If players manage to get lucky enough to cross the blue line, the action in front of the net is the same as a rugby scrum with no room to make any plays. For example, in Be A Pro, playing in All-Star mode, there is no moment where multiple opponents are not breathing down players' necks, stripping away pucks that no player should have any right doing in the NHL.

NHL 21 has enormous issues with how an enjoyable hockey game looks and should feel on the ice no matter the difficulty level. Related: NHL 94 Rewind Revives Beloved Retro Classic With Updated Rosters

In saying all of that, if the original copy is broken, then each subsequent copy will be equally, if not more, broken, and that's the case here, as the NHL series remains stagnant throughout another year. Some new features that NHL 21 is touting are the revamped Be a Pro mode, HUT Rush, and some new player moves like slip dekes and 'The Michigan' lacrosse goal. Putting those shiny new features aside and looking at the game itself in all its soul-crushing glory first, it is, quite simply, a clone.

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