Go into a video game store 15 years ago and there would be a few different hockey games to choose from. Go in one now and all you’ll find is EA Sports’ editions of its NHL games for hockey.
Since 2011 when the 2K series offered its’ last edition, EA Sports has had a stranglehold on the video game market. 2K still makes games for mobile devices, but if you want a hockey game on a console, EA Sports is your only option.
(Today, we’ll pay recognition to the company and look at its best offerings since the series started in 1991. Next, Joe St. Germain will look at the best non-EA Sports games created. )
To pay recognition to EA Sports’ success, we’ve ranked its’ best NHL creations since the company introduced its first edition in 1991.
5. NHL ’09
The series’ third version on the Xbox 360/Playstation 3 consoles, was the first to introduce the EASHL, which allowed gamers to take a created Be A Pro player online to form a team with his or her friends.
Online team play was finally available and brought friends together as you tried to find the right combinations among each other to earn the victory. Players locked into a position, including goalie, at the start of the game and were critiqued by the game on how they did.
But it wasn’t just put together a team and see how you did. EA offered tournaments with game prizes that pitted your team against other tough opponents, similar to Ultimate Team (coming up). Your player also gained experience points to improve and users could buy and upgrade equipment.
While there were some issues with the gameplay, the feature is still one of the most played among online users. Along with EASHL, NHL 09 also had online 6 vs. 6 team play where you could drop into a game and play with 11 random people with your Be A Pro player.
This installment featured Dion Phaneuf on the cover and was the last version to be released on Playstation 2 and PC.
4. NHL ’97
The first retro edition on this list, NHL 97 turned heads with its 3D engine, the first of its kind. For hockey video games, it was a trendsetter by moving the graphics forward.
It also featured John Vanbiesbrouck on the cover while with the Florida Panthers. Not only was the team choice unusual, the American netminder was the last goalie to be featured on the cover until Martin Brodeur won the fan vote in 2014.
Besides the graphics update, NHL 97 offered national teams for the first time – albeit just Canada, the United States, Russia and two European All-Star teams, which may have been where the idea of Team Europe in this past World Cup originated from. Some teams also had third jerseys in the game, but like the national teams only a portion; five clubs had the jerseys included.
However, this version also began to identify players in unique ways. One player on each team had a special skill that identified them in real life. For instance, Philadelphia Flyer Eric Lindros could hit players while skating with the puck and Pittsburgh Penguin Mario Lemieux could take a behind-the-back shot.
If you and your friends wanted to play something other than a regular game, NHL 97 also had skills competitions for the first time that became staples for future EA Sports and other series.
3. NHL ’11
The second straight edition to feature a Chicago Blackhawk on the cover (this time Jonathan Toews), is most remembered for introducing the NHL video game world to Hockey Ultimate Team. Already a popular mode on FIFA and Madden games, ultimate team gave the user a team selected of random players in the form of trading cards.
You then took your team to play in single games or tournaments — offered online or offline. Playing games earned you coins, which you then used to purchase packs of cards or bid on players/uniforms/logos on an eBay-like auction.
The feature is akin to starting an expansion franchise just like George McPhee and company are doing in Las Vegas right now. You started with a hodge-podge of average players, attempted to win games and then bought players to improve your team. On top of that, you customized your team down to its’ name, arena, jerseys and logo.
The mode was hugely successful and has been a component of every game since then. Tournaments are still an option, but instead teams play in online divisions, attempting to succeed to the highest without getting knocked down a peg or two.
However, the first edition of Ultimate Team did have its’ weaknesses such as a salary cap that inhibited a user from creating a “stacked” lineup and a career limit on the number of games one card/player could appear in. In the six years’ since its’ creation, those kinks have been erased.
I would be remiss if I didn’t also include that this edition included a big update to the engine that made the game more life-like than ever before. While it was a great update at the time, improvements were barely made on the engine until the series went to Xbox One and PS4 in September of 2014. NHL ’11 brought a new engine, but also began the era of little development on EA’s part.
2. NHL ’94
No ranking of EA’s best NHL games couldn’t include NHL ’94. The game put the EA Sports games on the map and can easily be considered a godfather for the games that have come.
Just to note how popular it is, it ranked #47 on IGN’s top 100 Games of All-Time – as in all games, not just sports games. NHL ’14 included an NHL ’94 version on it to commemorate the 20th anniversary and there’s a whole forum dedicated to just that edition.
Getting back to the game, it was the third game in the EA Sports NHL series released on Genesis, Super NES, Sega CD and for the first time ever, on PC, though under just the name “NHL Hockey.”
The game introduced the one-timer, which any hockey video game fan can tell you is all-important when it comes to playing these video games and was renowned for its’ realism. On top of that it added a save mode with its’ season and playoff mode.
Other hockey video games that came out that year and the following few include Mutant Hockey League, Brett Hull Hockey, ESPN National Hockey Night and Wayne Gretzky and the NHLPA All-Stars. Despite most of those having big stars or companies associated with them, the EA Sports versions are the only one left. It’s fair to say that NHL ’94 began that ascent for EA.
1. NHL ’07
The first edition to appear on the third-gen consoles (Xbox 360, PS3) moved the EA Sports franchise away from the arcade play and more to realism. It may not go down as the most celebrated NHL game, but it clearly set the pace of NHL games moving forward.
Gone were the arcade-like styles of pushing a button for a special move or the stars under players skates to indicate who were the top players. Instead, it made the game more like the real thing than ever before with no “power-ups” or secret moves.
To usher that in, EA Sports introduced the skill stick. Instead of shooting or aiming by hitting the buttons on the right of the controller, you had to use the two analog sticks. The left moved the player; the right shot and aimed the puck.
It took some getting used to, but the skill stick was exactly how it sounded – something to add skill to the game instead of button smashing.
Today, the game has reverted back to button options as the standard, but on my money, the skill stick is still the best rout to go when playing an NHL game.
Almost metaphorically in the new shooting system and the new age of gaming, freshly-minted superstar Alexander Ovechkin was named the cover athlete. Past stars to grace the cover like Vincent Lecavalier and Markus Naslund were forgotten about.
Today, EA Sports’ NHL games are the only ones created and that can be traced back to NHL ’07 when the company started creating its’ own path and forced others to try and keep up.
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