That being said, NHL 21 is, as stated at the beginning of my review, far and away the best hockey game available, and basically stands alone as the premier hockey sim/arcade mashup period. The music continues to suck, but I’m a 35-year-old metalhead who hates pop music so this was never going to win me over. The audio is great, the commentary continues to impress, and the sound effects really, really make me miss the real thing. Yeah, it looks great and “slightly” better than ‘20…but we’re at the absolute end of a hardware cycle and there’s really no point in judging a crossover title on its visuals when then PlayStation 5 and XSX versions are going to look massively different than their current-gen editions. Visually, well, I’m not really going to touch on this too much because I played the game on a stock PlayStation 4. But these are minor, non-gameplay related gripes, just stuff I felt I needed to rant about. Also, as much as I love Ovie, did he really need to be on the cover…again? Pastrnak, McKinnon, Draisaitl…I could list probably ten more players that deserved the cover spot before putting Ovechkin on there for the second time. It looks like something that would have been ripped on in the 90s for being ugly and messy, I cannot fathom who gave the okay for that. However, with the good comes the bad, and I’m wondering what intern took 20-minutes to throw together the new intro menu. I like Snoop, but thank the hockey gods I don’t have to mute commentary during the second period every other game anymore. On the other hand, as they say, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away,” and thankfully they’ve taken away probably my least favourite feature from NHL 20: Snoop Dogg.
#SNOOP DOGG NHL 20 PRO#
If you want to live out your childhood fantasy of being a professional hockey player, making bank and living in the spotlight, Be a Pro has everything you’re after and more. What they do with their sweet sweet cash has similar effects. Players now have conversations with media and coaches that allow for RPG-style dialogue choices that impact their career and how much money they make, while also impacting their synergy with teammates.
However, this is definitely the deepest system we’ve seen in an NHL game yet, with endless depth and options for the fantasy Gretzky. I much prefer franchise mode - my years of playing hockey as a solid bottom-six, two-goals-a-season player never really inspired me to “live the pro-life”.
Again, this is not a mode that I ever really enjoyed or played frequently. The biggest change though, and the one EA has been really promoting the hell out of, is in Be a Pro mode. Goalies have more options for play now, which makes shootouts slightly less unbearable but still an aspect of the game I’m more than happy to leave to the AI. You can also now “slip” past defenders trying to check you on the boards, just a lil’ shoulder wiggle, and bam you’re heading down a 2 on 1. There is still no real reason to engage in dump-and-chase, as you can usually out-deke or manoeuvre the boys on the blue line, but it’s an improvement over ‘20 - albeit slight. My players are less likely to get caught up on the boards running into each other and the defence seems to be a bit more… on top of things. It’s literally the best hockey video game out there, by a country mile, and at the end of the day - what else are you going to play? It’s still better than bubble hockey.
#SNOOP DOGG NHL 20 SERIES#
This year’s version of the perennial hockey simulator comes with a host of changes, updates, and new modes, including more RPG-lite options for Be A Pro, an overhauled AI, and HUT Rush mode - all changes that aren’t mega-drastic, but really, other than improving bits and pieces over the years, a series like this doesn’t really need “drastic” changes. Not to mention it’s a lot easier to armchair quarterback when you’re actually in control of the team instead of yelling at the television like your sad, drunk uncle. Though I won’t be able to watch my beloved Maple Leafs toy with my emotions for the 35th year in a row (what a long and bumpy road it’s been), being able to play virtually with NHL 21 takes some of the sting out of it. Death, taxes, and EA Sports - It’s that time of year again! While COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the major sports market, and we’re left wondering when and even if things will ever get back to normal, one thing remains consistent: EA Sports has dropped the latest and great NHL Version on us just as the hockey season kicks into gear…or would be kicking into gear.
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