NHL 22

NHL 22 is the next installment of the popular ice hockey sports series, which dates back to the 1990s. It was developed by EA Sports, the studio responsible for the entire series. Thanks to the licence, the game features real American teams affiliated by the professional NHL (National Hockey League) organisation. The game is available in both the Standard edition and the X-Factor edition.

Mechanics

As before, NHL 22 allows players to play indoor games and those played outdoors. The developers once again focused on realism, replicating the struggles of virtual players as closely as possible and maintaining a high level of complexity.

One of the game's new features is the Superstar X-Factors system, which is reserved for the league's most elite players and focuses on their unique skills (including passing, driving, shooting and goal defence). These mechanics introduce a total of 29 different skills, spread across two levels: Zone Abilities and Superstar Abilities. Each player receives one Zone Ability and a set of Superstar Abilities. This makes the competition and strategy development for each match all the more interesting.

The game stats are displayed directly on the ice surface, so the player doesn't have to take their eyes off the ice and keeps a constant vigilant eye on the game. In addition, every time one of his players makes the best play, a special graphic is displayed above him, boosting his energy and lowering his opponent's morale.

Game modes

NHL 22 can be played both solo and with others. The game offers a variety of modes, including World of Chel, which in this installment has received, have been added, a new, faster menu system and a more customisable EASHL player build. The player has a choice of 12 player classes, each of which can be fully customised to suit their playing style.

Other information

Beta (technical tests) officially started on 30 August. Players who signed up for it received special codes via email. The uploaded material reached a size of 38 GB on new generation platforms and 28 GB on the previous one, which was probably related to improved graphics for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles.

Unfortunately, in this part players cannot carry out joint gameplay across two different platforms. If a player has decided to purchase the game for Xbox One, they can only play matches with users who own the version for the same console.

Technical aspects

NHL 22 features realistic, 3D graphics. The game was developed on the Frostbite engine and boasts exceptional attention to detail. Player models have been revamped, and improvements have been made to the appearance and movement of objects. New eye animations and facial expressions have been added, among other things. Collisions of sticks or a stick with the player's body have also been mapped, and the movement of hitting the puck has been improved.