NHL 24

Every sports game seems to have some cool word or phrase to show that they've actually worked on something in the past year. {Madden NFL 24} had FieldSense, {NBA 2K24} offered ProPlay, and {EA Sports FC 24} boasted HyperMotionV. EA Sports obviously didn't want {NHL 24} players to feel left out, so here it is: Exhaust Engine. It may not sound as flashy as what the other sports games had, but it's a great new system. Unfortunately, it seems to be almost the only thing the developers got to spend their time on since last year as everything else is eerily similar.

Fortunately, the Exhaust Engine is something that actually affects the matches and makes them feel somewhat different from last year. The system is divided into two parts, Sustained Pressure and Goalie Fatigue. The former allows players to build up pressure in the offensive zone by holding the puck, taking shots, and checking. As the meter fills up, defenders get tired quickly while the offensive team gets faster passes, skating, and better shots. This gives a reason to play around the puck instead of going straight to the goal as many have done in previous years. It feels good to wear down the opponents and goalie fatigue makes the goalies tired, with new animations and movements the more shots they take. Eventually there will be a gap or the goalie will release a dangerous rebound that would otherwise be blocked. In defence, it's simply a matter of getting the puck out of the danger zone. Once it is out of the box, the pressure decreases and after five seconds it is completely gone. It can be quite a panicky feeling when the players really can't get the puck and I can feel how tired they are. This whole system is something I really like and it brings a whole new dynamic to hockey and tactics.

That's where the noticeable changes on the ice pretty much end. The second thing that affects the game is something that other sports games have had for years: the ability to pass to any player you want by pressing one of the buttons on the controller. Directing the pass where you want to hit it is no longer the only option. Now the other four players on your team have different buttons assigned to them. Press X and the pass can go to a forward, press A and it goes to the left back. This makes it more difficult to read where the opponent will pass. The player may be looking out to the left, but hit a pass straight into the goal where the centre is waiting. Good addition, but something that should have been in place a long time ago.

That's it. I've always had a feeling that the NHL series is the one EA Sports chooses to spend the least amount of time on. Because apart from a few small improvements, everything else {NHL 23} is 2.0. The menus look exactly the same and it feels like deja vu sometimes. Worst is the career mode Be a Pro where even the intro sequence is the exact one we've already seen. The options after that are still to start playing in the CHL's Memorial Cup, in Europe's Champions League or straight into the NHL. The teams in the Champions League are the same as in the real life version, so don't expect to be able to choose from all the Swedish teams. Everything after that in the game mode is also like last year's and quite frankly it's just ctrl c, ctrl v from last year. This also applies to Franchise Mode which is the mode where you can take over a team. I will now spend as much time describing it as EA has spent developing the game mode from last year... Done.

Something that I think the NHL series does better than any other sports game is the online single player entertainment. World of Chel is where you can create your own player and then play against others, either on outdoor rinks in one-on-one or three-on-three in fast-paced matches. Or play with a bunch of mates in the EASHL with real hockey games of five-on-five (plus goalies) against other teams. This game mode takes two steps forward this year, but then takes the opportunity to take one step back. World of Chel now has crossplay on consoles from the same generation, i.e. Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X/S as well as Playstation 4 and Xbox One. This also applies to Ultimate Team, which I won't go into any more detail about as it is far too similar to last year. But as usual, you collect player cards and upgrade your fantasy team to play online or offline. The second step forward is that the Club Finals in {NHL 24} is now structured as a best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff. Vinn fyra matcher av sju och laget går vidare till nästa runda. Win four games out of seven and the team advances to the next round. Win four rounds and lift the trophy. This has removed the need to play match after match after match to move up the tables. Unfortunately, I have not been able to try this during my time with the review version. Sadly, they couldn't leave well enough alone because the developers have added a battle pass to the game mode. And who really asked for that? There is both a paid version and a free version. Luckily, it doesn't have a major impact on the matches as it's only cosmetic things that are unlocked. So you can't pay your way to the top.

One thing I would gladly pay for is to replace the commentators. They have been making my ears bleed for many, many years and that continues this year. But only half. Cheryl Pounde, a former Olympic gold medallist and currently at both TSN and
CBC, has replaced the terrible Ray Ferraro and is actually the best commentator the NHL series has had in decades. James Cybulski is unfortunately still there and continues to shout out his lines over-enthusiastically.

{NHL 24} is {NHL 23} with some, but far too few, great additions. The Exhaust Engine is a welcome addition, but what does it do when almost everything is last year's game, down to using the same intro and cutscenes in career mode. The NHL series continues to be fun, but the lack of progress year after year is worrying.