NHL 24: The Downfall of HUT

A yearly roster update with recycled features from years past being labeled as exciting and new is a slap in the face. Year over year the game gets worse and more frustrating. If you don’t want to put energy into making the game, then go back to the old years that people loved, build off of those features, release that, and make that the final edition for a while until resources aren’t a problem, making actual roster updates until enough progress is made to make an actual release deserving of a new game. EA’s NHL has become Saints Row, when it used to be the GTA of hockey.

Adding features to appeal to society as a whole instead of real hockey fans who grew up playing the game, keeping what works and adding subtle nuances only here and there that will make it fun is not what would make for better gameplay. We don’t care about having Michigan goals. Actually, I wish they weren’t such a big feature. Add it, announce it, but don’t focus on it like it’s going to be something that is going to bring in new players and not drive away dedicated fans of the series. CERTAINLY don’t make it an easy, exploitable, guaranteed goal like it became. Adding a one button action that infuriated most because it was abused. ”Influencers” as legitimate players? Pavel Barber? “The Nasher”? Really? That NEVER should’ve even been an idea that was tossed around, maybe joked about at most. Just like adding Snoop Dogg as a commentator years ago, how out of touch with the sport and culture surrounding the game are the developers?

These things being acknowledged, from EA’s standpoint, the business aspect, I can’t speak for all, but I get it. Money is a driving factor. You want to dazzle prospective gamers. Bring them in and make them want to buy and get the in game purchases. Almost none of what has been introduced the last few years has done this from the inside looking in as a gamer. It wouldn't make me want to stay if I started playing only recently, buying the next installation the following years.

Please, please, please, if you can’t see features that worked and that failed over the years based on sales and micro-transactions, look at the subreddit for NHLHUT on Reddit. Read the complaints, as many as there are. It shouldn’t be that difficult to improve the game with the answers all but screaming at you online.

PS, fix the soundtrack. 2000-2017 were the golden years for music for NFL and NHL in my opinion, I know everybody has different tastes and popularity in styles change, but I’m not the only one who thinks this. There are playlists on Spotify and YouTube from certain soundtracks that people LOVED and songs people discovered and grew to enjoy because of the game.

Bring back what worked. Those gamers are still here. We’re waiting to be excited again, it’s been too long. Can the company do this? Is this all REALLY too much to ask?