NHL 24 review: The new physics and gameplay upgrades can't make up for the mountain of microtransactions

Despite not playing a hockey game in decades, I was very excited to tackle NHL 24. While I’m no expert sports player, I’ve really relished my time going back, making my own character, and trying to be the best on the ice as possible. This game has several modes for both online and offline players, along with the new Exhaust Engine, sustained pressure system, better physics, and much more. Everything, ranging from how the players stand to how they taunt, has been improved.

I haven’t had so much fun playing hockey in years, even though there were things that I found to be frustrating - in particular, the monetization. While the overall gameplay experience was fun and is something hockey fans will enjoy, it's hard to ignore NHL 24's monetization systems.

What’s new in NHL 24, and was it worth it?

The action is incredible, and it's easy to see what's going on (Image via EA Sports)

There were some pretty serious enhancements to NHL 24 that fans already know about. The Exhaust Engine, for example, has two parts: The Sustained Pressure System and the Goalie Fatigue System. As you put pressure on the opposing goalie on the ice, making aggressive passes and shots on the net, you’ll wear down their goalie.

If you keep the pressure on the opponent’s side of the ice, you’ll build Sustained Pressure. When this goes on, you drain your opponent’s Stamina faster due to a debuff while you receive a buff that increases passing, shooting, and speed.

Of course, the weaker your goalie is, the easier it is to score on them. This is perhaps my favorite part of NHL 24’s gameplay. One of the things about hockey games that can be infuriating is that the goalie stays strong the entire game. The new Exhaust Engine adds fatigue not just to the goalie but to all the players on your team.

I enjoyed having to wear down the goalie (Image via EA Sports)

I’m a big fan of how this all worked out. The more you shoot and the more aggressive you are, the more worn out the opponent becomes. But this is a double-edged sword because you end up wearing yourself down as well, becoming less effective in the process.

I’m also a big fan of the new Physics-Based Combat. It lets players have more control over how they push around other opponents in NHL 24. However, it took some getting used to since I repeatedly put myself in the penalty box for being too aggressive.

The Vision Passing System was also a neat system, making it clearer who you can pass to and when. This was especially helpful for me, allowing me to press a button to make better passes.

Between these system enhancements and the Total Control Skill Moves, NHL 24 makes players feel like they have more control than ever. This makes it easier for people with more skill to make amazing plays and execute various tricky shots throughout their matches. Ultimately, I think these are positive changes for the game, but unfortunately, there’s still work to be done on this franchise.

NHL 24 has a wide variety of modes, but microtransactions hold some down

Not all the conversations were bad, but many felt awkward (Image via EA Sports)

To its credit, NHL 24 does have some incredible game modes. The 1 vs. 1 vs. 1 was probably my favorite and the one I did the best at, to be honest. Along with the Franchise Mode, I’m a big fan of career modes in a variety of games. There are plenty of different ways to play, and of course, I had to try the create-a-character.

However, while it started off okay, it just felt bland. NHL 24’s career mode conversation options felt very generic, except for a few conversations between players. Even then, it didn’t feel like real chatter between two people who were supposed to be teammates.

However, I will admit that the gameplay in this mode was incredibly fun. Even when I constantly found myself running out of stamina or sitting in the penalty box, I was glued to the game.

According to what I’ve seen, the microtransactions aren’t much different from the previous year, but now there’s the World of Chel Battle Pass. Having a premium battle pass, on top of all the other microtransactions this game has, was what felt so egregious to me. If it were merely a free battle pass, I wouldn’t say a thing about it.

World of Chel might be the game’s best mode, but it pushes the microtransaction agenda incredibly hard in NHL 24. It constantly wants you to pick up more in-game currency to buy items. It might be the best mode in the game, but I’m disappointed by how desperately it pushes players to spend money.

NHL 24’s animations are vastly upgraded, and the addition of Cheryl Pounder is a big deal

While the graphics still look fairly similar to NHL 23, in my estimation, the animations have been dramatically upgraded. There are many new, cool animations involving scoring a goal, defending as a goalie, and more. Visually there’s a lot to love about this, especially since it was already a visually appealing game prior to these upgrades.

Having UI features on the ice itself doesn’t distract me at all and, in fact, makes it much easier for me to see what’s going on. The little things, like seeing skates leave repeated trails in the ice, are another nice touch.

However, one major change to the voice cast is the addition of Cheryl Pounder as one of the play-by–play announcers. An incredible hockey player, she has two gold medals from playing in the Olympics (Salt Lake City and Torino) and is a six-time International Ice Hockey Foundation World Champion.

As one of the announcers, she brings a great deal of knowledge and excitement to the game, and I was incredibly delighted to see her as a part of the game. Pounder's addition is definitely an important change in NHL 24, that’s for sure.

In Conclusion

On a personal level, I love NHL 24, even though I felt the difficulty was a bit overtuned. I have not been much of a big hockey player these days, which also contributed to a lot of the difficulties I faced. The gameplay was fun and felt realistic without being a simulation. It felt like a blend of arcade action and realistic gameplay.

However, the increased microtransactions are a major point requiring discussion and will hopefully not become a trend in the NHL franchise. I feel like the World of Chel Battle Pass is going to receive a great deal of attention, both positive and negative. Ultimately, gamers will likely be divided in their opinions since some people won’t care at all, while others will be disappointed by it.

Finally, the push for crossplay was also a big deal and will probably delight players. While current-gen consoles can crossplay with each other, you can crossplay even If you’re on last-gen consoles. For the hardcore hockey fans, there’s a lot to love in the NFL 24 title. It’s not going to do too much to pull in the casual player, but for the most part, I like what they’ve done.