NHL 24 Review

I wasn’t sure whether to write a review for NHL 24, given that the release of NHL 25 was so close on the horizon. I decided to do it to address this game’s highs and lows. It can be one of the best games in the series when things are working correctly, but it can also be one of the worst when things aren’t. Unfortunately for NHL 24, the drawbacks outweigh the benefits, especially if you prioritize online modes. I’ve played the game almost daily for the last year, and these are my observations.

Gameplay

Pressure System

The pressure system is a significant feature of NHL 24. In theory, it’s a sound system, but it doesn’t function correctly even after some patches. You can pressure the other team through shots, hits, and holding the zone. This depletes their energy meters and makes it hard for them to get up from hits or to keep up with the play. It would be ideal if the system performed the same way every time, yet it seems to have a mind of its own. I’ve seen the other team get full pressure after one slapshot just entering the zone. Our team has peppered the goalie with shots, only to have half-pressure. There was even an instance where our energy was depleted for the entire overtime period because the other team had full pressure at the end of the third period. It’s an excellent idea, but it needs more refinement in the next game.

Contact-Based Physics

The new contact-based physics system is another significant addition this year. This is something that has changed the way that everyone plays for the better. You’re no longer homing in on people with hits. You have to time them correctly and get a good piece of the other person to knock them down or off the puck. There is a risk versus reward element to the gameplay here. If you miss a check, it will take you a few seconds to get back into the game. It leads to players playing a more balanced form of defense rather than being able to hit everything that moves. It hasn’t been perfected yet, but it’s well on its way to feeling like real hockey. On the other hand, the hip checks are a little too easy to perform, especially with the new button control layout, and knock people down almost every time. A patch somewhat adjusted this, but it’s still too overpowered.

Vision Passing

Vision Passing is a revolutionary new mechanic in NHL 24 that I used extensively for most of the year. It’s very much the same as throwing a pass in Madden now. You hold the shoulder button, which brings up a set of icons for each teammate you can pass to. It can be difficult not to turn over the puck when you take the extra second to look up and decide which icon you want, but the precision gained makes up for it. Too often in the past, I passed to the wrong teammates because they were too close to each other for the game to differentiate between them. It helps even more when looking for that breakaway pass up the middle. Placing it directly on the other player’s tape is much easier.

Total Control

The new total control setup decreases the skill gap, which isn’t the best idea. Far too many people are now performing the Michigan lacrosse move, whereas previously, only the best could execute it in a game. The same goes for many of the toe-drag dekes and between-the-legs dekes. Everyone seems to want to make those moves in every other play now, and it just takes away how special they were. I also wasn’t a fan of the new goal celebration stuff, which focuses on the player who scored with a spotlight. It’s too much like an arcade game to me. The other presentation elements, such as the national anthem and some on-ice projections, are great additions.

Game Modes

The game modes in NHL 24 remain essentially unchanged. The only new addition was HUT Moments, which takes you through various moments from past NHL seasons that you can play through for HUT coins. This is essentially a rehash of NHL Moments Live from past NHL games, so it doesn’t feel particularly significant. It is nice to have something new, though. Franchise Mode and Be A Pro mode are the same, with very minor tweaks here and there. It’s challenging for someone who plays this every year to see the same ‘Be A Pro’ and ‘Franchise’ modes with the same PSN trophies to obtain. I want some slight innovation from year to year. Otherwise, I’d rather import my save file from the previous year to keep going if there’s no discernible difference.

World of Chel

World of Chel hasn’t received many updates this year. Playoffs are now like a real playoff series, with a best-of-7 format through four rounds, which is a welcome change. It makes the grind much sweeter when you can put a banner in your home rink. Gone are the loot bags, and in their place is a battle pass. This sounds like an annoying addition, but it’s only cosmetic items, and you can still buy things you want in a store with the in-game currency you acquire through playing the game. The content in the Battle Pass was never impressive, and no single item made me want to purchase it. The cool part is that some new player loadouts are free with each new season. The cosmetic items should be able to be colored in any way you want. It would reduce the redundancy in the items people wear in Chel.

Issues

Let’s discuss the stability of this game, as it has been quite brutal. NHL 24 was the worst experience I’ve had with an NHL game in terms of bugs. The World of Chel menu takes forever to load, and when it does, it often causes errors and disconnects you from lobbies. When it isn’t doing that, the store displays an error and returns you to the main menu. A bug caused my team (and many others) to wear all-black jerseys for about a month. I even had the WoC menu on my screen while playing a game in 6s. There were many bugs and glitches, and I sincerely hope I never go through them in another NHL game. I was nearly ready to give up altogether. The other main issue this year is that penalties are being called for interference when players are constantly going for a rebound in front of the net. Couple that with the fact that sticks seem to magnetize toward the player’s feet even when poke-checking in a good position, and you have a recipe for frustration.

Final Thoughts

NHL 24 takes the series in a great direction, particularly in terms of gameplay. The developers were not going to fix this game in one year, but they’re taking the steps needed to bring it closer to what the actual game of hockey feels like. Unfortunately, the game has been plagued by online issues. It has improved, but it’s insufficient to say I had a good experience. This game is very polarizing because it can be fantastic one moment and downright infuriating the next. It has become one of my least favorites in the series, even though the groundwork is being laid for something much better.