NHL 12 Critic Reviews

The best representation of the sport ever created. I don't think I can praise it any more than that.

NHL 12 somehow was able to take what NHL 11 did so well, improve upon, then completely run away with it. The best hockey title of this console generation.

Fans of the NHL series are unlikely to skip an entry, for any number of reasons, including the roster and uniform updates, the online play or the simple lack of competition, and there's no reason to start now, as this version's tweaks offer a genuine improvement over last year's well-regarded title, once you adjust to the more realistic controls (either through practice or tuner adjustments.)

Overall, the amount of different play modes both online and offline are staggering. There is something for just about everyone and when you get tired of one mode there is something different to explore.

EA has seemingly done the impossible by revamping the game in a way that not only increases the realism, but also improves the gameplay.

This game is so diverse, and so large in its overall experience that there's almost too much to keep you interested for another full year.

NHL 12 is, in my opinion, the best hockey game to date. It looks vivid and sharp, but the true-to-form NHL gameplay is what pushes it over the top. With a fast-paced game like hockey, it's not easy to recreate the experience in a video game, but with this title, EA has managed to do so quite successfully, making this one easy to recommend without thinking twice.

It appears that the development team refuses to say amazing is good enough. The new Be a Legend option is disappointing while the also-new 24/7 mode shines. The graphics stay the course, but the staggering depth that pervades the entire experience puts yet another championship season on ice.

To be honest, I'm usually in the camp that skips every second NHL title because it's hard to justify what seems like a few enhancements and a roster update for the price of a AAA game, but this time they've done a fantastic job with improvements that are very hard to resist. Damn fine way to celebrate your 20th title.

Player interaction has to be the best feature of actual gameplay.

To be fair there are a lot of changes and tweaks made to the NHL 11 design, but many of them are so small to be nearly unnoticeable. As great as NHL 12 is, and it is a great game, it's not a giant leap from NHL 11. Is that enough to warrant another $60? Only you can answer that one.

The best version of NHL in the past three years -- it's like the previous versions were simply leading up to this release. Everything looks and feels and plays as it should; a fine balance of entertainment and realism. It's a fantastic entry for any fan of the game.

NHL 12 offers a ton of options and improves on key areas like control, artificial intelligence and the number of game modes.

NHL 12 is another step towards excellence. If you're a fan of this sport, you can't miss it.

NHL 12 is the new benchmark that sports games will aspire to challenge, it's also the best and most complete title that EA Sports has released in years.

EA Sports once again make head roads into the hockey arena by creating the best hockey game to date... it seems that EA does this every year with their NHL series. Gameplay is refined, more powerful and caters for both newcomers and veterans alike.

Casual fans may not need to pick this up over NHL 11, but hockey fans will want to get this, just for the engine improvements alone.

NHL 12 is further proof that, for as complete as NHL 11 was considered, there seems to always be new, significant, quality additions that can be made from one year to the next.

The more time I spent with it, the more the new changes to the formula grew on me. The AI routines are less predictable and scripted, meaning every game feels like anything can happen.

All in all, NHL 12 is the best iteration of the series, which isn't too surprising considering every new version has improved on the last.