I don't understand why EA can't do a 2-year game release with big updates throughout or a fairly inexpensive DLC to add new things. Her inclusion, along with the inclusion of every other female player that’s in NHL 23 is long overdue, though EA has yet to go as far as including the PHF (Premier Hockey Federation), the CWHL (Canadian Women’s Hockey League) or the ZHL (Zhenskaya Hockey League). Nothing feels different from NHL 22, all the way down to the mind-numbingly boring writing that plagues the campaign.

In the microtransaction-based Ultimate Team, EA’s clearly profitable card-trading team-building mode, those women from IIHF teams make their first appearance. Once the NHL series and EA’s other annualized sports games leave the PS4 behind, that year’s entry should hopefully be another step up. Canadian goalscoring machine Sarah Nurse makes history as the first female player featured on an NHL cover.Previously, taking contact momentarily stopped your character in their tracks, which rewarded strong defensive play but overall disrupted the game's flow in an unrealistic and frustrating way. Players across same-generation consoles can face off against each other in Ultimate Team and World of Chel! More than varied cheers and boos, there are intensities, like the crowd’s volume rapidly rising during a tense face-off, or giving up – even booing – when down by an insurmountable goal count. NHL 23 adds flashy new drama in the form of a slew of desperation plays, like diving for a loose puck in front of the net, a puck that would be otherwise unreachable.

The biggest change to NHL 23 is the inclusion of women players from the IIHF in Ultimate Team's roster of unlockable athletes. With 500 new Last Chance Puck Movement animations, you can now control how a play unfolds after any level of contact is taken, from performing passes out of stumbles to desperation shots from the ice. NHL 23 lets fantasy rosters into the mix, albeit with contemporary stars only; Gordie Howe will not be joining the action. Growing up in Canada, there was a time in my life when I could count on watching both the women’s and the men’s teams for Canada achieve gold in the IIHF. All available sellers are tested and verified by our staff to ensure that you get the game you paid for.As an additional bonus, online play in HUT offers cross-platform play between Xbox Series X/PS5 or Xbox One/PS4 players.

Franchise mode has a cool new customization feature but largely pretty vanilla and not any better than last year. The mode continues to come across as an afterthought rather than a main attraction and it's a real shame for anyone looking to live out their NHL fantasies.While gameplay can sometimes be smooth and satisfying, there are still way too many bugs needing a fix. The same goes for defense, trying to sweep the puck out of their zone, balancing the fun and the strategy. A PlayStation digital code will be sent to you so you can download NHL 23 PS5, which requires an EU IP-address. Deeper player pools, shorter queue times and more teams for your squad to square up against are now available in World of Chel with the arrival of cross-platform matchmaking for players on the same console generation.

Face the thrills of the NHL with new gameplay features that reward skill and creativity, improved graphics and mechanics that bring the game to life, enhanced game modes, and cross-play support so you can take to the ice with friends or foes on any platform. 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.It used to be the highlight of the year when NHL was released, I´ve bought every game since 1995, but it all stops after NHL23. 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. Those also look impeccable, with an entire crowd waving glow sticks as a laser light show beams onto the ice. The good news is you don't need to follow any additional steps to activate your extended 6-year warranty. Arriving as post-launch updates, cross-platform matchmaking for players on the same platform generation in HUT and WOC means deeper player pools, shorter queue times, and more teams for your squad to square up against.