NHL 20 is an ice hockey simulation video game developed by EA Vancouver and published by EA Sports. It was released globally on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on September 13, 2019. It is the 29th installment in the NHL video game series and features Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews as the official and North American cover athlete,[1] and would return as the cover athlete in NHL 22.[2] Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks was named the cover athlete for the Swedish cover, and Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets was named the Finnish cover athlete for the second year in a row.[3]
| NHL 20 | |
|---|---|
 Cover art featuring Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs | |
| Developer(s) | EA Vancouver |
| Publisher(s) | EA Sports |
| Series | NHL |
| Engine | Ignite |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 4 Xbox One |
| Release | September 13, 2019 |
| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Features
editNHL 20 introduces new game modes such as Squad Battles in Hockey Ultimate team. The game features a new commentary team of play-by-play man James Cybulski and Ray Ferraro as the main color commentator at ice level. The pair replace the NHL on NBC duo of Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk, whom Ferraro worked with on previous NHL video games. Consequently, the NHL on NBC graphics package and score bugs have been removed and replaced with a generic EA Sports graphics package and score bug.[4] Cybulski and Ferraro will be joined by other celebrity guests (i.e., rapper Snoop Dogg) for certain games.[5] Expansion Mode is also available, with the user adding a 32nd team to the league. Although the default team in this mode is named "Seattle 32nd Franchise" (to reflect the real-life Seattle Kraken that began play in 2021), any city and team name combination can be used, and the league will be realigned accordingly.
During the 2019 NHL Awards, EA announced that NHL 20 would be getting a new shooting engine powered by RPM to reflect signature shots of players such as P. K. Subban and Alexander Ovechkin.[6] World of CHEL now has challenges, weekly in-game events and more.
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | XONE: 85/100[7] PS4: 77/100[8] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Game Informer | 7.5/10[11] |
| GameRevolution |   [17] |
| GameSpot | 9/10[10] |
| GamesRadar+ |   [13] |
| Hardcore Gamer | 3.5/5[16] |
| IGN | 7.9/10[9] |
| Push Square | [12] |
| Shacknews | 8/10[15] |
| USgamer | 3.5/5[14] |
NHL 20 received "generally favorable" reviews for the PS4[8] and Xbox One[7] versions of the game, according to Metacritic.
Accolades
editNHL 20 was nominated for "Sports Game of the Year" at the 23rd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards,[18] and won the award for "Game, Franchise Sports" at the NAVGTR Awards.[19]
References
edit- ^ "NHL 20". Electronic Arts. September 14, 2018. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ Arts, Electronic (August 19, 2021). "NHL 22 - This is Breakthrough Hockey - EA SPORTS". Electronic Arts Inc. Archived from the original on August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- ^ EA staff (August 6, 2019). "EA SPORTS - NHL 20 Nordic Cover Athletes - Elias Pettersson and Patrik Laine". Electronic Arts. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
- ^ Peek, Jan Ole (July 26, 2019). "NHL 20 Announcers Revealed by EA Canada". GuideStash.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (June 21, 2019). "NHL 20 Game From EA Revealed: Battle Royale, Cover Star, Release Date, New Commentary Team, And More". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ "NHL 20 - New Features Overview". Electronic Arts. September 14, 2018. Archived from the original on June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ a b "NHL 20 for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ a b "NHL 20 for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ Bertz, Matt (September 13, 2019). "NHL 20 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (September 20, 2019). "NHL 20 Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Wallace, Kimberly (September 17, 2019). "NHL 20 Review - Off the Post". Game Informer. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Banas, Graham (October 3, 2019). "NHL 20 Review (PS4)". Push Square. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Gilbert, Fraser (September 13, 2019). "NHL 20 review: "Another formidable effort from the most consistent series in sports gaming"". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Bailey, Kat (September 13, 2019). "NHL 20 Review". USgamer. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Lavoy, Bill (September 13, 2019). "NHL 20 Review: One win away". Shacknews. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Wells, Cory (September 13, 2019). "Review: NHL 20". Hardcore Gamers. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Treese, Tyler (September 13, 2019). "NHL 20 Review | Taking an ice rink to CHEL". GameRevolution. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Chalk, Andy (January 13, 2020). "Control and Death Stranding get 8 nominations each for the 2020 DICE Awards". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on January 24, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- ^ "2019 Winners". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. February 24, 2020. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.