Today, EA Sports revealed NHL 16, the next installment in their annual hockey franchise.
In a detailed blog post, GM of EA Sports Dean Richards talked a bit about their approach to making NHL 16 and what has changed from last year.
"First we looked to our biggest fans and asked them to be a part of our team," he said. "We spent more time listening and working with them this year than ever before. Their most requested features and modes are in NHL 16 and include new experiences that make NHL bigger and better.”
A few of those experiences include both added features and ones that were missing at the launch of NHL 15. For example, back are the abilities in Be a Pro mode to sim to your next shift and the capability to rise from the minors before becoming an NHL star. Also making a return is EA Sports Hockey League (EASHL) with new features like a player class system, which allows your team to piece together based on playing style and skill, not in-game ratings.
As for new features to the franchise, in Be a GM mode, you can now not only manage your NHL team and its AHL affiliate, but manage each player individually based on their personality. In Hockey Ultimate Team, you can now play through single player offline seasons to hone your skills before taking your team online.
Playoff beards, a long-standing hockey tradition, are also making their first appearance in NHL 16. Now, each player has his own unique and accurate beard pattern, length, thickness, and growth rate throughout the playoffs.
For a full list of all the new and returning features coming to NHL 16, be sure to check out EA Sports' detailed post. And if you have any questions about the upcoming hockey sim, be sure to head on over to their Q&A page.
NHL 16 will release in September of this year for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
