I’m honestly loving NHL23 Positivity Thread

[onlybygrace]

Listen, Im a long time expert veteran of this series. I used to write for OS over 10 years ago. I am ALL about presentation, gameplay, and offline franchise.

I enjoyed my time with the trial, so I went ahead and got NHL 23 and havent had this much fun in a long time. The gameplay has become polished at almost every possible moment and context within the game. Players are swinging their sticks around players, organically diving for pucks and shots in realistic ways with varied results.

I turned the goaltenders up and made them much more difficult, and it has made scoring incredibly dynamic without turning goalies into robots.

I find myself stopping to watch replays all the time, even if I have to go into the menu to do it.

The presentation, although trimmed down, really isnt half bad although it certainly could still use more replays on great saves and other awesome moments. I feel like the gameplay is so incredible at times that the game does itself a disservice by not highlighting how good it is.

Also, love the crowd and pumped up atmosphere.

Also, loving all the stat overlays and season specific lines by the announcers.

EA is so close to a masterpiece IMO…and Im a harsh critic who has barely played for the last few years out of boredom with the game.

Cheers.

[PernellKarl076]

Great thread onlybygrace !

In case people haven't noticed by now, I’m exactly in the same boat as you are, lol ! People might start to think I work for EA 😉 But it's great to see someone starting a thread on how good the game is, instead of bitching and moaning about the cover art or the game being a copy/paste job or this, or that and whatnot ! I’ve even seen people say that they haven’t touched even ONE thing from NHL20… Seriously ?

I'm gonna quote myself from a post I've made in my Sliders thread yesterday that pretty sums up of how I feel about this year’s game…

Quote: Originally Posted by PernellKarl076

Buffalo lost 4-2 against Detroit… Much more opened game and the best game I’ve ever played on NHL23 I wish I could have recorded it… Detroit scored 3 in the 1st. and it got me thinking about pulling Anderson, but no and he kept us in the game after… Made it 3-2 with 4 minutes left in the 3rd… The crowd went Nuts… Pulled the goalie with about 1:47 on the clock, but the Wings scored an EN with about 30 seconds left… Even if we lost, I had a huge smile on my face almost the whole game as so much random stuff was happening in that game, I’m still smiling 😆

Quote: Originally Posted by PernellKarl076

Final score - Sabres 8 - Philadelphia 2… Ouch ! First time in NHL23 that I’m in a rout like this… The boo birds in Philly were restless at the end of the game, it was amazing to hear, not because I was winning, but the atmosphere was spot on !!! Every day I play this game, I find something that makes me appreciate more and more… I feel sorry for the people skipping this year TBH…

Of course, I’ve said this many times, OOTB the game was not for me, but with a great slider set the gameplay is out of this world ! This smells like real hockey to me 😀

[phillyfan23]

It's a classic case of reputation overwhelming the substance. I trashed NHL 21/22, but this game is crack addiction. To me this is the best hockey game I've ever played by FAR, and like the OP, I have a very rigorous prerequisite for a good offline hockey game. This game has exceeded all my expectations and more. Yes you MUST tinker with sliders, but a gem is hidden in this game via sliders.

I also spend so much time in menu replay mode. Today I had my forward block a cpu one timer on his torso by doug hamilton, and the forward cowered for a second in pain. Jaw on floor moment....

Another instance a smallish forward was tied up on the boards by a bigger dman, and it was not a pin animation, he couldn't get unstuck. Just amazing little details.


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[PernellKarl076]

Hey buddy, sorry about the rout at Wells Fargo Center in my game last night, lol ! But hey, Carter Hart had better nights that's for sure…

[jake19ny]

Quote: Originally Posted by onlybygrace

Listen, Im a long time expert veteran of this series. I used to write for OS over 10 years ago. I am ALL about presentation, gameplay, and offline franchise. I enjoyed my time with the trial, so I went ahead and got NHL 23 and havent had this much fun in a long time. The gameplay has become polished at almost every possible moment and context within the game. Players are swinging their sticks around players, organically diving for pucks and shots in realistic ways with varied results. I turned the goaltenders up and made them much more difficult, and it has made scoring incredibly dynamic without turning goalies into robots. I find myself stopping to watch replays all the time, even if I have to go into the menu to do it. The presentation, although trimmed down, really isnt half bad although it certainly could still use more replays on great saves and other awesome moments. I feel like the gameplay is so incredible at times that the game does itself a disservice by not highlighting how good it is. Also, love the crowd and pumped up atmosphere. Also, loving all the stat overlays and season specific lines by the announcers. EA is so close to a masterpiece IMO…and Im a harsh critic who has barely played for the last few years out of boredom with the game. Cheers.

I agree. I've been playing this series since it came out on SEGA, yup I'm old. This is the first time since NHL 14 on PS3 and NHL 09 mdded on PC that I'm loving the game. Would you mind sharing your goalie edits? It is one area I'd like to improve while doing my rosters for my season mode.��

[TeeWhy]

I mentioned this in the camera thread, but OBG mentioning that he stops to watch replays reminded me of why I have switched to the Action camera.

I’m not sure I will stick with it, but it absolutely makes the play around the bet so much more immersive. When I pass from the side of the net to my center in front, and he pops in a goal while being shoved around is exhilarating.

Unlike some, I’ve enjoyed this series consistently since 09. But this version is clearly a cut above. It’s the first sports game where the next gen graphics are making the biggest difference to me.


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[johnnydrum]

Quote: Originally Posted by onlybygrace

The presentation, although trimmed down, really isnt half bad although it certainly could still use more replays on great saves and other awesome moments. I feel like the gameplay is so incredible at times that the game does itself a disservice by not highlighting how good it is. EA is so close to a masterpiece IMO…and Im a harsh critic who has barely played for the last few years out of boredom with the game. Cheers.

Bravo Blues Brother...and I know from historic posts that YOU were cetainly less than positive about the direction the previous games were heading.
I was really pleased when you said you actually enjoyed it, and cetainly made me reconsider whether to bother or not.

[johnnydrum]

Quote: Originally Posted by jake19ny

I agree. I've been playing this series since it came out on SEGA, yup I'm old. This is the first time since NHL 14 on PS3 and NHL 09 mdded on PC that I'm loving the game. Would you mind sharing your goalie edits? It is one area I'd like to improve while doing my rosters for my season mode.��

I can vouch for this user being old....he helped me out many many times with sliders and adjustments....lol..