NHL 97

"A solid hockey game with a few flaws"

NHL 97 is practically ancient by today's PC standards, but it still holds up pretty well to the games of today. There are 26 selectable NHL teams. Up to eight people can play via modem, each using a different player. There are two different shots, a slapshot and a wristshot, and several different strengths in between. You can choose to manually create your lines and change them when you want, or have it automated. Your options include an exhibition game, against a friend or the computer, a season, in which you play up to 82 games, and if you finish in the top 8 teams in the conference you move on to the playoffs, or you start the playoffs right away, in which you must beat four teams in best-of-seven series' to win the Stanley Cup. All NHL players are represented in the game. There is a create-a-player mode in which you choose the player's name, number, height, weight, abilities and team. Players can be traded or released. There are three difficulty levels, Rookie, Pro and All-Star. The game includes fighting, minor and major penalties and several forms of checks, including the ever-popular open ice hip check.

Graphics: 8/10

Even by today's standards, they're not too bad. Players are big, and the animations are realistic. Lots of nice touches, including players banging their sticks against the glass in frustration when they've been assessed a penalty, bumping into the ref and knocking him down and the goalie hitting his stick off the goalposts and stretching while waiting for the play to start, as well as flipping a gloved puck to the ref when the whistle is called.

Sound: 9/10

Streaming play-by-play done by Jim Hughson. Tons of speech, and lots of nice sayings, like "A truck hit him!" when a player recieve a huge check, "Stones him, that's robbery!" when a great save is made and "He has the puck on a string!" when a player goes end-to-end. The sound effects are also top notch.

Gameplay: 7/10

Even though this is a very fun game, some errors show up here. Defense is hard to play well, so outrageously high shot totals are common. On the hardest level, the goalies make an unrealistic amount of saves for the number of shots they face. Also, it's much easier to score from some parts of the ice than others, and goalies tend to misplay and allow huge rebounds on long, soft shots. In fact, you have a better chance of scoring by flipping a shot on net from the blue line then you do with a slapshot from the slot. All the NHL players, as well as the Player Creater, is a plus. The options are plentiful as well. Seasons are very fun, and a huge number of stats are kept during the season. The playoffs are more of the same. Fights break out occassionally, but are very awkward. Several different checks is a plus, as are several ways goalies make saves. Two more negatives concerning the goalies though: they often freeze pucks they don't have to (example, when an opposing player is at the blue line and skating back to his own end, they'll often hold it for a whistle), and they often take way too long to get back in position after making a save. About 90% of the goals in this game are scored on rebounds. A nice touch that has no effect on play is the goalie mask viewer, which lets you view dozens of real goalie masks, past and present, from several different angles so you can see all the artwork on them.

Replay: 9/10

Seasons never get old. Even if you can't play a friend, there's lots to keep you entertained. However, you will occassionally get frustrated with the lack of AI from your teammates, as they sometimes make some idiotic mistakes and decisions.

Overall: 8/10

Don't mind the age; this is a fantastic game and it's also available dirt cheap now. If you like sports games, give the often-overlooked NHL 97 a try. You'll probably be pleasantly surprised.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99