Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 44 Critics What's this?

User Score

Mixed or average reviews- based on 64 Ratings

  • Summary: NHL 13 promises to deliver a revamped gameplay experience that accurately captures the speed, creativity and strategy of today’s NHL headlined by all-new True Performance Skating, and supported by EA SPORTS Hockey I.Q. NHL 13 also promises to deliver new experiences that connect hockey fans s to their friends and the real world of hockey with the all-new GM Connected and NHL Moments Live game modes. Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 44
  2. Negative: 0 out of 44
  1. Oct 10, 2012
    98
    NHL '13 delivers a massive update to the series that has been long awaited by fans.
  2. Sep 17, 2012
    85
    NHL 13 is not a revolution for the series , but it's definitely a nice step in the right direction for its future evolution.
  3. Sep 25, 2012
    85
    There's so much extra built into the game I'm not sure how anyone could evaluate all of it in one go, which is why I'd encourage anyone interested in NHL 13 to give it a rental first to focus on the part of the game that might be of most interest. For me, it's the action on the ice during couch matches, which is my recommended way to play.
  4. Jan 24, 2013
    70
    It's the ability to check opponents that is the real highlight of the violence. [Feb 2013, p.80]

See all 44 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 27
  2. Negative: 8 out of 27
  1. Anyone who plays hockey would know that this game is a great leap towards realism. I can't believe people say it's not worth $60... (I mean, people buy map packs all year for COD????). The EA NHL series has been one of the most innovative and consistently improving sports games around. Let's look beyond the menus and see what's really happening here... The skating, goalies, AI, GM Brain AI and presentation have received massive overhauls and they've added in the biggest online dynasty mode in sporting game history. In Australia (where I live, born in Canada though) this game costs us $99 and I still think it's worth every cent. I've read through lots of reviews and I think a lot of the reviewers either haven't played the game in depth or haven't played NHL 12 or they have never played hockey... Expand
  2. Since my previous NHL was NHL06, I was pretty sure that I would be satisfied with the game. I was not wrong. The new modes (from which HUT is my favorite) are well designed and well executed. The new skating engine really feels realistic players unskilled at the Skating (or whatever the name of it is) stat will lose their puck if they go too fast. Even skilled players will miss a puck if they shoot while passing through and dont shoot quickly enough. It feels really realistic. So my main problem comes with the AI. You have to do everything for them. Once I was defending some guy and he made a pass to his teammate which was standing right in front of the goalkeeper. But my teammate was right next to him and didnt do anything to stop the pass. Things like that, sadly, happen fairly often. It might also be worth saying that I broke my case for batteries 20 minutes after starting the game for the first time. Duct tape luckily solved the problem but it still sucks. Expand
  3. 7
    The game is good. But the fact that I have to pay 60$ a year for incremental updates is kind of dumb. They need to change a lot more and really make it a true sequel. So far the game is good, but feels a lot like NHL 12. They did do some tweaking with multiplayer though for the better. Overall this game gets a 7. Collapse
  4. This game is by far the worst game of NHL released since NHL 09. There is so many new things in this game such as anticipation A.I. or the true performance skating. This all is a great idea but so poorly executed. The anticipation A.I. is not what it says it is. It doesn't anticipate what is going happen but it knows whats going to happen. Ever pass for a one timer and it gets blocked? Guess what the goalie knew you pressed RT and in which direction. He's already set up for the shot on the receivers end. How about just the new teammate A.I. Probably the worst thing implemented into this game right next to true-performance skating. The computer on your team is absolutely retarded. How about battling for position? Another smart idea but once again a poor way of making it fit with the game. Countless times there will be an empty net waiting for someone to poke it in. Your closest guy, he's battling for position for some unknown reason. You switch to him, and guess what, he's still battling for position. By the time you get control of him your opportunity has already been lost. True-performance skating by far ruined this game the most. Yeah it was a great idea, absolutely great but once again poorly executed. Being able to skate faster after striding for so long is cool. But then if your max speed and go to turn, You have to make this rink width and a half turn that is not realistic at all. This ruined skating all together, most of the time when i pick up the puck in the neutral zone and go to skate, my player is super slow and i get players have to accelerate but this is just over-exaggerating on how much acceleration you need to get up to a decent speed. Then comes hitting and passing in this game, hitting was perfect the way it was in NHL 12 but for some reason they messed it up in NHL 13, Every. Single. Play. There is a HUGE hit and thats not realistic at all. I dont know how many goals i scored where i got labeled seconds after i shot the puck. Which brings up another problem, no matter what the game mode, online versus, GM Connected, or Be A GM Mode. A shot is a shot, numerous times, i would take a shot or pass it for that matter but I got checked or bumped which canceled either one. I dont know about this but you can get checked and still take a shot or pass it. Thats why its a sport, its physical. Passing is again terrible. Passing through a defenseman? Forget about it, dont even bother, RT or RB (saucer pass) that will get blocked 10 out of 10 times. Then theres the little things wrong with this game like a slapshot thats saved by the goalie blocker (stick side) and is rebounded into the air, You cannot and i repeat cannot grab it out of mid-air, you must wait for the puck to come back down to try to regain control. These are the things that are wrong with this game, I will say Hockey Ultimate Team is amazing. I most likely will get NHL 14 but I hope so much that this major problems will be resolved Expand

See all 27 User Reviews