NHL 24 Presentation Deep Dive

So, not overwhelmingly good news but I appreciate that at least this year everyone knows the game that's being delivered at launch... and for franchise, authentic NHL hockey enthusiasts, there's too much distraction on ice.

If the traditional goal celebrations do go in, the plans Aljo kindly mentioned could easily mean something as late as a January patch or maybe NHL 25, then I'd certainly be keen to try 24 out. Flex Cam after every goal is a killer for me, the Pressure meter for others. Oddly, I can sort of reconcile the latter as it's similar to the shot clock in NBA 2K, but it really doesn't need to be there for Franchise. It's a UI overlay after all.

24 is a bit of shame really, there looks to be some nice improvements, the "build pressure" meta is intriguing if it means robo goalies start giving up clean wristers rather than just the few glitchy "sure thing" goals, icon passing is good, audio sounds great, but there's just a few arcade like elements that are egregious immersion breakers.

It's not really a question of getting used to them for offline because invariably you go back and play say, 21 or 22, which had the presentation elements offline players do want but none of the enforced 24 presentation elements that seem extraneous to a solid Franchise, realistic experience.

But as said, we know where we stand, which is genuinely appreciated. No purchase for me at launch but still interested in any title updates and the reception the game gets.  I've been a big fan of this series for decades, so it will always retain a degree of emotional if not financial investment.

I hope that changes in the months to come.