, but the bottom line is that it will forever be known as an entry in the series that broke new ground for presentation while forgetting all of the features and modes that make the series great.

After a brutal new-gen console debut last year that suffered from underwhelming gameplay, missing modes, and a general lack of creative vision, developer EA Canada needed to come out strong this year to prove it still has what it takes to make a relevant hockey game.

NHL 16 Wins in Overtime

EA Sports has dominated the virtual hockey world with its NHL series, but NHL 15 stood out as a disappointment for hockey game fans. A number of features were removed from the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game, and thus the overall experience suffered.

Solid on-ice action; Strong presentation; Plenty of game modes; Return of EASHL

Return of EASHL; Very familiar

Strong on-ice gameplay and terrific multiplayer are offset by a lack of innovative modes. While this is a solid rebound from a shaky next-gen debut, NHL 16 still has work to do to regain greatness.

Excellent multiplayer gameplay; EASHL returns; Terrific crowds and arenas

By-the-numbers modes; Still missing features from last gen; No online leagues

There's a lot to like about NHL 16. EA Canada has worked diligently to bring back almost all of the features that were missing last year, with Be a Pro and EASHL being notably improved.

Before we start off talking about all the features and modes present in this year's NHL release, let's first get the biggest news out of the way. NHL 16 is not NHL 15 in every way possible, and that's such a good thing.

Top shelf presentation; Precision skating; Be a Pro is a winner; Player classes are well balanced

Online and menu lag; Practice Mode is rather shallow; AI can make some stupid decisions still

EA Sports fell short of expectations last year as NHL landed on new-gen, but this year it seems that lessons have been learned.

NHL 16 puts EA Sports' hockey series back on track after a disastrous outing . Almost all the modes and features that were missing at NHL 15 's launch have returned, with minor improvements to some and major overhauls to others.

Let's forget about NHL 15. The idea of a sports game not having all its game modes-no, let's move on. NHL 16 has a lot to make up for from last year, but the nice thing is that it doesn't have to do too much in order to accommodate that.