It’s been a quiet month for Game Pass, but what we’ve lacked in quantity, we’ve made up for in quality. Case in point is the arrival of NHL 23 (console) onto Game Pass today, thanks to the long-standing deal with EA Play.
This is the vanilla edition of NHL 23 which launched back in October 2022, so you will have to stump up more cash if you want to pick up Ultimate Team Points, or upgrade to the X-Factor edition (Matt Cardle not included). But it is your choice of Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S version of the game, playable now with a subscription.
Our resident American sports enthusiast Alister Kennedy liked NHL 23 a whole lot. He handed it a 4 out of 5 in review, saying “Each year the NHL series continues to improve and impress. Some may say the game has been too samey with each iteration, however if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The accessibility provided and the customisable experience found in NHL 23 make it perfect for fans of the sport, and even those who have never tried an EA hockey game before. And that’s the heart of hockey isn’t it? All are welcome to take part and have fun”.
As Ali mentioned, NHL 23 isn’t a major shake-up of the franchise, but it did come with some welcome additions. The big-ticket items were mixed women’s and men’s teams in HUT, cross-platform matchmaking, and over 500 new Last Chance Puck Movement gameplay animations. If that doesn’t get you joyriding on your zomboni, then you’re probably not an ice hockey fan.
In terms of the rest of the month, we have a mixture of conjecture and guaranteed announcements. So far, the Game Pass list for April includes Minecraft Legends (Cloud, Console, and PC) on April 18th, and Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly (Cloud, Console and PC) on April 20th, Homestead Arcana (Console and PC) on April 21st, Cassette Beasts (PC) on April 26th and The Last Case of Benedict Fox (Console, Cloud and PC) on April 27th.
Meanwhile, there are leavers to announce. On April 15th, as is customary for the middle of the month, Game Pass loses Life is Strange: True Colors (Cloud, Console, and PC), Moonglow Bay (Cloud, Console, and PC), Panzer Corps II (PC), Rainbow Six Extraction (Cloud, Console, and PC), The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk (Cloud, Console, and PC), The Long Dark (Cloud, Console, and PC) and The Riftbreaker (Cloud, Console, and PC).
Are you going to be kicking off your HUT addiction in NHL 23? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
