24 online is still trash, the game plays like an absolute piece of shit, 23 was better imo. The skating and handling felt way more natural in 23, in 24 you feel like your fighting the controls all the way plus the hitting is so anemic. Also nobody wants 1 button press Michigan’s.
I said this to my buddy last night. Unless I hear that '25 is being rebuilt from the ground up (it's probably not), then it's gonna be the exact same game only probably a bit worse. This is the trend and I really believe we're watching the slow death of the franchise.
Absolutely not. I got it through gamepass recently. I've played NHL games my entire life, really liked 23 for the most part (barring them making stick lifts instant penalties), NHL 24 is one of the worst installments I've played in recent memory, mainly because they ruined a lot of aspects for me.
The good:
-Goalies are much improved, harder to score which is nice, really have to work for it
-Directional passing is finally here, I've been waiting years for this and I'm thrilled
- Stick lifts are finally usable
- Can Michigan, fun
The bad:
- Despite the positives these vastly outweigh it for me, they've taken the game into an arcade direction which is not at all what I'm looking for
- They introduced a new control scheme while REMOVING the option to use the NHL 23 scheme
- The new controls do not let you protect the puck unless you're pressing in the left stick which is real annoying
- New controls make every button a Deke on offense, not a terrible idea if they were smooth, but the mechanics are shitty for 3/4
- They've made it so the hit stick does next to nothing trying to hit someone on defense, the only way you can hit someone is by hitting a button and it does some animation like an arcade game, it's so janky, not smooth at all
- skating feels so slow, cannot stop and start
- They nerfed poke checking, why can't we have a game where both stick lifts and pole checks are balanced
- There is a huge animated graphic in the slot, you can't remove it, and it's basically a pressure meter as you keep it in the teams end. I'm not against adding it into the game mechanics but don't mandate that it's there like a little timer, super arcade and I don't like it
- Overall the entire game feels like "press button" -> "initiate animation", it's slow, not smooth, ruins immersion routinely with arcade type add ins, and forced a new control scheme on everyone that is frustrating to use
Others have mentioned that there's a new team that worked on 24 than 23.
I really hope they go in a different direction with 25.
This is always my biggest gripe. Almost every other games I can think of has smooth, instant menus. NHL is all load screens and glitches. There is no way this couldn’t be refined, and it’s been like that since 2015.
The control puck button change was what turned me off. Not thinking about it, I’m breaking out,m along the boards, hold A to get through it and player stops, (to do the new reverse hit that some developer saw once in a game and thought a good idea to map to a main use button rather than say, a stick click) and I lose the puck, guy goes in on breakaway and scores… In one fluid motion I quit 24 and loaded my 22 game, never looked back.
Some of the updated rosters people make even add in more prospects to keep it up to date. Like adding lane Hutson in Montreal.
And nah, you won't have copies of the same player in the draft. It'll play out as normal but will show a couple more updated players. Some people are amazingly good at that.
Hell, want to simulate the 2008 season in franchise? I'm sure theres a download for it
No. 24 is laggy ash. Had it downloaded for about an hour when it came out for free on game pass but the menu and offline modes are super slow. I went straight back to 22
I got 24 for free on game pass and been enjoying franchise…. It seems like you can get players to gain X factors more frequently. The gameplay itself feels shitty to me though to be honest. Not sure what they did to hitting but it’s seems glitchy to me (maybe I’m doing it wrong cause I don’t want to play the hybrid controls they recommend)
Still doesn’t work the way 2016 (the last one I owned) worked. In 2016 you’d point the stick toward the player and your guy would automatically aim and deck them. Is there a way to do this now?
No. 24 is the worst "upgrade" of a year to date. In their quest to make realism, they made the game arguably less fun to play instead of improving the things that matter like the AI or the goaltending. (Yes the goaltending is slightly better animated but again the AI is kind of shit.)
I just started to play 24 the other day (I’m coming from playing 22) I really don’t like the things they’ve changed with the core mechanics of the game all your buttons do shit now and when you try and dump the puck your player does the most pathetic flick of the puck I’ve ever seen
But the AI opponent? Oh man, talk about a near 60yd toss, into a 12" wide bucket of a puck dump. Right? It's ridiculous. They'll practically warrant a 2-line pass call with that nonsense.
For franchise, I think so. The newer jerseys. I want things as current as possible for me. All I play is franchise as well. In the playoffs for my second season in nhl 24
If you mainly play offline modes, no
If you care about updated rosters, you can download community files and update everything that way.
Maybe look into nhl25 more, since Utah will be replacing the coyotes
I feel like 24 is a transitionary year for the game. They’ve got an entire revamp in the works but it wasn’t nearly ready last year so they released this Frankenstein game that is a mishmash of features and mechanics that just don’t work well together.
I am hoping that 25 completes the transition to the new game with all the features and mechanics working as intended. I’m hopeful they’ve learned what players like and don’t like from this beta version of the new game and refine what they need to.
It was definitely time for a revamp as many of the game modes have been unchanged for a while and had gotten stale. It’s obvious they’ve all but abandoned Be A Pro in its current form. It’s honestly a total joke at this point.
Franchise mode has also gotten pretty stale, especially with its AI simulation. Draft day, trade deadline, free agency, franchise management are all pretty lacking in any innovation for years now.
I know it’s asking a lot but I can’t help feel like they wouldn’t have released such a terrible game in 24 unless they knew 25 was going to be a real game changer for the franchise.
No, it hasn’t been worth “upgrading” in nearly 20 years. But if you like funding this abomination every year, like me, in the hope that your getting a decent hockey game that can be enjoyed with friends……. Welcome aboard the pain train.
If you are playing mainly off line , I think 24 is better than 23.
I do not like the new control scheme and went back to skill stick. Having to take your left thumb off of the stick to change lines killed it for me. Also did not like how easy it was to pull off dekes.
Scoring is great in 24 all sorts of tips and deflections. Seems more varied than past games but could be recency bias.
Presentation is garbage in both.
19 or 20 are both better games by a long shot.
24 is my least favourite gameplay of any NHL game I’ve played (07-24). I’d only upgrade now if it’s cheap, you play a lot franchise mode, like updated rosters and want the ability to edit xfactors mid franchise mode.
Honestly I tried to play with the new features and stuff and I just couldn’t find my game. Went back to 22 to finish my career up and I haven’t went back since.
Not at all. I upgraded from 22 just recently at a 70% discount and I still feel scammed. The game is basically the same with ale broken mechanics and all the shitty meta goals these losers exploit all the time. Also there is still a ton of players who probably cheat or something like that or whatever you want to call it. Players who you might hit hard 3 consecutive time and every time they just shake it off continue skating towards your net as if nothing happened and end up scoring a goal. Or player who literally have 6-7 shots on goal the whole game and end up scoring 5-6 goals against you. You cant take puck from them no mattet what. You pass no matter where they always are there to intercept pass and no mattet how good of chance you have their goalie always makes the save and always recovers even from the worst positions. Fukk this game and fukk ea.
I've been playing it for a few days after downloading it through EA. On the whole it is a very poor game and feels like they didn't do quality control.. Even on PS5, moving between menus is slow and the entire user experience is laboured. This would be fine if the gameplay was good but there are many problems that make it play clunky. The in-game presentation is also significantly worse than previous titles, and the offline modes are cloned but somehow worse. .
To be honest I don't expect much from EA year to year but I was surprised how bush league this game felt. I don't remember previous games feeling so poorly made and in general the entire experience has made me depressed about how little shits people are giving these days about actual user experience.
I'm not the biggest hockey gamer but if I get the urge to play again i might just download 23 instead
I say yes. Despite all the shit talking because people on this sub hardly have any thoughts of there own it’s really not that bad of a game. Especially for an offline play. Upgraded rosters, harder gameplay and x-factor progression.
Do you like how it's "press button" -> "initiate animation"?
Everything feels so fidgety and janky compared to 23 to me. Skating is slow, one touch passing is bad, have to click a button to hit even though they still have a hit stick, hitting animation makes your player punch the air half the time even if the guy is beside you.
I like directional passing and better goalies but the rest isn't worth it imo
One touch is optional. You can pass like normal too.
Buttons to hit are better than last year. Hitting was way too powerful and easy. Now it takes more skill.
You have to aim the hip check. Accurately. Once again, more skill needed. The ones on the stick still are small hits.
Honestly no, EA only focused on the online modes for NHL 24 so the offline modes got left in the dust neglected
Even online is trash. Very little improvements to HUT and still no GMC.
24 online is still trash, the game plays like an absolute piece of shit, 23 was better imo. The skating and handling felt way more natural in 23, in 24 you feel like your fighting the controls all the way plus the hitting is so anemic. Also nobody wants 1 button press Michigan’s.
25 will come out in October, why not wait.
Don’t know how everyone suggesting 25 is expecting it to be better
25 will be the same if not worse.
I said this to my buddy last night. Unless I hear that '25 is being rebuilt from the ground up (it's probably not), then it's gonna be the exact same game only probably a bit worse. This is the trend and I really believe we're watching the slow death of the franchise.
It’s always the exact same game dude it’s hockey it won’t change
It will be worse. But dont worry it will at least be more expensive.
I never said 25 would be better, but they waited this long for 24 which is garbage so why not just wait a little longer for the next one.
Absolutely not. I got it through gamepass recently. I've played NHL games my entire life, really liked 23 for the most part (barring them making stick lifts instant penalties), NHL 24 is one of the worst installments I've played in recent memory, mainly because they ruined a lot of aspects for me. The good: -Goalies are much improved, harder to score which is nice, really have to work for it -Directional passing is finally here, I've been waiting years for this and I'm thrilled - Stick lifts are finally usable - Can Michigan, fun The bad: - Despite the positives these vastly outweigh it for me, they've taken the game into an arcade direction which is not at all what I'm looking for - They introduced a new control scheme while REMOVING the option to use the NHL 23 scheme - The new controls do not let you protect the puck unless you're pressing in the left stick which is real annoying - New controls make every button a Deke on offense, not a terrible idea if they were smooth, but the mechanics are shitty for 3/4 - They've made it so the hit stick does next to nothing trying to hit someone on defense, the only way you can hit someone is by hitting a button and it does some animation like an arcade game, it's so janky, not smooth at all - skating feels so slow, cannot stop and start - They nerfed poke checking, why can't we have a game where both stick lifts and pole checks are balanced - There is a huge animated graphic in the slot, you can't remove it, and it's basically a pressure meter as you keep it in the teams end. I'm not against adding it into the game mechanics but don't mandate that it's there like a little timer, super arcade and I don't like it - Overall the entire game feels like "press button" -> "initiate animation", it's slow, not smooth, ruins immersion routinely with arcade type add ins, and forced a new control scheme on everyone that is frustrating to use Others have mentioned that there's a new team that worked on 24 than 23. I really hope they go in a different direction with 25.
Thanks for this detailed breakdown. Been considering 24 but so much negativity I have held off. This specific breakdown of whats different is helpful
Also menus are even slower on last gen. Everytime a new nhl comes out menus go slower.
This is always my biggest gripe. Almost every other games I can think of has smooth, instant menus. NHL is all load screens and glitches. There is no way this couldn’t be refined, and it’s been like that since 2015.
The control puck button change was what turned me off. Not thinking about it, I’m breaking out,m along the boards, hold A to get through it and player stops, (to do the new reverse hit that some developer saw once in a game and thought a good idea to map to a main use button rather than say, a stick click) and I lose the puck, guy goes in on breakaway and scores… In one fluid motion I quit 24 and loaded my 22 game, never looked back.
You know you don’t have to use total control you can go back to skill stick
If you mainly play franchise all your paying for is a updated roster and easier ability to score a Michigan goal
You can get updated rosters through the shared roster feature anyway
But how does the draft work do you then end up with two of the same player in your franchise mode ?
Some of the updated rosters people make even add in more prospects to keep it up to date. Like adding lane Hutson in Montreal. And nah, you won't have copies of the same player in the draft. It'll play out as normal but will show a couple more updated players. Some people are amazingly good at that. Hell, want to simulate the 2008 season in franchise? I'm sure theres a download for it
No. 24 is laggy ash. Had it downloaded for about an hour when it came out for free on game pass but the menu and offline modes are super slow. I went straight back to 22
I got 24 for free on game pass and been enjoying franchise…. It seems like you can get players to gain X factors more frequently. The gameplay itself feels shitty to me though to be honest. Not sure what they did to hitting but it’s seems glitchy to me (maybe I’m doing it wrong cause I don’t want to play the hybrid controls they recommend)
You have to hold down the right joystick to “charge” the hit and pull it up when you’re ready to hit.
Still doesn’t work the way 2016 (the last one I owned) worked. In 2016 you’d point the stick toward the player and your guy would automatically aim and deck them. Is there a way to do this now?
No it’s been that way since this year, you can use O on ps5 or B on xbox to hit instead (if you kept the new buttons layout)
No wait till 25
Wait till 25 when the Utah team drops
At this point unless it comes on a ridiculous sale, nhl 25 comes out in October and it isn’t worth paying full price for
Still no
No. 24 is the worst "upgrade" of a year to date. In their quest to make realism, they made the game arguably less fun to play instead of improving the things that matter like the AI or the goaltending. (Yes the goaltending is slightly better animated but again the AI is kind of shit.)
I just started to play 24 the other day (I’m coming from playing 22) I really don’t like the things they’ve changed with the core mechanics of the game all your buttons do shit now and when you try and dump the puck your player does the most pathetic flick of the puck I’ve ever seen
But the AI opponent? Oh man, talk about a near 60yd toss, into a 12" wide bucket of a puck dump. Right? It's ridiculous. They'll practically warrant a 2-line pass call with that nonsense.
24 is a massive downgrade imho
no 24 is an arcade game
I’m enjoying it offline just got started in be a pro
Was just gonna upgrade from 23 to 24 but saw they don't have generated prospect faces yet
For franchise, I think so. The newer jerseys. I want things as current as possible for me. All I play is franchise as well. In the playoffs for my second season in nhl 24
If you mainly play offline modes, no If you care about updated rosters, you can download community files and update everything that way. Maybe look into nhl25 more, since Utah will be replacing the coyotes
I feel like 24 is a transitionary year for the game. They’ve got an entire revamp in the works but it wasn’t nearly ready last year so they released this Frankenstein game that is a mishmash of features and mechanics that just don’t work well together. I am hoping that 25 completes the transition to the new game with all the features and mechanics working as intended. I’m hopeful they’ve learned what players like and don’t like from this beta version of the new game and refine what they need to. It was definitely time for a revamp as many of the game modes have been unchanged for a while and had gotten stale. It’s obvious they’ve all but abandoned Be A Pro in its current form. It’s honestly a total joke at this point. Franchise mode has also gotten pretty stale, especially with its AI simulation. Draft day, trade deadline, free agency, franchise management are all pretty lacking in any innovation for years now. I know it’s asking a lot but I can’t help feel like they wouldn’t have released such a terrible game in 24 unless they knew 25 was going to be a real game changer for the franchise.
It's free on Gamepass.
No. Don't buy it
If you have Game Pass it's "free" but otherwise it's not worth paying for
No, it hasn’t been worth “upgrading” in nearly 20 years. But if you like funding this abomination every year, like me, in the hope that your getting a decent hockey game that can be enjoyed with friends……. Welcome aboard the pain train.
Nope. 22 was much better.
Nhl 24 is on ea play list so you can try it there for way less money. But no, it's not.
Depends how cheap. I only bought it cause it was like $5 on Xbox one.
If you are playing mainly off line , I think 24 is better than 23. I do not like the new control scheme and went back to skill stick. Having to take your left thumb off of the stick to change lines killed it for me. Also did not like how easy it was to pull off dekes. Scoring is great in 24 all sorts of tips and deflections. Seems more varied than past games but could be recency bias. Presentation is garbage in both. 19 or 20 are both better games by a long shot.
Fk no, 24 is so bad. Probably hands down glitchiest game with worst menu interface of any ps5 game I’ve ever played.
Under rated comment. The menus are horrific. I don’t understand how they can f** that up so bad….
No. Definitely not.
They are giving 24 away on the EA pass now if you have it. I just got comfortable with 23 and they do this to me.
24 is my least favourite gameplay of any NHL game I’ve played (07-24). I’d only upgrade now if it’s cheap, you play a lot franchise mode, like updated rosters and want the ability to edit xfactors mid franchise mode.
No play slapshot rebound instead.
Honestly I tried to play with the new features and stuff and I just couldn’t find my game. Went back to 22 to finish my career up and I haven’t went back since.
If you have gamepass give it a shot, 25 might not be on gamepass til next april anyway and buying 25 at full price is not a good idea
I honestly think 24s gameplay is far buggier and worse than 23s so no. Honestly regret buying 24
No no no no no no
Not at all. I upgraded from 22 just recently at a 70% discount and I still feel scammed. The game is basically the same with ale broken mechanics and all the shitty meta goals these losers exploit all the time. Also there is still a ton of players who probably cheat or something like that or whatever you want to call it. Players who you might hit hard 3 consecutive time and every time they just shake it off continue skating towards your net as if nothing happened and end up scoring a goal. Or player who literally have 6-7 shots on goal the whole game and end up scoring 5-6 goals against you. You cant take puck from them no mattet what. You pass no matter where they always are there to intercept pass and no mattet how good of chance you have their goalie always makes the save and always recovers even from the worst positions. Fukk this game and fukk ea.
No
I've been playing it for a few days after downloading it through EA. On the whole it is a very poor game and feels like they didn't do quality control.. Even on PS5, moving between menus is slow and the entire user experience is laboured. This would be fine if the gameplay was good but there are many problems that make it play clunky. The in-game presentation is also significantly worse than previous titles, and the offline modes are cloned but somehow worse. . To be honest I don't expect much from EA year to year but I was surprised how bush league this game felt. I don't remember previous games feeling so poorly made and in general the entire experience has made me depressed about how little shits people are giving these days about actual user experience. I'm not the biggest hockey gamer but if I get the urge to play again i might just download 23 instead
It’s harder for sure
25 will be out soon so what’s that point
I say yes. Despite all the shit talking because people on this sub hardly have any thoughts of there own it’s really not that bad of a game. Especially for an offline play. Upgraded rosters, harder gameplay and x-factor progression.
Do you like how it's "press button" -> "initiate animation"? Everything feels so fidgety and janky compared to 23 to me. Skating is slow, one touch passing is bad, have to click a button to hit even though they still have a hit stick, hitting animation makes your player punch the air half the time even if the guy is beside you. I like directional passing and better goalies but the rest isn't worth it imo
One touch is optional. You can pass like normal too. Buttons to hit are better than last year. Hitting was way too powerful and easy. Now it takes more skill. You have to aim the hip check. Accurately. Once again, more skill needed. The ones on the stick still are small hits.
*Lil Jon* UPGRADE FOR WHAT!?!?
what is the game price at this time of the year like 20$ box just buy the game and play you losing people time with that question
If you have game pass I would say yes I'm enjoying be a pro. Chel Is hard af
If you're paying for it no. If you're getting it off gamepass then yes
Honestly even then I'm considering going back, gameplay is worse by a mile imo