![]() ![]() ![]() NHL 20's in-game attention to detail and careful consideration of the sport is astounding. Additionally, goalie AI appears to be smarter this year, with netminders giving up fewer soft rebounds and making generally smarter decisions during important scenarios. It's a treat to see player-specific animations in NHL 20, and it's yet another part of the way NHL 20 faithfully represents the real NHL experience. Subban's booming slapshot and Alex Ovechkin's electric one-timer. NHL 20 also introduces "Signature Shots" for a number of the league's best players one of these is P.K. In NHL 19, your player would oftentimes still complete the shot animation even if the puck never got to them, which looked very strange, but that rarely happens this year. There are new shot animations as well, which are contextual in nature and better represent what a shot might look like from a particular part of the ice and depending on angles, power, speed, specific player attributes, and more. Overall, the on-ice gameplay feels faster and more true to the real NHL experience. Building off what was already the franchise's best foot forward with NHL 19, this year's entry feels faster and more fluid with better animations that more realistically depict important transitional moments like catching a pass and getting intro stride at a quicker pace. ![]() There are also changes to animations and skating mechanics that make the game appear more lifelike. NHL 20 succeeds the most with excellent, tight controls that give you the freedom to execute basically any hockey move you can think of. This inconsistency worsens the experience, as you have to train your eyes in multiple ways depending on which mode you're playing. ![]() It's a baffling choice, especially considering many of NHL 20's various other modes keep the score clock where it was. The new score clock location opens up more space on the screen for action, but I found it positively difficult to quickly and easily see the important information like time left in the game, penalty minutes, and other datapoints while simultaneously keeping my eyes on the action. It's now at the bottom of the screen compared to the top-left in last year's game-and it cannot be moved in the Settings. Part of this updated broadcast package is a new location for the score clock, which is the only major misstep. These moments do a good job at breaking down key plays, and, with their unique angles and close-ups, provide nice moments to sit back and revel in your achievements. In addition to brighter colors and sharper fonts, NHL 20 introduces more dramatic, slow-motion highlights of goal scores, as well as Overwatch-style "Play of the Period" and "Play of the Game" highlights. Outside of the new commentary team, NHL 20's updated broadcast presentation includes more colorful and dynamic graphics that display important information in more eye-catching ways. Some commentary lines are repeated too often, however, and Cybulski in particular sounds at times like he is hamming it up and acting like every game is Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. They do a mostly adept job at calling plays with style, flair, and personality, and their back-and-forth banter succeeds at capturing the essence of hockey culture with hockey IQ and knack. The new commentators are Canadian sports radio personality James Cybulski and former player and current rinkside analyst Ray Ferarro. It's a jarring change, as Emerick and Olczyk have been the voice of EA's NHL games since NHL 15. Commentators Mike "Doc" Emerick and Eddie Olczyk are out, while nearly the entirety of the NBC Sports Network license package, including live-action sequences, are gone, too. It is almost completely different this year, and the changes-which span commentary, UI, and graphics-are mostly positive but not always for the better. The biggest change for NHL 20 is its broadcast package. Combined with excellent controls, fluid gameplay, numerous fun and engaging different modes to play, a fine attention to detail and appreciation for hockey culture, NHL 20 is a step forward that is generally excellent. With its new commentary team and updated presentation package, NHL 20 represents the franchise's biggest shakeup in years-and they're mostly positive changes. ![]()
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