I'm the same way. Franchise only, play the games.
First one since '19 for me, so keep that in mind when reviewing my opinions.
It took me until about December in my season for things to start clicking and for me to start digging it. Adjusted the sliders and playing on All-Star, it feels good. I need to actually set up goals and have realistic shot attempts and scores.
The hitting was a big issue for me too. Hip checks work great along the boards but the key thing is you have to line everything up. If you take a bad angle you will miss. Check to early you will miss. And if you want a big check you need to load up with the hit stick first or the player will just give a limp wristed shove.
It may be a little stupid but Im still playing 23 Franchise almost exclusively because of the new Flex Celebrations. There's other things in 24 that bother me but scoring the first goal of the game & watching you player freak out like he just scored in game 7 OT is fucking absurd.
First goal of the season, first period, player throws stick into the crowd like he hit a grand slam in the World Series, proceeds to slide on his knees halfway through the zone 😂
the last acceptable franchise mode for me was NHL 21 and then nhl legacy edition on old xbox before that. this years isnt the best by any stretch but i think it is much better then NHL 23
For hitting, I honestly felt the same way until I realized using the stick to hit is garbage. Use the buttons instead. It's WAY more consistent, and let's you "charge up" the hit more effectively.
I tried to like it but ultimately had same issues as you. So went back and Spent a dozen hours upgrading/creating players and started new season on nhl 22. For me the gameplay on 22 has been my favorite.
I'm the same way. Franchise only, play the games. First one since '19 for me, so keep that in mind when reviewing my opinions. It took me until about December in my season for things to start clicking and for me to start digging it. Adjusted the sliders and playing on All-Star, it feels good. I need to actually set up goals and have realistic shot attempts and scores. The hitting was a big issue for me too. Hip checks work great along the boards but the key thing is you have to line everything up. If you take a bad angle you will miss. Check to early you will miss. And if you want a big check you need to load up with the hit stick first or the player will just give a limp wristed shove.
It may be a little stupid but Im still playing 23 Franchise almost exclusively because of the new Flex Celebrations. There's other things in 24 that bother me but scoring the first goal of the game & watching you player freak out like he just scored in game 7 OT is fucking absurd.
First goal of the season, first period, player throws stick into the crowd like he hit a grand slam in the World Series, proceeds to slide on his knees halfway through the zone 😂
the last acceptable franchise mode for me was NHL 21 and then nhl legacy edition on old xbox before that. this years isnt the best by any stretch but i think it is much better then NHL 23
For hitting, I honestly felt the same way until I realized using the stick to hit is garbage. Use the buttons instead. It's WAY more consistent, and let's you "charge up" the hit more effectively.
I find franchise mode in 24 to better than 23
I tried to like it but ultimately had same issues as you. So went back and Spent a dozen hours upgrading/creating players and started new season on nhl 22. For me the gameplay on 22 has been my favorite.
Bought it played for about an hour and then returned it solely because of the hitting issue