NHL 12

Overview

NHL 12 is an ice hockey video game developed by EA Canada and published by EA Sports. The game was featured in the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Steven Stamkos was announced as the game's cover athlete on June 22, 2011, at the NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The game notably includes more interactive goalies (i.e. players can have real contact with the goalies and vice versa, and the goalies and skaters may fight each other), better physics engine, improved Be a Pro mode (a feature allowing users to play fictional careers), and the ability to play the 2011 NHL Winter Classic.

Playoff is a singleplayer mode that allows the player to create a custom tournament bracket with the teams and leagues available in the game. The player can choose to play each game or simulate the outcome, all the while tracking the stats of their own team. Gameplay settings such as injuries and difficulty level can be customized.

NHL 12 received "favorable" reviews on both platforms as reported by the review aggregation website Metacritic. GameTrailers said that the gameplay "just feels more alive," but were somewhat frustrated that they "did manage to find a technique to score a little too often," and also noted that the game "looks almost identical to last year's effort." They praised the EA Sports developers however, describing them as a team unwilling to believe that an "amazing" product is enough. The "Be A Legend" mode, however, did not get much of the same praise; GameTrailers said that the mode "feels like a missed opportunity."

PlayStation Universe's Adam Dolge described it as "yet another terrific hockey game, and well worth the attention of any puck fan." Dolge mainly praised the gameplay improvements, noting the A.I. and the physics engine, which has been enhanced as well. He also praised the revamped presentation of the game. However, Dolge agreed with GameTrailers that the new "Be a Legend" mode is not well thought-out, and criticized the Be a Pro camera angle. He also believed that the Be a GM mode needed to be revamped.

Official trailer

Trailer. Watch on YouTube

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Sport

Developer

EA Canada

Publisher

EA Sports

Series

EA Sports NHL

Platforms

PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Age rating

ESRB E10+

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

No

Online multiplayer

Yes

Co op

Yes

Age ratings

PEGI

16

ESRB

E10+

Release dates

Playable today

Credits

Region

US