Thanks to the introduction of the Frostbite Engine, NHL 22 has received a remarkable facelift compared to previous releases. Physics-based dynamic lighting creates sumptuous and realistic reflections on the ice. Augmented reality UI adds a real-life broadcast feel to gameplay. Overhauled player likenesses means that the NHL’s biggest stars look more true-to-life than ever. And Superstar X-Factors add an additional layer of identity to the NHL’s greatest players. For example, Connor McDavid’s X-Factor is aptly named ‘Wheels’ and reflects his super-human skating ability.
Does all of this truly evolve the series?
In some ways, yes! NHL 22‘s graphics can be jaw-dropping at times. At the start of a period, when the ice is freshly zambonied, your jaw will drop. The new physics-based dynamic lighting system creates mind-blowingly realistic reflections on surfaces (including the ice or the blades of a players skate!). Honestly, NHL 22 looks about as close to reality as I’ve experienced in gaming. And that’s a big statement in the era of 4K TVs and games like The Last of Us Part II. I couldn’t help but look at my TV in the same way I would a greasy kebab on the way home from a night out (or my partner, just in case she reads this).
The new in-game UI additions are smartly done, with graphics overlaying the ice to show key stats in the build up to a big face-off. Coupled with how the ice itself looks, the effect is spectacular. When you have time to really look at NHL 22 without distraction, you’ll feel as though you’ve entered a whole new era of sports gaming. But…..
Meet the new NHL, same as the old NHL
That’s where the “great leap forward” ends. It’s when you stop gazing at NHL 22 and start actually playing it that a sense of unwanted familiarity begins to set in. I haven’t played an NHL game since NHL 19. And I can’t tell you that NHL 22‘s gameplay feels noticeably different than it did 3 games and a whole console generation ago. When trailers released for NHL 22, I remember thinking “oh no”. While superficial graphical advancements were clear to see, trailer coverage of actual gameplay improvements was worryingly thin.
Superficial improvements may have been enough if the existing product was a convincing and enjoyable sports sim. But it wasn’t. All of my frustrations from previous games remain in NHL 22. It has a distinct arcade feel to it. The AI reacts in ways entirely unrepresentative of real-life hockey. This breaks immersion and takes the shine off all the surface-level improvements.
Dodgy AI spoils Be A Pro mode
The dodgy AI is most noticeable when you play Be a Pro mode, where you create and play as your own hockey player. Because you only control your player, you notice the questionable decisions made by the AI when it controls your teammates. When your team has the puck, they skate up the ice and often end up either passing the puck to the other team or taking an ill-advised shot. And then you have to retrace your on-ice steps back to defence. You can shout for a pass from your teammates, but when they do occasionally complete a successful pass you have to do it all yourself. And while carrying your team to glory over and over again sounds like it might be fun, it’s far from realistic and gets boring fast.
NHL 22 Superstar X-Factors
The addition of the Superstar X-Factor feature does little to freshen up the virtual hockey experience either. The single biggest gameplay development (that was touted heavily in the trailers as a game-changer) essentially amounts to a graphic appearing above a players head demonstrating that they possess a certain X-Factor. While this also feeds into dynamics such as player chemistry, the lack of any tangible effect from this feature makes it feel like more like something thrown in so the game seems ‘new’. This isn’t a genuine step forward.
NHL 22 review: Fundamental issues
My issues with NHL 22 didn’t stop there, either. While glitches are to be expected these days (see image below of my Be A Pro looking like Game of Thrones’ Night King), what I can’t abide are problems that actually cost me my time and put me off from booting the game up again.
I’ve always been a big fan of the series’ Franchise Mode, which enables you to lovingly create a new NHL franchise from scratch. So that’s what I did in NHL 22. I spent hours designing a new arena, new jerseys and even a mascot for my team, The London Sillynannies. And despite multiple attempts at saving, NHL 22 wouldn’t have it. That means all of my time spent creating an awesome new franchise and coming up with a totally original and hilarious team name was wasted.
The game is also missing several fundamental features you’d expect to see in a video game in 2021. For example, you can’t adjust the brightness settings in-game. This was so unbelievable I thought I must have been missing something. But no. It’s just not there. Additionally, when I wasn’t using headphones, goal horns and goal songs played through my DualSense speaker instead of my TV. And, try as I might, I could not change it in NHL 22‘s settings.
NHL 22 Review: Verdict
My biggest issue with NHL 22 is one of principle. Charging full price (£50/$60) for a game that is essentially a face-lift of last year’s instalment rubs me the wrong way. It fails to address long-standing (and seemingly ignored) gripes with the arcade-like gameplay. And no amount of visual upgrades will hide that. If you’ve played any of the NHL games from the previous generation, you’ve played NHL 22 (minus the nice visuals, of course). In fairness to EA, they have buckled to fan demand and reinstated the massively popular Roster Sharing feature. But that was so popular you have to question why it was removed in the first place.
It probably won’t surprise you to read that NHL 22 has failed to rekindle my love for this series. To put it bluntly, I didn’t have much fun playing NHL 22. And when all is said and done, how much more do you really need to know than that?
Final Score: 4/10
Version played: PS5
Copy of NHL 22 was provided by EA for this review.
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