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<\/p>\nNHL 26 is the best version of this game in years. There, I said it. I wouldn\u2019t normally begin a review with such an outlandish proclamation, yet I don\u2019t really know how else to start a review about an ice hockey video game. The simple fact is I\u2019ve had a super fun time playing this one and there\u2019s plenty of joy to be had if you\u2019re a fan of the ol\u2019 puck-person-shooters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Coming right off the heels of NBA 2K26, I felt like my sports game quota had been sufficiently filled this year (until FC 26 arrives, anyway) and I may not have had enough space in my mental arsenal for another. Ergo, after tracking NHL 26 in the last few weeks and keeping up to date with its updates, it felt like it was worth jumping into and whilst it may not give me the same amounts of unparalleled joy that NHL 94 did way back on the Mega Drive \/ Genesis, there\u2019s plenty here to appreciate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
NHL 26 is shouting from the rooftops about the new ICE-Q iteration, ICE-Q 2.0, an AI system that allows each player and opponent to feel and play much like their real life counterparts. Collecting data from players like hungry hungry hippos and fed into this algorithm, allowing EA Sports to create perhaps the most realistic depiction of ice hockey there may have ever been, and it\u2019s to their credit that they just might have pulled it off.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It\u2019s obviously a world away from the joy of NHL 94 (seriously my only real comparison to this behemoth), but of course the sport is also entirely different now. When EA Sports famously shout out loud that \u2018it\u2019s in the game\u2019, they really bloody mean it and the ICE-Q 2.0 demonstrates just how serious they are about bringing you a cutting edge ice-hockey escapade. It\u2019s responsive, it\u2019s blisteringly fast, it\u2019s tactical and not at all easy. It feels like a challenge to even get a hold of the puck if you\u2019re not starting on the most basic of difficulties and allows you to get better by simply just wanting to get a single damn point on the scoreboard. Ice-Q 2.0, your goalkeepers are annoyingly good. I need more Onana, less De Gea, thanks (ah yeah, those famous Man United ice hockey players \u2013 Ed)<\/p>\n
NHL 26\u2019s terrific balancing act of offense and defence has always been an admirable aspect of the series and it\u2019s no different here. Whilst I mentioned above that it\u2019s not an easy game to get your head around at first, you\u2019re never against a team that feels particularly overpowered, for me they just knew where the goal was a little better than I did at the beginning, and the power of the shots were difficult to stop.<\/p>\n
You get used to defending a fair bit, particularly in a quickfire sport like the NHL because it\u2019s so back and forth the entire time as the ice rink you\u2019re playing on is so small in comparison to, say, a football field. In FC and Madden you have time to think about what you\u2019re doing to do next whilst you have the ball at your feet or in your hands, with NHL by the time you\u2019ve realised how much space you have you\u2019re already one on one with the keeper and its fight or flight in that moment, you may as well have a shot and see what happens but there were fewer times I didn\u2019t feel completely surrounded by the opposition in moments where I could have probably done better. Again, I never felt this was the fault of the AI but rather me not quite getting to grips with the tactics of the game immediately. This improved tenfold the more I played and I was able to circumvent those initial worries with a few games and some wins under my belt.\u00a0Ice hockey it turns out is far more tactical than I perhaps gave it credit for. <\/p>\n
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Away from the actual playing of ice hockey, naturally NHL 26 has a variety of modes which you can find yourself in. I would argue and say 2K have probably took over in terms of the sheer amount to do in each game from EA, but it\u2019s not like they\u2019re slacking, there\u2019s still a myriad of modes that stretch across EA Sports entire sports range, and NHL 26 is no exception, with Ultimate Team, which has been buffed with FUT Seasons this year, a mode I hugely enjoy in the FC series, , Franchise \u2013 which has seen precisely zero updates and Be A Pro, where I spent the majority of my time during my review period and thoroughly enjoyed the drafting nonsense of it all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Drafting\u2019 isn\u2019t something we do in sport in the UK, so it took me a minute to understand its importance in NHL 26. By the time I was in it though, I was hooked. Going from amateur to pro in a matter of hours was really quite fun, with enjoyable storylines, teams I had never heard of suddenly knocking on my door and essentially turning me into a product to be purchased by some owners of ice rinks. I did get a little lost in the drama of it all and it became something I really wanted for my player, as dumb as that sounds. You end up leaving the Junior World Championships and suddenly you\u2019re touring around playing for the cream of the crop in the hopes that they\u2019ll pick you for their new season and finally, end up in the NHL playing for the masses. My player was a cocky, arrogant idiot who knew how good he was, as it didn\u2019t seem like all that fun playing a humble fan-favourite, much like NBA and WWE this year, I took the villain role to get to the top and had a blast doing so.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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One aspect of the mode I\u2019m surprised I enjoyed so much was the press conferences or \u2018media scrum\u2019. Weirdly it felt to me like the game was a bit of a TellTale mode, with decisions on what to say affecting the mood of fans, fellow players and your coach. Now this isn\u2019t anything new in the EA Sports series, but the impact your answers have certainly felt like they made a huge difference in how I was perceived as Be A Pro continued. Like I said, my player was cocky and looked out for number one and this obviously never went down all that well, fortunately balancing that out with solid performances on the ice. The presentation of this mode is solid and looks exactly how you imagine it would on your TV, and that\u2019s testament to EA Sports for always being ahead of the game in this regard. Even if it\u2019s not in the game, it\u2019s in the game.<\/p>\n
So there\u2019s plenty to love in NHL 26 and is a solid entry in this year\u2019s sports catalogue for EA. It plays smooth as silk, looks terrific and has enough modes to keep any NHL superfan happy until the NHL 27 rolls around. As an NHL rookie, I had a great time and it gave me a new appreciation for a sport I\u2019ve never really paid enough attention to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m gonna end on a quote from a legendary ice hockey player, talking about Wayne Gretzsky<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2019You miss 100% of the shots you don\u2019t take\u2019 \u2013 Wayne Gretzky\u2019 \u2013 Michael Scott.\u00a0<\/p>\n
NHL 26 is available on September 12th on PS5 (review platform) and Xbox Series X|S<\/p>\n
Developer: EA Sports
Publisher: EA Sports<\/p>\n
Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the DLC. For our full review policy,\u00a0please go here<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you enjoyed this article or any more of our content, please consider our\u00a0Patreon<\/a>.<\/p>\n Make sure to follow Finger Guns on our social channels.\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitch<\/a>,\u00a0Spotify<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Apple Podcasts<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 to keep up to date on our news, reviews and features.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tRossKeniston\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n NHL 26 is a terrific iteration of the series, bringing together immersive, in-depth gameplay thanks to the ICE-Q 2.0 AI system, terrific visuals and a huge roster of modes.. It’s puckin’ great.<\/p>\n NHL 26 is a terrific iteration of the series, bringing together immersive, in-depth gameplay thanks to the ICE-Q 2.0 AI system, terrific visuals and a huge roster of modes.. It’s puckin’ great.<\/p>\n \t\tLike this:<\/p>\n Like Loading…<\/p>\n