Painful body checks, goalkeepers who tire when harassed, spectacular celebrations: the developers at EA Sports just had to plunder reality to enrich NHL 24.
Posted at 8:26 am.
And if they were right, according to the simulation we ran, the Canadian would finish the 2023/24 season with 81 points. A 24th place finish, 7th out of 8 in the Atlantic Division and obviously no playoffs.
But let’s get back to the game. We’re pumped more than ever with this new version of the star video game hockey franchise. The 2023 edition does not reinvent the wheel, but it knows how to feel the spirit of the times with some welcome innovations, especially the position of women and a more subtle game.
Colorful crowd
First news: the arrival at the microphone of Cheryl Pounder, defensive player of the Canadian Olympic team and two-time gold medalist who became a commentator on TSN and CBC. Alongside the immovable James Cybulski, she recorded thousands of lines that the artificial intelligence knows how to place at the right time. The achievement here is remarkable: we clearly foresaw almost all situations, from the dominant team that has yet to score a goal to the famous goal that hurts at the end of the period, including the goal that was rejected after a video replay, and the apparent defense impossible. And unlike many video games, we can shorten the commentators’ dialogue without making their comments incomprehensible.
No more anonymous crowds when you enter a game. Each amphitheater is now entitled to strip lights, fireworks and songs with the national anthem as a bonus.
We’re spoiled for choice when it comes to taking to the ice, with dozens of modes having accumulated since 1993, the official birth year of the EA Sports NHL franchise. The classic is of course the season mode, our favorite, in which we and our team complete a schedule of 82 games in 13 leagues, ranging from the NHL to the American League to more exotic options such as the Finnish Liiga, the DEL of Germany or the QMJHL are enough. If you’re in a hurry, you can jump to Instant Match and simply select two teams, against the computer or online.
By the way, without describing the many modes, let’s mention the very beautiful world of CHEL, in which you create your player from scratch to compete against friends online on the outdoor ice.
For the most patient, the Become a Pro career is still there. We build up our player with name, strengths and weaknesses and gradually promote him from his minor league to the NHL. Just like in real life, you only intervene when it’s your turn to jump on the ice. You can of course move the game forward to get to that point quicker, unless you receive a penalty that leaves you embarrassed to endure what’s happening on the ice. Your player’s career depends on his performances in important games, but also on his interviews with team officials and journalists, which influence his popularity.
Pressure and severe fatigue
Once the mode is selected we are on the ice. First observation: The blows are strong, we can clearly hear the boards shaking and we see the players writhing in pain – which the commentators emphasize with broad strokes. Even though the basic gestures – passing, throwing, sneaking – are quite intuitive, the game is full of dozens of variations that take a long time to learn. We quickly realize that our favorite method, the unstoppable one-timer, is no longer as effective. In our ten games for this review, barely five goals were scored this way, forcing us to take different approaches.
On the screen we now see a new statistic based on the pressure a team applies when attacking. The more she controls the puck, the more players are quick, efficient and have lightning-quick shots.
SCREEN PHOTO
The other big novelty is not easy to recognize, but is presented by EA Sports as one of the most crucial for the 2024 version. It is what we call “the exhaust engine” that takes player fatigue into account.
It is translated in two ways. A team that applies a lot of pressure on offense tires the opposing defenders, who are then less effective. Above all, the energy indicator drops for a goalkeeper who has a lot to do. He is then less attentive and allows goals that he would not normally have allowed. We’ve added 75 new animations to illustrate this fatigue. Unfortunately, goalkeepers’ energy levels tend to increase when they are left alone.
More subtle
We’ve seen this novelty at work a few times with harmless shots slipping into the back of the goal. Oh yes, here’s another surprise: not only do the players celebrate their goal in their own way, but they are now entitled to a scene under the point while the rest of the rink is darkened.
SCREEN PHOTO
Bottom line: Some improvements that make hockey more lively, strategies more subtle and a little more unpredictable in NHL 24. We feel the efforts of the Vancouver studio, officially responsible for the game, to simplify the interface and allow newcomers to navigate the maze of Modes. But there are no miracles here: there is lots and lots of information to process.
And in addition to the Canadian’s 24th place finish, we made another painful prediction: the Stanley Cup to the Maple Leafs.
NHL24
- Developer: EA Vancouver
- Local mode and up to 12 players online
- Price: $79.99 (standard edition)
Rating: 8 out of 10
Tested on a PS5 with a copy provided by EA Sports