Why the mandated week off around the All-Star break? That’s the time of year when people want to watch the game. Is it just me, or does the NHL season drag for everyone? Except for a wild-card slot or two, in these last 20 games, the good teams will try to stay healthy, and the lousy ones will try to lose, lose and then lose some more. Still, it’s Ultimate Team, predatory in its execution to keep us all purchasing and digging through packs to find the best players, who remain artificially rare by design.(Note: Some questions have been lightly edited for style and clarity.) It’s not a total integration as this is all limited to versus (no co-op) and this only applies to HUT and World of Chel competition, but it’s a move that’s worth noting. That’s a rarity in these annual, real-world dollar-based modes.Īs an additional bonus, online play in HUT offers cross-platform play between Xbox Series X/PS5 or Xbox One/PS4 players. As a plus, those playing legacy editions of NHL 23 on Xbox One or PlayStation 4 can migrate their HUT team over to a new console when/if they upgrade to the Series X or PS5. Surely destined to spark nonsense conversations about inter-gender hockey, the move is the right one to go along with Canada’s Sarah Nurse co-cover star debut. In the microtransaction-based Ultimate Team, EA’s clearly profitable card-trading team-building mode, those women from IIHF teams make their first appearance. But it’s a good idea, and I could see EA expanding on it down the line to offer us more control over the festivities, and that sounds like fun.īy including full IIHF women’s team and tournaments, not just custom players, NHL 23 makes hockey video game history, even if NHL is the only option on the market these days. It’s not really meaningful, because choosing who hoists the Cup is nothing more than a bland menu selection, which adds little drama. Winning teams can take part in an interactive Stanley Cup celebration, and it’s neat to have the Cup in hand, passing it around to others, and see the names inscribed onto the trophy. The color commentary thinks this makes a difference though, and those snippets sound more like marketing than actual information. Sarah Nurse’s X-Factor, as an example, increases her shot and passing accuracy after taking a hit, but to what actual effect or amount isn’t clear. They remain a passive feature that only occasionally come into play. These receive tuning updates this year, along with fresh abilities in the mix, but amid hockey’s frantic pace their viability rarely seems obvious mid-play. Star players come with X-Factors, another cross-brand touch that – like HUT – applies to its entire EA Sports roster. Plus, the choppy commentary, inconsistent tone, and repetitive cut aways during stoppages make it harder to become immersed in the hockey than it’s been at the series’ peaks. It’s an uneven jump into a new generation visually. This is a strong year for out-of-the-box balancing, though, and the various arcade modes have their charms, even if they’re just limited sidebars. NHL 22 puts a lot of energy into promoting Superstar X-Factors, but even giving big-name players unique special abilities doesn’t have the significant gameplay implications you’d expect.
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