Painful body checks, goalies who get tired when harassed, spectacular celebrations: the developers at EA Sports only had to plunder reality to enrich NHL 24.
And if they were right, according to the simulation we carried out, the Canadian will finish the 2023-24 season with 81 points. A 24th position, 7th out of 8 in the Atlantic division and obviously no playoffs.
But let’s get back to the game. We’re more in the swing of things than ever with this new version of the star video game hockey franchise. The 2023 edition does not reinvent the wheel, but knows how to smell the spirit of the times with some welcome innovations, notably the place of women and a more subtle game.
First novelty: the arrival at the microphone of Cheryl Pounder, defensive player for the Canadian Olympic team and double gold medalist, who became a commentator on TSN and CBC. Alongside the irremovable James Cybulski, she recorded thousands of lines that artificial intelligence knows how to place at the right time. The feat here is remarkable: we have clearly foreseen almost all the situations, from the dominant team which has not yet scored to the famous goal which hurts at the end of the period, including the one refused after a video replay and the stopping which seemed impossible. And unlike many video games, we can cut the commentators’ dialogues short without making their comments incomprehensible.
No more anonymous crowds when you enter a match, each amphitheater is now entitled to light strips, fireworks, songs with, as a bonus, the national anthem.
We’re spoiled for choice when it comes to getting on the ice, with dozens of modes accumulated since 1993, the official birth year of the EA Sports NHL franchise. The classics are obviously Season Mode, our favorite, where we go through a schedule of 82 games with our team, in 13 leagues ranging from the NHL to the American League through more exotic possibilities like the Finnish Liiga, the DEL of Germany or the QMJHL. Those in a hurry can jump to Instant Match and simply choose two teams, against the computer or online.
Let us mention in passing, without describing all the many modes, the very pleasant World of CHEL where you create your player from scratch to face friends online on outdoor ice.
The Become a Pro career is still there, for the most patient. We build our player, with name, strengths and weaknesses, and we gradually graduate him from his minor league to the NHL. As in real life, you only intervene when your turn to jump on the ice has come. You can obviously advance the game to get to this point more quickly, unless you receive a penalty, during which you will have to sheepishly endure the action on the ice. Your player’s career depends on his exploits during important matches, but also on his interviews with team officials and journalists who will influence his popularity.
Once the mode is chosen, here we are on the ice. First observation: the checks are strong, we can clearly hear the boards shaking and we see the players writhing in pain – which the commentators underline in broad terms. If the basic gestures – passing, throwing, sneaking – are quite intuitive, the game is full of dozens of variations that take a long time to assimilate. We quickly see that our favorite method, the unstoppable one-timer, is no longer so effective. During our ten matches for this review, barely five goals were scored this way, forcing us to vary our approaches.
We now see a new statistic on the screen, based on the pressure exerted by a team on offense. The more she controls the puck, the more players are quick, efficient and have lightning shots.
The other big novelty is not easy to see, but it is presented by EA Sports as one of the most decisive for the 2024 version. It is what we call “the exhaust engine” (“exhaust engine”) which takes into account player fatigue.
It is translated in two ways. A team that puts a lot of offensive pressure will tire the opposing defenders, who will be less effective. But, above all, a goalkeeper who is kept very busy will see his energy indicator drop. He will then be less alert and will give away goals that he would not normally have allowed. We added 75 new animations to illustrate this fatigue. The energy level of the goalkeepers, that said, unfortunately tends to rise if left alone.
We saw this novelty at work a few times, when harmless shots slipped into the back of the goal. Ah yes, another surprise here: not only are the players celebrating their goal in their own way, but they are now entitled to a scene under the spot, while the rest of the ice rink is darkened.
Final score: some improvements that make hockey more lively, strategies more subtle and a little more unpredictability on NHL 24. We feel the effort put by the Vancouver studio, officially responsible for the game, to simplify the interface and allow newcomers to find their way through the maze of modes. But there are no miracles here: there is lots and lots of information to digest.
And in addition to the Canadian’s 24th position, we made another painful prediction: the Stanley Cup to the Maple Leafs.
