NHL 24 Review: Small changes make it a must for die-hards and skippable for casuals
Rating: 6.5/10 – The core gameplay is fun, and some of the new features are worthwhile, but there isn’t much here that feels like a huge departure from other recent entries in the franchise.
The differences between NHL 23 and NHL 24 kind of feel like the upgrades made to most cars between the 2023 and 2024 model years.
Sure, they’re different, and it’s nice to have an extra cupholder or two, but at its core, it still drives pretty much the same.
But therein lies the problem: most people don’t buy a new car every year. And while diehard fans of EA’s NHL series will undoubtedly derive great pleasure from trying out the new features included in this year’s game, it’ll be hard for casual gamers to notice much difference from last year’s installment.
The most notable new feature is the Exhaust Engine, which EA touts as a “revolutionary new feature” that delivers “high-intensity moments where defenders are gasping for air, shooting lanes open up, and players can score from anywhere on the ice.” For our money, it feels a little like the old Momentum Meter from NHL 2001, but a little more refined.
The Exhaust Engine experience is two-fold. As an attacking team continues to generate shots on goal, a circular meter shown on the ice in the offensive zone will fill up until it triggers a “full pressure moment,” at which point defenders get hit with a fatigue effect and attackers receive a corresponding boost.
While pressure continues to build, the defending goaltender also becomes slower to react to chances and will attempt more desperation saves. But in our tests, we found the goaltenders became a little too unresponsive and sometimes became stuck in the desperation animations — at one point, Vegas goaltender Adin Hill remained on the ice in the pads-stacked position for a good five seconds while Florida carried the puck behind the net.
Beyond the odd hiccup, the Exhaust Engine experience is undeniably refreshing and a welcome addition. So is the new Vision Passing system, which allows players to select the player they want to pass to with one of the face buttons. It’s not immediately intuitive, but you’ll get the hang of it.
What’s less impressive is the new Total Control controller layout, which is selected by default in the Hospitality Settings when you first boot up the game. This new arrangement allows players to use certain dekes — including the Trevor Zegras lacrosse-style move — by simply pressing the face buttons while in control of the puck, but it feels gimmicky and jarring (and it’ll get old fast when playing Online Versus games).
There are a few other minor gameplay enhancements and some small changes to various modes, including a new Quickplay mode and a Battle Pass progression format in the World of Chel. The Hockey Ultimate Team auction system now supports crossplay, and there’s a new EASHL playoff format. But it’s hard to escape the feeling that all this is just another new hat for Malibu Stacy.
One welcome surprise: EA has introduced licensed arena music, meaning the generic tunes of years’ past have been replaced by instantly recognizable tracks like Tsunami and Darude’s Sandstorm. For such a small change, it massively ups the authenticity of the presentation. (The menu soundtrack is predictably unmemorable).
Also new: Cheryl Pounder has replaced Ray Ferraro as James Cybulski’s color commentator, and she does a bang-up job. We were admittedly getting a bit tired of Ray reminding us he’d never killed a penalty in his life.
Look, NHL 24 is basically what you expect. It’s plenty of fun to play, the experience is as customizable as ever, the graphics are pretty good (although some of the scanned faces are a little wonky), and the new features don’t get in the way of the action.
It’ll be easy for die-hard fans of the series to log a ton of hours on this, just as they do every year. But if you put the game on mute and asked a casual fan to tell the difference between 23 and 24, they’d have a hard time coming up with the right answer.
Buy NHL 24 for the roster update if you’re so inclined. Otherwise, if you have 23 (or even 22), you’re not missing out on anything unprecedented. Wait until it’s on sale.