NHL 23

NHL 23 is a vast improvement from last year's entry, featuring better control on the ice, the inclusion of women in HUT, and so much more.

NHL 23 is another solid outing of EA Sports Hockey-Series. The gameplay sees minor improvements, that actually makes NHL 23 surpass ist predecessor. But overall the lack of real innovation is missing and therefore experienced players may give this one a pass.

It's getting harder and harder to find revolutionary elements without expanding the NHL itself. But despite these challenges, this year's edition of virtual hockey has something going for it and offers surprisingly great gameplay. [Issue#323]

The NHL series really needs some competition. Once again, we get improvements in just one game mode while the others gather dust. This year, however, the amount of joy that has been added feels greater than usual.

It’s overdue, but NHL 23 finally looks and feels like it belongs on these beefier consoles. The visual tech upgrade adds stellar reality to the on-ice play, which also benefits from players who are willing to dive for the puck to make a desperate goal or save. It gains new energy from crowds reacting to the action like real crowds would, bringing a definitive audio design that’s best-in-class for stadium effects. Franchise mode customization greatly expands, and seeing women in the fold for the first time feels right – and also overdue. At the same time there are several modes that are outright ignored, including the Be a Pro single-player campaign, and its microtransaction-driven Ultimate Team mode comes with the usual caveats about its predatory, profit-driven nature.

If you’re looking for something that makes you feel closer to the ice than ever before, NHL 23 is going to be your favorite game that you play this year. The electricity that oozes from this title is something that will bring me back to playing it over and over again, even if there are a few nagging problems that need to be addressed very shortly.