NHL 15: Top Player Ratings and Review for New Additions to Series

When NHL 15 was released by EA Sports on Tuesday, hockey fans and hardcore gamers alike went out of their way to pick up the latest edition of the series to see for themselves just how much improvement had been made to the visual presentation and game play.

While there are some modes missing from the series that will be hard for gamers to get over, the next-generation edition of the game (available for Xbox One and PlayStation 4) is visually stimulating enough to satisfy even the most jaded fans.

Here are the top player ratings by position and a review of the new additions to the game.

Centers	Player	Rating
Left Wings	Player	Rating
Right Wings	Player	Rating
Defensemen	Player	Rating
Goalies	Player	Rating
1	Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh Penguins	96
2	Steven Stamkos - Tampa Bay Lightning	93
3	Jonathan Toews - Chicago Blackhawks	93
4	Pavel Datsyuk - Detroit Red Wings	93
5	Ryan Getzlaf - Anaheim Ducks	92
1	Alexander Ovechkin - Washington Capitals	93
2	Henrik Zetterberg - Detroit Red Wings	92
3	Zach Parise - Minnesota Wild	90
4	Taylor Hall - Edmonton Oilers	90
5	Jamie Benn - Dallas Stars	90
1	Corey Perry - Anaheim Ducks	92
2	Marian Hossa - Chicago Blackhawks	91
3	Phil Kessel - Toronto Maple Leafs	90
4	Patrick Kane - Chicago Blackhawks	89
5	Martin St. Louis - New York Rangers	88
1	Shea Weber - Nashville Predators	93
2	Duncan Keith - Chicago Blackhawks	92
3	Ryan Suter - Minnesota Wild	92
4	Drew Doughty - Los Angeles Kings	91
5	Zdeno Chara - Boston Bruins	91
1	Henrik Lundqvist - New York Rangers	93
2	Jonathan Quick - L.A. Kings	93
3	Carey Price - Montreal Canadiens	92
4	Tuukka Rask - Boston Bruins	92
5	Pekka Rinne - Nashville Predators	91

What’s New for NHL 15

The main focus of this year’s game is on the visual presentation and the improved game play on the ice. If you own a next-gen console, you will be treated to major upgrades in how the game looks and notable improvements to the physics for the players and for the puck.

If you have an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 version of the game, you will be forced to deal with a slightly updated version of last year’s game with few improvements. Sorry.

For those lucky enough to have the next-gen consoles, the upgrades are astounding. The visual improvements begin with the arenas. EA Sports has replicated 28 of the 30 arenas in the NHL (PNC Arena and the United Center are not included), and the results are amazing.

The official Twitter account of the EA Sports NHL series shared an image of Buffalo’s First Niagara Center:

Another major upgrade came to the announcing team. EA Sports has changed gears, moving from Gary Thorne and Bill Clement to the NBC Sports version of the hockey presentation, featuring Doc Emrick and Eddie Olczyk.

While changing announcers is a typical move for developers looking to make wholesale changes, it is the presentation of the announcers that is so different. Instead of visually recreating the announce team with 3D graphics, the two men were filmed in front of a green screen and will be part of the game with actual video. Behind them will be the digitally rendered version of each arena.

EASports.com talked about the innovations with the commentary:

"

When we say Doc and Eddie are in the game, we mean really in the game. Taking commentary integration to the next level, NHL 15 will feature real-world pre-game video reels with the duo. Set against NHL 15 in-game visuals, the result is a revolutionary step forward in sports video games, where the lines between the real world of sport broadcast and the game are blurred.

"

The upgrades to the arenas and the announcing team are great, but the developers went a step further when they redesigned the way the crowd interacts with the action and the way players celebrate after goals or victories.

On one hand, the crowd upgrades are much needed. The stiff, cyclical routines of the two dimensional fans in the arenas were a major distraction and took away much of the realism the series had created over the years. With far more direct interaction with what’s happening on the ice and a focus on the different fans, the crowd will add to the experience now instead of taking away from it.

Another major upgrade is the celebrations. In recent editions of the game, the one player who scored was the one who could celebrate, but it’s now a team effort. With group celebrations possible and new animations after a goal is scored, putting points on the board has never been so much fun.

While this game is far from perfect, hockey fans who have come to love the series will not be disappointed by the stellar game play and visual presentation.

Stats via EASports.com.

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