EA’s NHL is an incredibly long-running title. This year, with EA Sports NHL 24, we are hitting the 30th anniversary of NHL 94, the game that truly built the NHL game foundation we know today. What better year to shake things up than this one, right? I got to spend a day at the EA Vancouver campus to get hands-on time with the game, learn about their motion capture and animation process, and see precisely what’s in store for the NHL 24.
EA Vancouver’s Gameplay Overhaul
EA Vancouver has decided 2024 is the year to do a complete rehaul of the NHL game franchise, and their slogan this year is “Gameplay is King.” You will see a clear difference for the die-hard fans out there when you jump into NHL 24. Though this could be alarming for the most hardcore players, Creative Director Mike Inglehart and Senior Producer Chris Haluke are helming the project. Haluke has played hockey his entire life, both are hardcore hockey fans, and both have played EA’s NHL games since the 90s.
These two not only support the changes behind the changes to EA Sports NHL 24 but were glowing while they talked about them. A team always needs to stand behind their project, but Inglehart and Haluke completely fanboyed while talking about NHL 24, and to me, that’s a win already.
The first thing I noticed going hands-on with NHL 24 was how welcoming it was to a new player. Though I grew up as player-2 with my older brother, I was never someone to eat, sleep and breathe sports games, so diving into NHL 24 was an intimidating experience, especially knowing what fans of the game and the sport the dev team is. However, between on-screen prompts, forgiving difficulty settings, and an incredibly motivating crowd and commentary pairing, I felt great when I geared up as the Vancouver Canucks (I was at EA Vancouver, after all) and got out on the ice.
Was I good? Oh, god, no. But I was having a blast, and that is the most important thing for me. For returning players, who are probably much better than me, you have a lot of new mechanics to get a grasp on. I think this will be incredibly refreshing for a yearly franchise, keeping old players on their toes, surprising returning players, and giving new players something to get excited about.
EA Sports NHL 24 New Gameplay Systems
Get ready because NHL 24 is being restructured, bringing some amazing gameplay mechanics to the ice, the first of which is the Exhaust Engine. NHL 24 is implementing a Sustained Pressure System. This means players will be rewarded for prolonged time spent in the attacking zone. Your team will build up a Sustained Pressure Meter when they have the puck and through hits and shots in the offensive zone.
Here, you’ll gain the Adrenaline Effect, which can increase your speed and accuracy during gameplay for up to 30 seconds. Your opponents, however, will gain the Pinned Effect, hindering their skating abilities and forcing them to find new ways to defend. Clearing the puck for
This year, EA Sports NHL 24 is also introducing physics-based contact. I was able to get into a full-out fistfight—which I won. You’ll also be able to check players over the boards or slap a puck right through the glass, with full commentary during the event. A control overhaul also brings One-Touch passing, offensive fake outs, and more accessible highlight reel moves.
The most exciting part of these new gameplay systems is the ability to control the goalie in NHL 24. There is a brand-new Instinct System that will reward goalies for guessing where a shot will land. Chris Haluke, being a goalie himself, said, “The instinct system itself allows me to use my instincts if I think the shot’s going to go high glove side, then I make that anticipation. And if I guess right, then I will definitely get a boost, and I’ll make that big save. So it reminds me a lot of playing goalie in real life.”
World of Chel New Additions
Something that will either excite or infuriate NHL 24 players is the introduction of the Battle Pass. You know the drill, monetizing gameplay is the way of the future, and EA has jumped on board with NHL. There will be free, and premium levels (hello, Fortnite), and the items are all cosmetic. My first concern was, why buy a battle pass for a yearly game? EA stated that the vanity items will carry over into the next season. Whether players will choose to spend their money is entirely up to them, and who am I to say EA shouldn’t earn an extra buck if they can?
You will also find a new Creation Zone (that looks very similar to the Fortnite locker) to streamline the process of customizing your character. Here you can find items more easily, quick-change, and save your unique styles. The items in your NHL 24 closet will also be transferable to NHL 25.
The World of Chel storefront with bring premium purchasable vanity content. This will also replace the opening of Hockey Bags, allowing players to buy what they want and avoid what they don’t. You can grind for currency to purchase exclusive items in NHL 24.
NHL 24 HUT Moments
EA Sports NHL 24 is bringing HUT Moments to the game, where you can play out a part of hockey history. These moments will be major moments in the NHL, like cover star Cale Makar’s career moments, great memories from X-Factor players, and Ultimate Moments from icons like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Gordie Howe.
Each section will have a series of moments for you to explore. I dove into the game where Gretzky took the win from the Toronto Maple Leafs in game 7 in 1993. It took me a minute to understand how moments work, thinking you were just playing through a pre-arranged series of events.
Instead, with HUT Moments, you need to reach the same achievements that these icon players did. In Game 7, I needed to take slap shots with Gretzky, score goals as him, and win the game. Each instance has a set of goals to complete before you are rewarded.
Presentation
Part of what makes these moments, and gameplay in general, is the crowd and commentary in NHL 24. This year, Cheryl Pounder has been added to the game as an announcer. Chatting with the team at EA, she has recorded hundreds of hours worth of commentary for NHL 24. Listening to them comment on your player’s Exhaust Engine, the roaring of the crowd, or just how much you suck was a lot of fun.
Hearing the announcers and the crowd cheer you on during a great play brings a ton of energy to NHL 24. You will see plenty of new crowd events, like rushing the ice and cheering for you to SHOOT! EA Vancouver has also brought in over 75 new goal celebrations. A lot of these are enjoyable and bring a lot of life to the game. Some are from real players, some not so much. You can also choose how you flex and create personalized banners to flash on the screen when you score.
NHL 24 will be released on October 6, 2023, for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. EA has taken last-gen/current-gen into consideration, and players on last-gen (Xbox One, PS4) will only be paired up against each other, and current-gen (Xbox Series X|S, PS5) will match up. Players can invite friends from any platform, though, so no one is left out!
There will be a physical edition and the X-Factor Digital Edition. If you pre-order before September 25, 2023, the EA Sports NHL 24 X-Factor Edition will include a HUT Team Building Player Choice Pack as well as an exclusive Cale Makar player item, Dual Entitlement, 4600 NHL Points, three days of early access and WOC Battle Pass XP Modifier.
EA Sports NHL 24 has brought a slew of new content, monetization, gameplay changes, and more. Now is the best time for any new players to jump into the NHL franchise, and returning players will have a lot to look forward to. I hope the changes to NHL don’t alienate any veteran players, and I’m eager to see how they take to the new twists in this classic game.
