NHL 22 is upon us and WOW! EA Sports have stepped it up this year and gave us some awesome new features alongside some amazing new graphics. Every year sports games offer new and exciting features to do their best to make it seem as if you are at the games or that you really are the Coach. From added players’ abilities to updated visuals, NHL 22 is here to offer you a fully immersive experience when it comes to the hockey world. This is currently the best Hockey game ever and you surely won’t want to miss it! So lace up your skates and hit the ice, NHL 22 is here and waiting for you!
Whether you are a technology lover, or just a hockey enthusiast, the new Superstar X-factors will be something you enjoy. There are two tiers of Superstar X-Factor abilities: game-changing Zone abilities and enhanced Superstar abilities. The Superstar X-Factors are inspired by some of the league’s greatest players bringing their skills right to the game. From explosive speed, to amazing reflexes and pinpoint passing accuracy, the X-Factors can vary across all positions on the ice, helping you to get the best out of your players. There are a few different X-Factor categories such as Skating, Shooting, Passing, Defending, Goaltending, and even Hockey IQ and there are multiple X-Factor abilities in each one of these categories.
What are the odds of EA adding more game modes to NHL 22? Well, I can tell you, the odds are pretty good! Almost as good as if you were to check out NHL Odds and bet on your favorite team. From Franchise mode where you can build a new team from the ground up, to Be A Pro mode where you can play as yourself and try to really make a name for yourself, NHL 22 has something for everyone. They have even added in the Ultimate Team option so you can try and make your Ultimate Team using current and retired players! Having multiple game modes is always a great feature as you can go from being a player to being a coach seamlessly depending on what you’re up for at the time. Best of all, you can save your progress and come back to it whenever you are ready.
EA is making the most of their Frostbite engine and as such, has some pretty impressive visual updates available for NHL 22. Visuals are now becoming more important than ever and it is great to see what companies can do with them these days. They have done a great job at making the players look as lifelike as possible and they have even made it so the player’s eyes will track and react to their environment, meaning they’re not just standing there staring you in the face all the time. It really is amazing to see and some of the screenshots we have seen make it very hard to tell if they are from the game or if someone took them from a real NHL game. Alongside the visuals, EA has updated their Stick Physics so the moves look more realistic and that they will actually affect the game in real ways. One of my favorite features of the game is every time you make a play worthy of a highlight reel, your player will have a graphic projected over them that will also try and shake your opponent up and knock them off their game.
EA has done an amazing job with the new NHL 22 game! It’s always hard to think what they will do this year to make the game worthy of my hard-earned money again but EA has found a way to do it. The improved visuals, which offer an almost lifelike experience are enough for me to have purchased the game again but throw in some awesome new moves and X-Factor abilities and you have one amazing game! If you are a true hockey fan then this game is a must as it can make you feel like you are really in the stands watching your favorite team. The fully immersive gameplay and realness will also have you feeling like you’re right there on the ice playing with your favorite pros every day!
The only real downside I can see to the new NHL 22 is the fact that there isn’t a version available for PC Gamers and it can currently only be purchased for Xbox and Playstation. With the updated Visuals thanks to the Frostbite Engine, it really would have been nice to see how this looks on a proper Gaming Monitor with a top-spec Gaming PC pushing it. However, this shouldn’t take away from all the game has to offer as it still does look absolutely amazing on Xbox and Playstation. If you love Hockey and video games, NHL 22 is a must-have!
