It’s a clear indication of them trying something new, but it just comes across as them copy/pasting a few photos of the cover athlete and leaving a lot of empty real estate. Regarding the aesthetic of NHL 21, it was a pleasure to see Alexander Ovechkin get his time to shine as the cover athlete, but EA’s new graphic design template for the 21 series of games is a bit baffling. This rush was a blast, but I couldn’t see myself playing this mode more than once. This mode massively suited my fancy, as it’s just as easy in NHL 21 to set up my patented one-timers for easy goals as it was back in the day. However, I grew up playing as a team, so I switched over to Season play to take the Chicago Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup. The Be a Pro mode would be ideal for someone that has the patience to build up a superstar, as its cutscenes and unique moments are grandiose. Unfortunately, the latter was a bit tough as whenever I poke-checked trailing a player with the puck, I drew a penalty hurting my team score. Starting out as a hot prospect, I had to wade my way through the minor league and demonstrate my lenience towards either being a team player or having star power in decisions like chat prompts and not racking up penalties. I’ve never embraced the Be a Pro mode, so I jumped right into that. This is much appreciated as the game’s large length, resulting in a long download, will have players eager to get into the action.

Before the player can even get into the main menu, EA Vancouver made it so that no time is wasted in getting the player into the prominent Be a Pro/Season modes. I had the choice of not only the difficulty and game length but small things like puck size and penalties.

I’ve taken a break from the genre for a while, but still kept up with the “coolest sport on Earth,” and now I have a chance to experience what a modern triple-A hockey video game plays like.Īs soon as I fired up NHL 21, I was greeted with a comprehensive accessibility menu. As someone who grew up logging countless hours with the likes of NHL 99, NHL 2000, and the NHL Hitz series, my fundamental understanding of the sport and how it’s a natural transition into a video game format is deep.

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