NHL 15 on the older consoles still maintains a lengthy list of game modes and features that are nowhere to be seen on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions.

National Hockey League loyalists are used to getting their emotions tossed around, whether it be by frustrating TV deals, the way the sport gets swept under the rug by popular American culture, and the general lack of media attention and press it gets. They must endure these harsh realities, forever cursed in knowing their sport is secretly the best thing to ever happen to humanity.

Part of that tragedy was realized a little less than a year ago when we found out that the iconic NHL coins series would not be making an appearance on the brand-new NHL 15 Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles. At the time we were told the team was focused on delivering the best-possible experience on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but the final product proved to be a step back.

Really, the one thing that may go the furthest toward tying together NHL 15's illusion of "this is real hockey" is the presentation. Featuring a commentary team of NBC Sports' Mike Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, and Ray Ferraro, fans would be hard-pressed to ask for a better line-up calling the game (except for you, everyone in Canada). The beginning of each match-up starts with a "live broadcast" that genuinely makes each game seem more important than it really is.

Again, the on-ice portion of NHL 15 Ultimate Team coins isn't really the issue. It's still the solid game of hockey it's been for a while, though it's arguably more the same solid game of hockey than it's been in a while. Meaningful advancements in gameplay just aren't there this year. The AI is strong, especially if you bump up the difficulty--you'll see teams react to repeated tactics and change up their play accordingly--and the feel of the game remains highly enjoyable, provided you're playing against a good competitor. And really, that's vital this year, because there aren't a lot of other ways to play NHL 15.

NHL 15 pucks are shell of its former self. Despite some impressive work to bring the on-ice experience and game presentation up to a new-generation level, it is so devoid of modes and features that its appeal will be limited to fans that have been waiting for hockey on their new machines; after all, NHL skipped the launch of the latest console generation last fall. While most other sports games have made the transition to the PS4 and Xbox One quite nicely, NHL finds itself in a very different position; at the bottom of the pile, looking up.