


He has an urgency to his voice which can sometimes feel just slightly out of place, but the accuracy of what’s being said in relation to the ongoing play feels better than past iterations of the NHL series. I’m not overly familiar with James Cybulski’s actual commentary work, but he’s good in NHL 20. Applying pre-recorded commentary over unpredictable gameplay must be a nightmare but, holy cow, do James Cybulski and Ray Ferraro ever do an incredible job.
#Nhl 20 battle royale series#
It was then I realized that the broadcast package in the NHL series over the last few years was simply stale and not up to present-day standards. Last season, though, I watched an actual game with Doc on play-by-play, and it was good. I’ve been dumping on Mike “Doc” Emrick for a couple years now for the commentary in the NHL franchise. Last year, that would have been a boring animation wrist shot that either went in or was snagged with a glove, causing play to almost certainly stop. Seeing Auston Matthews pull the puck into his feet to change the angle and firing a wicked wrister is very cool, just as it’s refreshing to see Carey Price shrug his shoulder to react to a puck he can’t easily control, causing it to careen over the net or into the corner. This leads to frantic play and garbage goals but that’s what real hockey is like. Pucks bounce now, so whereas taking a shot in NHL 19 meant a whistle, taking a shot in NHL 20 could bounce around, like real pucks do, and create absolute chaos. With the additions of the new shot animations and new goalie intelligence (which also includes new goalie animations), play seems refreshed and more organic than it’s ever been. Players knew that if they took a shot on goal, it either went in or was almost certainly going to be swallowed by the goaltender and play would be stopped. There were ways to play defense and it led to many shutouts. There were ways to score and we all took advantage of that.
#Nhl 20 battle royale Offline#
Past years of this franchise have seen offline play dictated by a formula.
#Nhl 20 battle royale pro#
When playing offline in modes like Be a Pro or Franchise, they completely change the game and have me thinking about how much I want to play hockey even as I sit here writing about it.

There is no way to downplay the significance of EA Canada’s overhaul to shooting and goalie intelligence. While there are a few tweaks here and there to some of the returning modes, they are mostly the same as what was offered in NHL 19. Seriously, that’s just a few, as NHL 20 includes more than 14 game modes tucked away in its online and offline offerings. While NHL 20 sees the addition of Ones Eliminator in the World of Chel as a game mode, which is basically just a battle royale for hockey, most of the modes in NHL 20 are returning veterans, and players will find Hockey Ultimate Team, EASHL, Threes, Online Versus, Be a Pro, and Franchise mode just to name a few. Fresh faces at campĮA Canada’s big sell on NHL 20 prior to its release was mostly centered on gameplay, with overhauls to both shooting and goaltender intelligence, each of which are wrapped up in the new broadcast package that has been badly needed for a few years. With NHL 20, the team at EA Canada has put forth one of the best video game hockey experiences ever made, but it falls short of what could have been near perfection. Louis Blues defeated the Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup in Game 7 last season, the Bruins ensured their year would be forever summed up with the phrase, “One win away.” It’s a tough spot because Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals means a team has had an incredible season, but the glory they worked so hard for was just out of reach.
