NHL 24 officially launches globally on Friday. With it comes lots of anticipation, excitement, and optimism for a game that players will actually enjoy.
The previous few installments of EA’s NHL series have been a disappointment for many, as the gameplay has been more or less the same, with minimal new changes and features.
EA faced quite a lot of pressure to develop a game that would win over the NHL fan base, and both creative director Mike Inglehart and senior producer Chris Haluke knew this. NHL 24 is the first game they've fully worked on, as the two joined EA Sports NHL partway through the NHL 23 lifecycle.
Now, let's dive into the elephant in the room. If you're reading this and haven't purchased NHL 24 yet, you're probably wondering, "Is NHL 24 worth buying?"
I was able to play the NHL 24 beta test, as well as receive exclusive early access to NHL 24, so I'll give you three pros, three cons and whether or not you should pick it up.
Pros:
Gameplay changes make the game feel different from NHL 23
This one could be a pro or a con depending on the style of gameplay you like. If you enjoy a fast-paced gameplay with control, you'll like NHL 24. If you prefer a slower gameplay style, then you might not.
I’m giving this as a pro for NHL 24 for one reason – it's a change. Good or bad, the dev team decided to change the gameplay, and one thing I can say for sure is that NHL 24 does not feel like its previous predecessors.
Cross Play is a massive win
Having a more complete cross-play system is a massive plus for NHL 24. Being able to combine World of Chel teams with both consoles of the same generation (Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Playstation 4) is a much-needed addition. Not only does it improve the time it takes to match up with an opponent, but it also allows for friends to actually play together and enjoy NHL.
Total control of the game
The gameplay improvements EA added to the game bring a true feeling of being in control of the game. The Exhaust Engine, Sustained Pressure System, Goalie Fatigue System and Vision Passing System all combine to make me feel like I am truly in control of my team.
Cons:
Lack of changes in game modes besides World Of Chel
One of my biggest disappointments with NHL 24 is the lack of updates, changes and new features in other game modes while the dev team focused on gameplay improvements. Hockey Ultimate Team got one new game mode, but unfortunately, other modes, such as Be a Pro and Franchise Mode, got little quality of life updates.
Franchise Mode added X-factor evolution and de-evolution for players while improving the coach’s ability to set best lines based on secondary positions and other context. Overall, however, there weren’t many substantial changes.
Lack of accessibility features
NHL 24 did see new accessibility features like the Tethered Goalie System added to the game, but it also removed some of these features from the game, such as the Hybrid Controller Layout, as well as the Auto-Hustle option.
EA is expected to release a post-launch patch near the end of the month that brings back the Hybrid controls, as well as another goalie system to pair with the Tethered one. The fact that these controls were removed in the first place was a puzzling choice as there are NHL players who rely on these controls to play the game.
Post launch update
Speaking of the post-launch update, EA announced a patch update was scheduled to drop at 5 a.m. ET on Friday. The main updates are reducing its sustained pressure system building up by solely puck possession by 30 percent, as well as fixing other bugs. The hybrid controls are expected to be released in late October, according to EA NHL’s community managers.
The negative aspect about this for me is there were many people that paid extra for the X-Factor edition of the game, which, besides the additional bonuses, included three days of early access. Not all the patches were set, which caused some displeasure among the fans of NHL, as they were disappointed they paid extra but didn't have the full patch fix in the game.
So, Should I Buy NHL 24?
Yes, you should. Even though this game isn't an out of the park grand slam like NHL 94 and NHL 14, this game is different from at minimum the last two installments of NHL. That in itself makes this game worth grabbing. Cross-play will also allow you to play with more friends, and I'm a firm believer that playing with friends makes any game infinitely better. If I had to rate this game on a scale of 1 to 10, overall, I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10.
Finally, the new dev team has shown more openness and transparency than before, and this year, it finally looks like the developers and EA are communicating more with their fans.