NHL 23' is a good step for the franchise this year but overall I just felt myself wanting something more.
I never learned how to ice skate, but I’ve always dreamed of being a hockey goalie and the idea of being a hero and making insane acrobatic saves. Being the last line of defense, or just being my true crazy self because, to be a goalie, you have to be crazy. Sadly I was cursed to be 5 foot 5 and born somewhere where there isn’t any ice. My only hope or chance to live out these dreams has been the NHL franchise. Well, now it’s time to get ready to try those dreams again. Virtually, that is. ‘NHL 23’ is officially out now. Your yearly installment of body checks, dekes, blue line slap shots, and occasionally a tussle or two is back.
We are solidly into the current gen for PS5 and Xbox Series X. Looking back, I enjoyed ‘NHL 22’, so you’d think I’d have immense joy for this year’s installment, right? Well, there is a little more to it.
‘NHL 23’ features a good amount of quality of life. The biggest thing that I noticed was that everything play-wise feels tighter. 22 was a good start and base for EA Vancouver, but after recently playing 22 and now 23, things feel like an improvement. 22 feels sloppy and loose. Like you’re trying to rollerblade wrapped in a wet weighted blanket and a rink full of thick and heavy grease. 23 feels like they’ve retooled the skating mechanics. Not a major overhaul, but it’s enough of one to make it better. You feel more nimble and fast on your feet. It feels so much more like an actual NHL game. A new sense of speed in-game reminds me of ‘NHL 13’, my first NHL video game. That game felt so fast and intense. It’s a feeling that is so hard to capture, but NHL 23 does it. 23 also features new animations for players and XFactor moves. Honestly, these are somewhat noticeable. The biggest one I saw was when I was playing goalie and saw a ‘desperation’ move to freeze the puck.
Something devs pushed for this year was the atmosphere of in-game play. The crowds in the arena are way more responsive and into it than ever before. If you take a dumb penalty (I do, constantly), the crowd will let the refs know that they made a bad call, even if it was your fault. Score the game-winner, and fans will scream and shout for about five more plays after your goal. Playing like absolute trash and getting beat three nothing in the third, they will become BIG pissed. New crowd reactions add to the depth of the games. Something about the crowd and their energy adds pressure to you and the AI. It’s like you feel the fans around you losing their minds. It feels like you’re in the building, and anyone who has been to a hockey game knows the electric feeling in the arena.
Hat trick cellys are back as well! Continuing the additions to the in-game atmosphere, tossed hats on the ice are wonderful. You, as the player, are also able to customize your hat trick celly making it just that more special. Also added to arenas are some pregame events. They went out through the NHL to all the teams, took parts of their pregame, and added them to the home arenas. Playing my first game for the Tampa Bay Lightning and seeing the crowd bumping blue light sticks and the ice lit up in graphics was kind of wild and so cool to see for the first time. You can tell the team wanted to push for some quality-of-life enhancements in the arena.
Another cool addition is the updated franchise mode, where you can make your own NHL. From six to 48 teams in your league. Create the original six, or recreate the WHA, or whatever you want! I haven’t fully dived into this, but I’m going to get lost here. EA Vancouver also has added the IIHF Women’s Team to HUT which I LOVE. Getting women’s hockey more representation is always a win in my book.
While people on the internet will complain that ‘NHL 23’ is just a roster update, they are wrong. I mean yes, they have updated rosters, but there have been a ton of quality-of-life improvements allowing the game to take a major step forward. I loved the fixes we now have. However, other content feels like it just was lacking. Some small things were added to career mode and HUT, but it felt like something was lacking overall with the content this time.
‘NHL 23’ is a good step for the franchise this year, and there needs to be major praise for this. They have been great strides up the ice, but overall I just felt myself wanting something more.
