I picked up 14 a few weeks ago and I'm glad I did it's super fun to pick up and play some games in season mode and I haven't felt that way about a sports game in a long while

NHL games are way better than madden in terms of depth and presentation even if it doesn’t look like it, imo nhl is the best ea sports game, but that’s a very low bar.

Think about Ea has ESPN and nbc could you imagine if Madden had a different presentation and announcer for SNF and MNF

My life gets replenished when Softdrink uploads a video

Legacy on 360/PS3 is my go to hockey game. It came out alongside 16 but was basically a perfect, refined compilation of that era that didn’t lose all the features that moving the next gen caused. It won’t ever be BC, meaning I have to keep my old 360 just to break out this game.

I feel like HUT in NHL 14 was the last one where you didnt need to pay to win. It's the last one where you could complete teams to get in game money which made it possible to aquire good players without spending real money. For me it's the last one where I really had fun with the mode

Yea you’re right, I still play 14 regularly just to feel like I’m playing a good NHL game

I played literally 200 hours of this game as a kid, that’s my childhood right there 😭🔥🔥

I did love 14 I remember having so much fun with my brother just doing fights and getting big hits

Bruh I wanted a NHL Hockey game and I got NHL 15 just because I'm a Bruins fan and Patrice Bergeron is on the cover but I was young and I didn't know any better

check out nhl 2k10. compared to anything recent, it's incredible how the physics and gameplay outshine anything EA has done recently. another sports youtuber did a video on it. you should do a video on 2k10 lol

If 2K makes another Chel game, I’m switching to that

Last nhl game where you were allowed to fight during play (without a big hit triggering it) you can just skate up to someone and try to fight. Unlike now where it has to be done off a Faceoff or after a hit. Not enough time after the whistle either nowadays.

I just found your channel through the madden videos while on a nostalgia trip. You’ve unlocked so many childhood memories of playing nhl 2k7 and so on and just wanted to say I appreciate these videos a lot

Softdrink makes me go get a ps3 and go back to my ps2 I love watching this man's videos always top tier.

Get a 360 and you have access to best generations of sports games if not games period. NHL 14, NBA live 10, NFL 2k5 & MVP baseball or MLB 2k. NHL 14 has 2 outdoor stadium venues. That feature has been missing for 8 years!

Thank you for covering the NHL games. NHL07, NHL14, and NHL20 are my favorites. And yes, NHL14 is a classic

Love these retrospective videos. Could watch a 3 hour long compilation. With popcorn, of course

I'm so happy I grew up with this game.The memories playing this for hours...

I still play superstar mode in this and it perfectly captures what I want in a hockey game. I can deke and score as well as put someone through the glass every now and then. Fighting is fun as hell too, I go for the Howe hat trick every game.

I was 13 when I played this game. I could tell it was something special. I went through multiple seasons in my franchise mode, and had a blast playing shootouts with my older brother. I got NHL 15 for next gen, and even at 14 years old i felt so underwhelmed. I was confused at why features like a FANTASY DRAFT were not in the game, and gameplay was just not as fun. I’m glad somebody else shares this sentiment.

This is a great video, and as a hockey fan, I'm glad you're finally giving the NHL franchise some time to shine. But as an expert of the NHL franchise, there are a few errors you made in this video I'd like to point out. 1. 3:08 _NHL 14_ didn't introduce collision physics, it was _NHL 11!_ _NHL 14_ just perfected it. 2. 6:44 _NHL 14_ wasn't the 20th anniversary of the franchise! It was the 20th anniversary of _NHL 94,_ but the first two games in the series known as _NHL Hockey_ and _NHLPA Hockey 93_ came out in 1991 and 1992 respectively! So actually, NHL 12 is technically the 20th anniversary game! 3. 7:04 This is just a personal thought, but the main flaw with _NHL 14_ I have is the AI. I think _NHL 14_ have even dumber AI than _NHL 18-21._ It's still better than _NHL 15-17_ though. 4. 7:14 That is if you're talking about the PS4 and XBOX ONE versions of _NHL 15._ Because _NHL 15_ and its follow up _NHL Legacy Edition_ on the PS3 and XBOX 360 were also just as great as NHL 14. Probably because they were just copy/paste jobs, with some gameplay tweaks that make some people think _NHL 15_ or _Legacy Edition_ on PS3/XBOX 360 is even better than 14. 5. 7:34 I disagree. I think _NHL 15_ is more like _Madden 06_ on 360. _NHL 15_ on next gen was a downgrade in the gameplay department. While _NHL 15_ (like _Madden 06)_ on last gen, was just as good as _NHL 14_ (and _Madden 2005_ respectively) 6. 7:44 Gameplay got better, not worse! There are a lot of great things you can do in NHL 18-21's gameplay what you can't do in _NHL 15._ Like a lot of the special dekes like the Forsberg, the Datsyuk, and between-the-legs shot, which were all present in NHL 14. And the Kucherov no-deke deke, and the Michigan, which are new additions to NHL 21! And the skating in _NHL 19-21_ feels a 100 times better than the skating in _NHL 15-18._ When I got _NHL 19,_ I didn't want to go back to 18 since the game hasn't felt this good to play since _NHL 14._ And the AI is a 1000 times better than _NHL 15,_ and 10 times better than 14. Like I said earlier, my main flaw with 14 is dumb AI. But the AI in 21 is still not good enough, as people still find ways to exploit it. But this is just my personal opinion, as I still prefer to play 19, 20 or 21 over 15 any day! 8:40, this is not an error, but a point I 100% agree with. NHL 14, 15 (old gen) and Legacy Edition does have a better reputation now than they had at launch. One of the things people always criticized about _NHL 14_ is one of the things I pointed out through out this comment. *The AI is dumb as sh-t!*

Hey new subscriber here just wanted to shout out how much I enjoy your channel, it's great to see someone look back on sports games and critique the new ones. Not sure if it's part of the future but i’d love to see more NHL video game content since there is a huge lack of retrospective content on the subject.

I just recently discovered this game. I had NHL 2K10 for years and LOVED that game. I recently went back and bought a couple of older NHL games like NHL 12 and NHL 14 because I missed the Winter Classic from the new games. I LOVE NHL 14! It is REALLY good. The only complaint I have is that the poke check is very weak but it is still a great game. I love the NHL 94 mode as well. Love your content! Thanks for continuing to release videos like this.

Subscribed. This is starting to become my favorite channel; it's like what LiamTriforce does for Half-Life or Zelda but for sports games. Keep it up, man. ^^

Please do more NHL videos. That and the show are my favorite sports games

12 13 14 is what i played most in my early years of high school. They were so fcking good, I rememeber the jump from 12 to 13 I was mind blown. Me and my buddy Lawrence probably played a thousand games against each other. Back when winter classic was a still a thing in ea nhl, shit was awesome

There's 4 dislikes, those are gamers who weren't around in 2013.

What... I literally just googled what was the most recent good NHL game and found 14 so I bought it...

Bro I remember When I would just start fights in random games. I never cared about winning

Its kinda sad that we came full circle with NHL21 having the same main points as NHL14

Killing it with these videos man!

Great video @SOFTDRINKTV. I just want to let you know that I actually enjoy all your vids, and that the fake fans are here only for your madden vids. You not only make madden retrospectives and reviews, but also do that for other sports games like nba 2K, MLB, fifa, etc. Keep posting the content you are already doing, I love it and I know many other people do too

I’ve been playing hockey since I was 6, and have been playing chel since 2011. Omg the gameplay is awful and sooooo much different from real life. If you learn hockey through chel, you don’t know hockey

I don’t know if a lot of people know this but NHL 15 was also on Xbox 360 and PS3. It was basically NHL 14 but just slap a 15 on there and you had NHL 15. Just wanted to put it out there

I loved NHL 14 and it was the last GREAT NHL. NHL 21 is a Good NHL Game though and the best entry to the series since 14

Soft drink killing it this month. Would love to see a 2k college hoops video!

EA really knocked it out of the park with the 14 series of games.

I know you’re more of a football guy so we always appreciate the NHL attention bc nobody can speak for the fans as accurately as you do.

Solid video man, love to see my game get some air time! My comment as a yearly buyer since 2012: The NHL series is in much better shape than other games. I haven’t regretted my purchase any year, and even though cheesing is annoying in online games, the gameplay still can feel like normal hockey. The issue with NHL is the community not being as strong anymore, and in NHL 14 it was as close-knit as ever. Also Franchise mode from that game hasn’t been topped, but in my opinion the series is still going in a better direction than other EA games and hopefully we can enjoy it soon like we did in NHL 14!

FrostBite: Engine to make FPS games. EA: LET´S USE THIS ON SPORTS GAMES! GG EASY BOYS.

I respect how you’re into all sports games and not solely just one

2013 was EA’S last GOOD year Madden 25, NCAA football 14, this etc

One of my favorite NHL games. It’s so fun just hitting people in it.

Great video. Nhl 21 is actually pretty fun. I got it for Christmas and I played a handful of games in be a pro mode, just been playing the 3 on 3 quick games and having a blast. Nhl 14 was great, 13 was ok... didn't like 12 or 11 though. NHL 10 was freaking stellar and improved on 09 greatly. The physics engine with those checks in 10 would send guys across the ice, totally loved it. Now I wanna dig out 14 and play again 😊

I'm gonna watch the rest of this video, but the title is all I need to read to hit like and 100000000% agree with it as well.

i hope you do more nhl videos, nhl 2k5, nhl 2k6, nhl 2k7, nhl 07, nhl 08, nhl 09, nhl 10, i would like to see 7 future retrospective of classic hockey games.

After NHL HITZ pro i have never play a game nore than NHL14. Man i do miss the old days. Great vid bro, thank you for it.

the only thing i want from 15 is the scoreboard

What about NHL Legacy for the Xbox 360? I never played it but read that it is basically this 14 game tweaked to be even better. Anyone here know if Legacy is better than 14 on the Xbox 360?

Love the video! I think the EA NHL series has the best chance of reaching that level of greatness it was once at, more so than Madden, Live, or FIFA. Here's to hoping the next generation has some nice surprises. 🤘

I have NHL 14 and I always get mad cuz I can't score in it or play a good goalie then I realized I suck at hockey games

I still play NHL ‘97, full penalties w/offsides. I’ve taken every team to the Cup. They play is so slow, it’s almost methodical. I still lose every so often, too. You have to use the dpad!

NHL 14 I think is like ncaa 14 in a way

To everyone who misses stuff like GM Connected: Play Franchise Hockey Manager. Seriously. It's honestly so much better than NHL is right now, in terms of franchise control. Sadly it doesn't have the same level of 3D presentation that EA NHL games do currently, but other than that, it's honestly just a straight improvement.

It's always a good day when softdrink uploads a video.

I played NHL15 just last night and it indeed did have a season mode. And it doesn't look cartoonish when you take a guy out like you showed on 14. I didn't play any other hockey games but I really enjoy it. I also play Madden 17 with updated rosters, NBA2K17, and MLB The Show 19...as well as NCAA Football 14 and NCAA Basketball 10. I just alternate between the different games and like them all.

Yup. Couldn't agree more. 14 was my personal favorite game to play. My favorite two things were Live the life, and the commentary. Watching this vido brings back so many great memories lol. I miss those good times. This made me want to play it again lol.

NHL 14 and Legacy are my favorite games in the series. I loved the puck physics and handling way more than then 19 (that is the last one I bought). I am still trying to unlearn those tendencies from well over a 1000 games played in NHL 14 and Legacy. It makes it so much harder do carry into the zone and actually set up it is ridiculous. Also pokes generate too many trips for the user compared to the CPU. I know there is a difference from reaching on the side and a straight up poke but there are still too many instances of trips when the person isn't even skating in a way to be tripped by the stick. Also hip checks suck, compared to the passed system.

My first NHL game and I remember having fun playing the season. I remember putting up double digit scores just going through with my defensemen and popping the puck past the goalie’s outside shoulder. Let’s just say Dennis Seidenberg was my MVP and won nearly every award except rookie, most valuable wing and Goalie (still went to Tuukka though despite me hating his decisions on defense😂)

THIS DESERVES MORE VIEWS

Thank you, this is what we need. The game has seemed like it has the features but it’s gameplay and realism is off.

It’s probably because I’m drunk, but this video just made me come to a revelation. These companies make as bad of games as they do because they focus on the money grabbing aspects of the game. Sheep who buy into all the games “gold card 99 player” and BS continue to fuel the fire. The video game industry isn’t like it was back in the day when you made money by making a better game to beat competition. Now, It’s filling your rehashed game with as much irl purchases that was made by as few developers as possible. It’s a sinking ship in my book…mainly because I haven’t purchased a single EA game in years just to spite them. Others will continue to join in due time.

I have to agree on nearly all points but I would also have to add NHL 15 on 360 and PS3. It was basically nhl 14 with less bugs. It had better pick physics in that the puck would no longer jump 20 feet in the air when it would be at the end of a dump in. My only problem with 15 on 360 was they removed the physics for hip checks. In 14 hipchecks where great, 15 they were nearly impossible. So other than that. 15 on 360 was great.

Very interesting video and take. I've gotten back into NHL in recent years because of how much i've been let down by FIFA and NBA2k. NHL is leaps and bounds ahead of these other games and I hope it does not get the frostbite engine. I think the problem is EA and they have no reason to invest extra in giving us quality products because we're going to keep buying what's there. Until someone jumps in to truly compete, I think we're all screwed with par sports games.

I haven’t had fun playing an NHL game since 14. It’s so annoying they can’t do anything but make ultimate team

If the old NHL 2K games from PS2 had a skill stick, they would be the greatest of all time. The gameplay was fluid, AI didn't feel like it was cheating to win, the historic teams were amazing, game mods were amazing, everything was amazing.

You forgot to the most important thing about NHL 14: Gary Thorne.

NHL 21 is great but it took from here to 21 to regain its glory

It was actually NHL Legacy Edition, released the following year.

So your saying that the last great NHL game had a devils player on the cover? And we should have a devils player on the cover again because that will make the game good again? That’s a great idea.

Just got NHL 14 thanks for giving me a idea man I'm gonna go play it and update my comment with feed back and NHL 14 was the last greatest NHL game ever made I wish they still made hockey games like this

7 GOATS was on the covers in NHL games Lemieux (NHL 02), Brodeur (NHL 1 4), Lindros (NHL 99), Stevens, Yzerman (Both NHL 96), Forsberg (NHL 99) and Jagr (NHL Blades of Steel 99 and 00 by Konami)

Great vid!

gameplay depends on the slider settings. even with default (by EA) slider profiles games are very different, i tested recently Nhl17 vs Nhl21 for that. also i used fan-made settings for more authentic gameplay, games are different with them and 21 is very good. also Nhl 96 on Genesis is awesome and Nhl 2004 Rebuilt too. didn't play Nhl2k* much

NHL legacy is like an ever so slightly better 14. I like 2k8 and 2k10 aswell, they are fun. Might try 2k5 someday, since it was one of the golden years.

When I was younger my dad kept 09 because he was deep into dynasty and it was overall enjoyable

The pregame presentation was so much better in 14. Sharks skating out of the Shark head, Oilers out of the Oil rig etc. Seems like such an easy thing to add, odd it's not in the current game

Also you could play some winter classics

I played in a GM Connected league on reddit in NHL 14 and it was the greatest gaming experience of my liffe

Thank you for making this video! Now let’s attach it to an email along with my video clip of my game last night that shows exactly what is broken with nhl 21 and the recent nhl games. And i don’t mean that there’s a few glitches or anything, i am talking about the game being fundamentally and embarassingly broken to the point where the fanbase should have their money returned to them and a class action suit should be filed for fraudulent gameplay that completely goes against what a competitive game is online versus other players. The game is scripted to act a certain way and takes player control away from the player letting the game decide outcomes

Common theme with EA. " used to be" this company has lost its passion for games now it's just a money machine

Please don't ever stop making vids like this

That's funny, I got NHL '14 back in 2014 for the PlayStation 3 during the holiday season, but I didn't get to play it due to my issues with the PS3. If I get my PS3 fixed or replace it with a new one, I'll be able to play it. Having said that, I really enjoy the NHL video game series (NHL '94 for Sega CD, NHL 2005 for the original Xbox, NHL '96 for PC CD-ROM, NHL '10 for Xbox 360 and NHL 2001 for PlayStation 2)

Found out that my copy of nhl 2014 is scratched and I can’t use it now

With due respect, imo, the last good and probably the best EA NHL game was NHL Legacy (NHL 16)

Do a retrospective of espn nhl 2k5 and nhl hitz and nhl 2k6 please.

NHL 14 EASHL was some of the funnest I've ever had playing ANY video game. Man what I would give to hop on for one more game with all of the regulars that were on at the same time every night.

nhl 14 gives me heavy nostalgia

i wanna learn more about the NHL video games so can you make more videos about other EA NHL games, 2K's NHL 2K, & Midway's NHL HITZ

Bro, you do "Golden Age" EA sports fans a great service. They also need to make these for PC again and MUCH better

I don’t much about hockey, but I’m gonna pick 14 up and learn more.

I swear a bit after NHL 14 came out everyone was shitting on it and now all of a sudden it’s a loved game unless I’m trippin

It’s sad that this console generation was by far the worst for sports games. I thought as a kid playing xbox with NFL 2K5 or NHL 2003 that the next generation will be the best...man was I wrong

Bro in NHL 21 BE A PRO. I'm 19 77 overall and I'm captain of LAK I stg NHL 14 was the best nhl game

Damn, I just picked up NHL15, not liking NHL20+ much. I'm a casual gamer with limited time and suck at team sports anyway, but I do like ice hockey, so I understand 15 is like 14 but stripped of many features that an casual schmuck like me won't miss much. After seeing your video on it, I might look for NHL2K8 for the Xbox 360 - I still have all my consoles. Great video, great channel thanks.

is this the one when you could destroy the goalie after the whistle, and have mini-brawls that would last 10 seconds? that was so fun. i rememer the old games had a freedom to it, even the celebrations how you could move your limbs manually. and also stick breaks i'm sure no one liked but i always thought that was kinda cool

*i love 15's direct approach with its Be A Pro and GM modes, no extra fluff, right to the meat and potatos.....then again, im a FOOL for single player thingzah so this might be biased.*

It's a lot of fun; I just wish I could change lines. I can't do that on this game.

In nhl14 I can increase individual player statuses like speed,passing,shooting etc. What I want to know is if you can earn money or xp points to improve the team's players,if so,in which mode can this be done ? I have a bad internet connection so I can not play online, unfortunately because I saw that you can win nhl bucks (I do not know if that's right ... ) playing in ultimate team mode ... Sorry if it sounded a little convoluted what I wanted to know ... Ty for the tips !