NHL 23 Impressions – Nothing More than DLC?
Another year means another NHL season – Go Leafs Go! – and another NHL season brings about a new EA Sports hockey game. It has been said for years that the lack of competition in the marketplace has caused EA to become a bit complacent, not doing as much as they should year-over-year.
Most years, I’m happy to get a NHL game, but after toying around with NHL 23 for a few weeks, I see why some are calling this underwhelming DLC.
NHL 23 is not a bad game, and if you haven’t upgraded in a few years, this is a good year to do so. And if you love being apart of the competitive modes in EA Sports NHL, you’ll also want the latest game. For everyone else, those who play casually, this is a year you might want to skip. But let’s take a quick look at a few things changed this year:
- Improved AI – this is actually something that is quite noticeable. AI X-Factor players do actually make a difference, and the AI across all difficulty modes are just a bit smarter than they use to be.
- Brand New Animations – again, this was very noticeable, mostly with the goalies. New animations don’t really change how NHL plays, but the more realistic they get specific movements, the better the game feels to play.
- Presentation Overhaul – the voices you hear commentating the game might be familiar, but the introductions and other aspects have been overhauled. The most noticeable change is the Stanley Cup celebration, where you can choose who to hand the cup off to as players circle the ice. It’s actually a rather cool upgrade that gives that end of season celebration just a bit more umph!
- Custom Options for Franchise Mode – again, for those who love this particular mode (I’m not one of them), this can be seen as a significant upgrade. This new option allows you to fully customize what a season looks like for your franchise and league, including which teams can compete in the season. Want just an original six season? You can do that. Pretty cool, if you ask me!
- IIHF Women’s Hockey included in Hockey Ultimate Team – this is actually really cool. Adding some of my favourite Canadian women’s players to my HUT team is great.
Again, if you love the franchise, than go ahead and snag NHL 23 – you won’t be disappointed. But if you are a casual player, or are looking for major update, you will be disappointed here. This is still a fantastic hockey game, just not one that improves in tangible ways over NHL 22.
Article By Adam Roffel
Adam Roffel has only been writing about video games for a short time, but has honed his skills completing a Master's Degree. He loves Nintendo, and almost anything they have released...even Tomodachi Life.
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