EA's NHL franchise seems to be the only one to get better every year. This year is no different.
Graphically, this game looks better than last year. They've added some new faces though there are still a lot of generic ones still in the game. This year they added Giroux's face, which makes sense since he is the cover star, but they still lack long hair for players such as Michael Handzus, Scott Hartnell and Kris Letang. Player models look better too and the color of the game has a more vibrant feel.
The music is what you've come to expect in an NHL game. I was glad to see The Offspring on the list but found it odd that there was one rap song. The commentary is so-so with Gary Thorn and Bill Clement who have a few new player specific lines but still very bland and general. Which remains the same with all EA sports titles. I wish they would have commentary as good as the NBA 2K series or even NFL2K5's from back in 2004.
Gameplay has seen an overhaul due to the new skating engine which takes into account, burst, acceleration, top end speed and momentum. If you skate at a normal pace you can control the puck and make tighter turns and when you skate at straight line top speed you have less control and it's harder to make sharp turns, or you may even just wipe out turning. This makes playing defense much harder because missing a big check or even a stick check might let your opponent get a great scoring chance. They've also added a ton of new animations, especially the goalies who make more diving desperation saves. I still hate the passing because the game always makes me pass the puck to the wrong person no matter where I aim the analog stick.
All the same modes return, Hockey Ultimate Team, the card collecting based game where your collected cards build the team you play as, GM mode which is essentially Franchise mode, and Be A Pro which has been the same since 2009. I would like to see the inclusion of game face like FIFA 13 and Madden NFL 13. As NHL 13's be a pro you never get that connection to your player, the faces are very limited and some even look deformed. I love seeing my face in Madden and it makes me care more about my player as it helps make it feel more like it's MY player rather than just my name and number, let's hope NHL 14 features game face.
EASHL, or EA Sports Hockey League returns and its much of the same as well, you play one a team full of other users. Its a great concept but people tend to ruin it by cherry picking, sucking horribly at goalie, puck hogging, taking bad penalties etc. But if you can find a club to play for it can be fun.
All in all this game doesn't add much other than the new skating system. this isn't a bad thing though, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. plus I love hockey so if you're a big hockey fan this game is for you.
Go Flyers!