EA Sports’ NHL franchise dates back over three decades and has continued to release games annually ever since. The entries for this generation of consoles have yet to quite match the levels of those from the middle to the end of the last generation, but last year’s game was a noticeable improvement of its predecessor and now NHL 24 is looking to build on that foundation even further.

Hitting the Ice

Presentation is always important in sports titles, and last year’s NHL entry really focused on providing an authentic experience that only modern platforms could handle. NHL 24 maintains this level of quality when it comes to the game’s visuals and audio to the point where it feels like you are actually watching an actual hockey match take place sometimes during the breaks between the action. Most of the presentation is very similar to last year’s game, but the one significant new addition is that of Cheryl Pounder as the new color commentator in the broadcast booth. The former gold medalist Olympian has plenty of experience in the broadcasting arena, so she was able to slide right into NHL 24 by bringing a lot of new insight into the booth.

Brand new to NHL 24 is the Exhaust Engine, which consists of two major improvements for the game. The Sustained Pressure System boosts the attacking player’s passing speed and accuracy as you close in on the defense’s goal. While the offense gets this boost, the defense just has to try and survive as best they can by countering effectively. This added a lot of intensity to specific moments in each game, especially when my team was losing at the time.

The Exhaust Engine also introduces the Goalie Fatigue System, which allows you to wear down opposing goalies by utilizing offensive zone pressure and shots. This can lead to enhanced scoring odds from anywhere based on the fatigue level of the goalie, which you have to watch for in the game. If you do not learn the telltale signs of building fatigue, the goalie may be able to prevent what seemed like a good shot.

The Exhaust Engine can make it seem like the offense has much more of an advantage on the defense now, but some changes to the game’s physics system help to balance it back out a little. The NHL series has long offered very realistic physics to emulate that of a real hockey game. NHL 24 continues that trend with true-to-life player animations and even improvements to the physics system.

The game now allows you to decide which type of hit you want to deliver to the opponent with shoves and big hits, including new ragdoll physics built into these improvements to make them look better than ever. Shoves are less risky for the player but also do not have as much of an impact on the player. On the other hand, big hits can completely disrupt the offense and lead to the puck getting knocked far away and, thus, a good chance at turning things around for your team. However, there is a lot more risk with trying a big hit that can leave you more vulnerable on defense if you do not time it correctly. I learned very quickly that I had to not overuse the big hit mechanic, as there were moments where I missed entirely and found myself on my heels trying to recover before giving up a goal. The new smashes into the glass really added a lot to the overall presentation here, too, as a result of these big hits.

• Related Reading: NHL 24 Update 1.10 Slaps Out for October 6

NHL 24 features a new Total Control scheme option for players, combining the right stick shooting and hitting with skill move buttons. In the past, you would mostly just use the left stick to move and the right stick to shoot, but now the face buttons come into play by offering you multiple skill moves separate from the right stick. If you are not a fan of this new control scheme, you can always go back to the more classic Skill Stick option and play as you always have in the past.

Regardless of which control scheme you choose, you will also use the game’s all-new Vision Passing system. This allows you to make easy passes to any teammate at any time, giving you many more options on the ice to confuse the defense. While you could obviously pass the puck around before, but it feels much more precise here than in the past.

The Usual Suspects

Sports games in general have a few staple modes that always have to be included, and NHL is no different with the return of Be A Pro and Franchise mode. These are often modes that do not get quite as much love as the others when it comes to new features year after year, and that is sadly once again the case in NHL 24. Be A Pro lets you create your own skater and take them through their career from either the start or once they make it to the NHL. Franchise mode essentially lets you do the same, but with taking control of a team as the GM instead and building them up into a dynasty. These are the types of game modes that I tend to spend a lot of time playing, so it was a bit disappointing to see the minimal changes. That being said, both of these modes still are a ton of fun to play, and you can find yourself sinking countless hours into them offline.

NHL 24 includes the return of the series’ version of Ultimate Team, known as HUT. This mode is always criticized due to the reliance on microtransactions, and those are still ever present in this year’s version. For the most part, the mode is just as it was last year, so you mostly know what you are going to get, except for the addition of a really cool new feature that fans have been asking to see added for a long time.

There are plenty of casual NHL series players, but those who are massive fans of the sport will appreciate the all-new HUT Moments that have been added to the game this year. Starting with more than 50 to choose from, the game allows you to play through some of the greatest moments in NHL history, such as Wayne Gretsky’s hat trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the Conference Finals in 1993. Not only that, but you also get to replay moments from the ongoing season as more are added. This is something that the NHL series has definitely been missing, as it has become a staple of many other sports franchises over the years, such as MLB The Show and Madden.

HUT also includes a shared marketplace between platforms for the first time ever as the series finally has crossplay. EA Sports games have gradually been adding crossplay into the mix, starting with what is now the FC franchise and just a couple of months ago with Madden. The only stipulation here is that only PS5 and Xbox Series X/S players can play together, and PS4 and Xbox One players can play together, as there is no cross-generational play available in the game. This is something that is for the best, though, to maintain the best experience on each version. Crossplay isn’t just for general matchmaking either, as it also carries over to EASHL with Mixed Clubs and the aforementioned HUT market.

Arguably, the most popular game mode among the more hardcore NHL game players is World of Chel, as it allows you to create your own custom player and team up with others online in 3 v. 3 or 6 v. 6 matchups. When making your skater, you get to create a separate Casual Skater, Casual Goalie, Pro Skater, and Pro Goalie. It was quite annoying to have to go through each of these and set up the name and information for my skater rather than just being able to carry that information across all four, so hopefully, that is something they could make more user-friendly later.

World of Chel is always a ton of fun, especially if you have friend groups to play with. That is thanks to the number of options to choose from, such as the ranked EASHL modes or extra modes like Threes Eliminator. Whether you are going all in with clubs or just playing some quickplay matches, World of Chel provides some of the best experiences that NHL 24 has to offer, just like in past entries.

This year’s big addition to World of Chel is bound to be a controversial one with the inclusion of a Battle Pass for the first time. This isn’t a huge surprise, considering how the majority of sports games have introduced a season-based system of some sort. As you level up throughout the season, you can earn cosmetics like new skates or player celebrations. This causes people to have to grind much more now, knowing they may not have a chance to collect higher-tier items in the Battle Pass after the season ends, at least not without having to pay for them. World of Chel also pushes you to purchase NHL points with real money to spend in the game for the World of Chel store, so microtransactions are starting to infect what has long been one of the best parts of the series. Thankfully, World of Chel still is a ton of fun and isn’t entirely disrupted by the Battle Pass and microtransactions, but it definitely is concerning moving forward.

Verdict

NHL 24 is once again another solid outing in the long-running series. It may be far from revolutionary, but it still provides players with a great hockey experience along with some enjoyable additions like the new Exhaust System and HUT moments, as well as the ability to finally play with friends on the opposing platform. Where it gets a bit concerning, though is the introduction of the Battle Pass and more microtransactions in the fan-favorite World of Chel mode, after mostly being relegated to HUT in the past. The overall experience is very good and gives players plenty of opportunities for pure hockey action across the game’s numerous game modes.

Score: 8/10

Pros:

• Crossplay for the first time in the series
• The New Exhaust System adds intensity to each game
• HUT moments let you replay classic moments in NHL history

Cons:

• Nothing groundbreaking added to the majority of the game modes
• Battle Pass introduced for World of Chel
• Repetitive skater entry information in World of Chel

NHL 24 review code was provided by the publisher. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.