NHL 14: Breaking Down Features Receiving Rave Reviews in New Hockey Video Game

EA Sports' NHL 14 was officially released in stores Tuesday in North America, which means that the long wait is over for many hockey fans. While plenty of gamers have bought the game already, some may need to be convinced before going all-in.

There is no question that EA Sports does a fantastic job with its NHL series on a yearly basis, but gamers are always looking for something new in order to justify purchasing a game. Luckily, NHL 14 has undergone plenty of changes since last year's NHL 13, so the gameplay experience is guaranteed to be totally fresh.

NHL 14 has plenty of hype surrounding it, and it's for good reason. Here are three new features in NHL 14 that are receiving rave reviews and will ensure that you don't regret buying the game.

Enforcer Engine

While fighting in the sport of hockey is a hot-button issue these days, there is no doubt that fighting has a place in hockey video games.

Starting a virtual fight has always been fun, but the system has gone largely unchanged for many years. That is no longer the case, however, as NHL 14 has completely changed the way that gamers carry out fights. The brand-new Enforcer Engine makes fights more realistic than ever and adds plenty of fun possibilities as well.

According to Jack DeVries of IGN, the Enforcer Engine is based on the fighting engine used in EA Sports' Fight Night boxing series. While fighting used to be done from a first-person perspective, it is now done in the third person, which adds a great deal of depth. Now you can see the other players on the ice watching the fight as well as the referee circling the combatants, so there is far more realism involved than ever before.

Also, the opposing team can force you into a fight if you do something despicable such as running into their goalie or taking out their star player. If that isn't enough, it is now possible for multiple fights to occur at the same time, so gamers will finally be able to experience line brawls, which is something that fans of the series have been clamoring for.

Some people may have avoided fights in recent editions of the game since they were repetitive, but this new feature means that fighting will now be one of the game's most-entertaining aspects.

NHL '94 Anniversary Mode

Since this year marks the 20th anniversary of what many consider to be the greatest hockey video game of all time, EA Sports decided to add a retro flair to NHL 14. That comes in the form of NHL '94 mode, which pays homage to the cult classic game for Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. NHL '94 may not seem like anything special to fans of present-day gaming, but it was revolutionary for its time, and it has somehow managed to stand the test of time as it is still fun to play even today.

Adam Najberg of the Wall Street Journal is especially enamored with NHL '94 mode as it appeals to a wide-ranging audience. Not only do plenty of gamers who buy the NHL video games on a regular basis like NHL '94, but it's possible that some older gamers will be compelled to buy the game because of that feature as well. It truly is a case of old school meeting new school, and that should be a major coup for EA Sports.

While the graphics for NHL '94 mode are certainly better than they were for the original game, it offers the same vantage point, and you can even use similar controls. Rather than the old rosters, though, NHL '94 mode utilizes the current NHL rosters. One thing that Najberg longs for is being able to use the rosters from the original NHL '94 game, but he admits that it isn't a realistic expectation due to licensing issues.

Whatever the case, NHL '94 mode should add a great deal of "replayability" to the game this year.

Collision Physics

One thing that gamers love to do in hockey video games is throw vicious body checks. While doing so with too much regularity can detract from the realism of the game, EA Sports took steps to change that in NHL 14.

Collision detection promises to be better than ever thanks to the Collision Physics engine, which makes hitting more natural. According to EASports.com, it is borrowed from FIFA's renowned Player Impact Engine, so the odds are in favor of it having a positive effect on the game.

One of the most intriguing parts of the new system is that hits can occur simply by skating at an opponent with speed. That means it is no longer necessary to use the right stick, although that is still an option. Also, the collisions look like something you would see in actual hockey game, and that is something that gamers are always looking for.

Rather than bouncing off of players like they aren't even there when you run into them, they can now impede progress, which adds another layer to the game. Goaltender collisions have also been improved, which ties in directly with the Enforcer Engine, as running into the goalie can lead to fights.

While Collision Physics don't make NHL 14 precisely like the real-life game of hockey, that is a good thing. NHL 14 is still able to appeal to gamers who like an arcade-type style, but it has added enough realism to draw in the hardcore fans as well.

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