Ice Hockey

"One of the greatest games of all time.(not joking)"

I got this game in march of 1990. I am a huge ny ranger fan so my parents decided to get me this as my 20th video game for my fourth bithday. Ok, on to the review.

Gameplay: 10

Ok, so its er hockey right? Well yes and no. There are six international teams available in the game. Team selection means nothing (just for color). Once you chose your teams, speed of game, and time, you come to a screen where you choose your ''roster''. You have four players (five including the goalie). Each player can be fat, skinny, or average (excluding the goalie). The fat dudes skate slowly, take bad faceoffs, shoot like they're on steroids, and pummel through anyone they want. The skinny players skate quickly, take great faceoffs, shoot like pansies, and hit like female figure skaters. The medium dudes are well medium. They have no defining attributes. They play like a mix of skinny and fat players. You need to have a somewhat diverse team. An all fat team seems to be a winning combo at first, but it's not. You'll be beat to every loose puck and face off, and you'll never make it all the way down ice without being stoppped be a faster player. A skinny team is no good since its somewhat hard to score from far away with such a weak shot. An all medium team seems good, but its not either. The stregnths of skinny and fat players must be utilized in order to with. Another important facter is the AI of the computer. Sometimes I seem to win 10-0. Sometimes I lose 10-0. It depends mostly on the speed of play and what you're most comfortable with. Another interestng part of this game is the shootout. There is only an empty-net overtime period if the shootout is a tie. The in shootout, each player from each team, gets one chance to score. The players are mobile when they shoot. The shots are faster and harder to stop than in regular play. this is when the all fatty team does have and advantage. Goalies in the game are controled by the D-pad. The d-pad also controls your highlighted player so trying to get the puck in your own zone will move the goalie out of position to stop the puck. This makes the game a little more strategic when trying to defend the seemingly monsterous sized net. Another gameplay factor is fighting. If a small player wants the puch from a large player, he can get it. By smashing A and B, the players will wrestle around for a little bit. If this goes on long enough, whole teams will get involved in an old fashion nhl-style scrum. One powerplay will be issued to the player that mashes the buttons the fastest. The game, just like real hockey can be high scoring or very low scoring. It all depends on the way YOU play.

Sound: 10
Quite possibly the best sound ever heard on the nes! I especially love the roaring croud in a close exciting game. The music is always playing in the game. There is also different music when you first turn the game on, and when you choose your options, and when the zambonies smooth out the never rough ice, and when a two different songs for when a team wins, o and the best is when a team scores. A wonderful SLAAAP when you shoot, and a weaker slap when you pass. Also, the players skates can be heard as well.

Graphics/Presentation: 8
This was an nes game, remember. However better graphics are rarely seen on the nes. The only games that beat this are Super Mario 3, and some tennis game that i cannot recall the name of. However, the ref, although comical, needed a haircut. That, and the menue design brought this score down. Otherwise, this is an nes masterpiece.

Overall: 9
Wasn't perfect, but it is my favorite game of all time. Especially when I play against someone that has the same experience with it as me.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/20/03, Updated 01/20/03