Nostalgia Trip: Ice Hockey (NES)

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

(Photo courtesy of the Video Game Museum)

 

This is probably an out-of-nowhere game to think back on...I actually forgot it existed until I watched Miracle. I actually have the game packed away somewhere, but instead of bothering to hook up the old NES, I downloaded the ROM. I didn't think it was such a small game, as it only took a few seconds to download on my slow as hell computer. IIRC, it's only 128 KB of memory.

 

The game was released sometime in 1988, according to the copyright on the title screen and on GameFAQs.com. This ranks up there as one of my favorite sports games of all time on the NES, only challenged by the original Bases Loaded game. It also featured decent graphics for a sports gamer of it's time, as games from NFL featured glitchy players and uncontrollable game play, and the NBA games outright sucked.

 

Anyway, back to Ice Hockey. The game only consists of one mode: Exhibition. You have a selection of SIX different teams, but this isn't an NHL game. Instead of playing as the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Montreal Canadians, you play as the country of your choice. The selection includes the following:

 

The United States of America (USA)

Sweden

Poland

Canada

The U.S.S.R

Czechoslovakia

 

Don't even ask me to spell the last one, because I have pretty much no idea, and that was a guess above. Anyway, each team is different, but not in a very notable way. Instead of real players, you get 3 types. A skinny guy, who is fast, but weaker than a little girl, a Medium size guy, who is medium speed and strength, and a fat guy, who is slow but powerful.

 

The U.S.A. consist of 4 Medium Players.

Sweden & Canada are identical with 2 Medium Players, a Skinny Player, and a Fat Player

The U.S.S.R. consists of 2 Fat Players, a Medium Player, and a Skinny Player

The Czech team consist of 3 Fat Players & a Medium Player

Poland consists of 2 Skinny Guys, a Fat Guy, and a Medium.

 

Each team is also represented in different colors, so they don't look completely alike.

 

The U.S.A = Blue

Sweden = Yellow/White mix

Poland = Brown

Canada = Green (?)

The U.S.S.R = Red (or course)

Czech... = Gray

 

Teams consist of 5 players. Four skaters and the goal-tender. Each game lasts three periods, which can be either 7:00, 10:00, or 15:00 long. Sadly, the regulation 20:00 isn't anywhere around. You can also select the speed of the game, between 1-5. One being the slowest and five being the fastest. The lineup screen allows the 1P to customize his own players, and don't have to follow along with the above.

 

There are only two rules in this game. Icing (which is a team shooting the puck into the opposite end of the rink, and having an opposing player making an effort to retrieve it. I don't think this is 100% accurate for the game, although I'm always rusty on rules of Hockey. The other rule is Fighting. If you kick the other teams ass enough, they will be given 2:00 in the penalty box, giving the other team a Power Play of 4-on-3.

 

In the case of a tie at the end of regulation, there is a Shootout, which has all 4 team members attempt to score goals in one-on-one contests. If that's a tie, an overtime (of 5:00 I believe) occurs, an and I believe the goal-tenders are pulled, making both empty nets. This is an ideal game for all skinny players, because they win face-offs most often, and don't need strength to score. The process repeats until there is a winner.

 

The graphics aren't the greatest, but they work. The Ice rink is good enough looking that it doesn't resemble something completely different, and the players aren't actually stick figures. In fact, the fat players actually look a bit like Mario. The team celebration animation is fine, and the attendants smoothing out the ice between the second and third periods is fun too, even if it takes up too much time.

 

Overall, I believe this is a fun game, even if it's a bit on the easy side unless you don't know how to do anything offensive or defensive. It's a good game to kill a half-an-hour or so, but after a while in one sitting, it's very repetitious, unless the game in progress is a close 1-1 tie in the third period.

 

I think I'll go try playing that horrible NFL game again. 14 years of owning it, and my record is around 0-9347.

[the max 0]

Great for its time, but Blades of Steel SMOKED~! it. Especially when the players would come out to skate and you'd hear DUHN DUHN-DUHN-DUHN, DUHN-DUHN-DUHN, DUHN DUHN-DUHN-DUHN

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

Hmm...never played that one. I guess it's good enough for a quick 10 second download. Can't be any worse than the NFL game I was describing

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

You didn't mention the 2 AWESOME cheats for the game - playing without goalies, and neverending puck ricochet.

[razazteca 0]

Blades of Steel had a sweet fighting system where if you won the fight you would get the powerplay so it was possible to get 5 on 3 advantages!

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

Blades of Steel is the best hockey game that I've ever played.

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

Hmmm...time for me to track down the codes mentioned above.

 

Blades of Steel is the best hockey game that I've ever played.

 

Ever? I don't know...I'll have to play it first, but even SNES games like NHL '94 would probably still be higher.

[Guest Fook]

Ice Hockey was a great game (especially for its time) and was incredibly addictive.

 

However, Blades of Steel > Ice Hockey.

[Cartman 0]

Mutant League Hockey > All

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

Hmmm...time for me to track down the codes mentioned above.

 

Blades of Steel is the best hockey game that I've ever played.

 

Ever? I don't know...I'll have to play it first, but even SNES games like NHL '94 would probably still be higher.

I said best game that I've ever played. How are you going to tell me what games I like and what games I've played?

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

I said best game that I've ever played. How are you going to tell me what games I like and what games I've played?

My bad. Uh......wanna buy a PS2? Real cheap...

 

I'm guessing you don't play a lot of video games anymore.

[Guest AllCanadian]

Blades of Steel was the greatest hockey game bar none just for the simple fact you could fight whenever you want and when you won a fight the ref would literaly drag your opponents sorry ass to the box while you lit it up on the PP even though the puck never went off the ice until the shootout.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Ah, ice hockey games.

 

My favorite all time was NHL '94, but I loved that NES ice hockey game. That was one of the few games I would go over my friend's house to play (I owned a Sega). In addition, as much as I liked Blades of Steel for the NES, I LOVED the arcade version of this game, which featured that tracking ball...

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

What was great about NHL 94? I have the ROM, but I'm not a big hockey guy. If it's really good, I might give it a try sometime soon since I've got alot of free time on my hands that will be spent in the house.

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

NHL 94 was great if you played it when it first came out. If you play it for the first time now it's not the same, but back in the day I LOVED that game.

 

Always played as the New York Rangers (of course, 1994 ended up being their first Stanley Cup win since 1940, and the last to this date) and rarely lost.

[yankovic fan 0]

Not a Hockey fan, but I still to this day LOVE Blades of Steel.

 

 

But it's the only one I played, so I'm a touch biases and misinformed

[Guest Pirelli]

I used to pick the Vancouver team in Blades of Steel all the time, since their uniforms looked like poop with green spots on.

It certainly disgusted my brother! Hehe.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

What was great about NHL 94?

Here's what I loved about NHL '94 -- remember, this was 10 years ago:

 

1) There was different music for each rink -- well some had the same music, but when you were playing in Buffalo (my favorite tune), you knew you weren't in Pittsburgh or Hartford.

 

2) You could control your goalie, which all but nullified the cheesy ways in which you could score goals in NHL and NHL '93.

 

3) One-timers ruled the school.

 

4) I think this might have had players go on "hot" and "cold" streaks; I can't remember this one (And weren't injuries a part of the game, too? I don't remember this possible feature either)...

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

Regarding #4, yeah, players had the hot & cold streaks. I'm not sure on Injuries. I know a player would miss a period or the whole game if hit hard enough, but nothing long term.

 

I never noticed the music...I guess I was too busy killing teams 20-1 or something.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

I came, I saw, I was conquered. How the hell do you score in this game?

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

It takes a bit of time to get use to it. When I first played back in the day, my first goal was an accident (I went for a pass but it slide by and into the goal) and was shut out for 3 or 4 games.

 

Usually take either long distance shots, either right after you pass the blue line, or before, or you cna do the cheap trick by handling the puck around the opposing net, and surprise them with a hook shot into the goal.

 

Damn it, I make it sound like basketball.

 

Edit: Wait, if you mean ice Hockey, just use fat guys. Their strength is enough. Just use a delayed shot in front of the net. If it's blcoked, you'll usually get the rebound, the goalie will move, and it sets you up for an easy goal.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

I was talking about NHL 94. I used to have NHL 95 for Genesis and I think I remember that wraparound trick you were talking about. That's how I scored all my points. I have to get used to the physics of the game because I miss alot of my checks. I used to knock people out of games by checking them along the boards. I used to get break aways by using the spin move too.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

One way I scored in NHL '94 was to go near the goal, make a pass across the ice and one-time that rubber disc to the back of the net...

[converge241 0]

we play Ice Hockey every time the guys get together for some gaming

 

and NES baseball!!!!

[Der Kommissar 0]

I remember this game. I used to always pick Canada or Sweden, I can't remember which. Fun game, but I didn't like the fact that it was WAY too easy. I figured out a way to pretty much score at will in the game, so I would waste pretty much anyone who I faced. It was quite tricking a friend into playing it and them have him quite after one period after being down 12-0. Good times.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

I still haven't scored a goal yet in this damn game.

 

These cocksuckers like to go offsides alot too.

 

FUCK THIS GAME!

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

Turn rules off. When I first played, I did that. After a while, I got use to the offsides rule, and I still kick ass.

[Guest AllCanadian]

NHL 93 OWNED NHL 94 for the simple fact blood pooled up on the ice after the fights.

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

NHL 93 OWNED NHL 94 for the simple fact blood pooled up on the ice after the fights.

Testify. NHL 93 for Gensis was the greatest hockey game ever,

[Slingshot Suplex 0]

And they would look like they went into convulsions while sprawled on the ice amongst the pool of blood.

 

plus 93,it was easy to blast the goalies and push them from in front of the net and into the corner. My roommate and I used to play teammates ...he would clear the path by checking 3 or 4 of the opposition to the ice and then slam the goalie into the corner and I would have an empty net to tap the puck into. Or vice versa. It was good for some laughs anyway while not being particularly ethical.