NHL 23 Reviews
A long-overdue audio-visual upgrade finally lets NHL 23 take full advantage of the PS5 and Xbox Series X so that the revamped franchise mode can look as good as it plays.
Despite the addition of women players in HUT and tweaked mechanics like last-chance puck movements, NHL 23 barely feels it's changed from last year's offering. It's a fun but all too familiar hockey experience.
As harsh as this may sound, I’ve lost faith in the NHL franchise. My first game was NHL 93, and although they haven’t all been good, it’s clear that this franchise has settled into an annual loop of delivering the bare minimum. There is zero justification for a full-game price tag when you consider that other games offer free updates larger than what’s on offer as new in the entirety of NHL 23. It’s mind boggling.
Fun to play and beautiful to watch, NHL 23 has pretty much everything to be a little gem. Everything except the contents, which are exactly the same of the previous edition: a truly wasted opportunity.
Review in Italian | Read full review
If you're looking for something that makes you feel closer to the ice than ever before, NHL 23 is going to be your favorite game that you play this year. The electricity that oozes from this title is something that will bring me back to playing it over and over again, even if there are a few nagging problems that need to be addressed very shortly.
NHL 23 is a vast improvement from last year's entry, featuring better control on the ice, the inclusion of women in HUT, and so much more.
NHL 23 is a step up for the NHL series as a whole, with changes to gameplay features resulting in a much more accessible experience. New inclusions to the game's Franchise Modes and online play also make it one of the best entries yet.
NHL 23 isn't EA's best year, but it's not the worst either. Stumble actions and loose-puck plays help enhance gameplay, but they remain less than groundbreaking. The addition of IIHF Women's teams is long overdue and quite welcome, and the visual quality in this year over last is a noticeable step up. The expansion of franchise mode is the biggest improvement over last year, though it almost feels like the only mode that was actually worked on, while everything else was simply lifted from NHL 22, unchanged in their function. Disappointing, when there's still plenty of changes that could be made.
Speaking in terms of content, NHL 23 seems more like a (modest) update of NHL 22 than a new chapter of the EA Games series. The changes made to the game structure and modes are really limited, and do not affect the overall experience considerably.
Review in Italian | Read full review
I’ll even give EA credit. Fifa feels like simulation soccer. Madden feels like simulation football. I know that they’re capable of bigger and better things. But, for now, NHL 23, like all the ones before it, still feels like the black sheep of the family. As if it’s simply incapable of ever feeling like hockey. It’s telling that the worst cover in EA Sports NHL history is tied to the most disappointing game in nearly ten years.
It's staggering how little has been done with NHL 23 to differentiate it from last year's edition. Bugs that should have long ago been quashed remain, Be A Pro continues to be littered with spelling errors and conversations that make no sense, retirement and championship banners in arenas are as far behind as half a decade, and the list goes on. Despite all that, women being integrated into HUT and desperation plays are welcome improvements, as is the overhaul of rink atmosphere. Ultimately, while NHL 23 isn't a step backward per se, the move forward is so small, so minuscule, that it may as well not have moved at all.
If you’re new to the EA SPORTS NHL series, then you’ll have fun with this, there is no denying that. There is a lot of joy to be had if you haven’t touched the series in years, but veteran players will feel significantly shortchanged by this year's title.
NHL 23 completely revamps crowd reactions and adds women IIHF players and new desperation moves, and it all works splendidly to create not only the best hockey game in a generation -- but one of the best sports games ever.
NHL 23 will satisfy hard-core hockey video game fans, but if you didn't like the recent NHL releases, this year's relatively small additions won't change your mind.
NHL 23 is an improved and refined version of last year's edition. EA Vancouver had stated that it had treasured all the criticism made by its passionate community: so it was.
Review in Italian | Read full review
All of this is good, but NHL 23 is simply that - good. It's a fine effort in a fine series that has continuously failed to successfully capture the feeling of ice hockey in a way that is as satisfying as soccer simulators, but it's not going to move the needle for anyone who wasn't already interested. It feels like NHL 23 is about as far as EA can go with the current system of gameplay modes and mechanics - it might be good for the sport's video games if some from-the-ground-up rebuilds were attempted, much in the same vein as teams that tanked for Shane Wright last year.
If you have never played NHL (or have a long time ago), getting NHL 23 can be a good idea. It’s a solid game, but not for the veterans of the series.
Review in Polish | Read full review
NHL 23 seems like an iterative instalment, as EA Vancouver settles in with NHL 22's Frostbite Engine. Nevertheless, if it's an excellent game of ice hockey you seek, then this is - quite literally, as it happens - the only game in town.
Ultimately, NHL 23 feels like NHL 22; it's just more of the same, better in spots and worse in others.
NHL 23 is NHL 22 with but some presentation polish and international women's teams. It stands as the most obvious current example on next gen of why some sport titles may be better served updated versus re-released when so little new. NHL superfans will no doubt purchase without a thought due to roster updates. Casual ones should consider staying put or at a reduced price. The accompanying review score is a reflection of this reality, as ratings take into account changes – or lack thereof – from NHL 22.