NHL 96

"There's no excuse for this recycled drek."

NHL Hockey 96 was released in mid-to-late 1995 for the Super Nintendo. NHL 96 was developed and published by Electronic Arts, or EA for short. NHL 96's prequel, NHL 95, is the sub-par follow-up to the legendary NHL 94, a game that set the bar for hockey games. NHL 95 was a watered-down rehash of NHL 94, and NHL 95 is no different, barring a new roster, nothing has really changed between NHL 95 and NHL 96.

The graphics in NHL 96 are pretty damn good. The character models all have fluid animation, everything, from swinging the hockey stick, to checking an opposing player against the boards, looks great. The rinks used in the game, and the arenas themselves look great. There’s a nice transperancy effect on the glass in the game, and the seats of the arena are chock-full of fans, sure they might not be the most animated bunch in the world, but they got the job done. Oh, if you play the game, and you really can’t stand their lack of activity, just wait until the organ music blares... There are points in the game that look absolutely breathtaking, for example, when the referee drops the puck, the screen is split with one, rather large part of the screen displaying a close-up, highly detailed face-off between two players for control of the puck. Also, on the rare occasion that a fight occurs, the entire screen is focused on it, the fights are done in a close-up shot just like the face-off, only the fights have more animation, and the characters are larger.

The sounds in the game are beyond belief. NHL 96 has some of the best music and sound effects ever heard in a hockey game. The organ music used throughout the game is true to the sport, if you watch a game on TV, the music plays, and the crowd gets more excited, this draws you into the game, the same things happens in NHL 96 the organ music starts playing, and the crowd starts to chant, this brings you further and further into the game, you will be sucked into this game the second you hear the organ music blaring. Not everything musical is magical in NHL 96 the menu music is pretty crappy, it’s just some generic music that does nothing to heighten the experience.
The sound effects in NHL 96 are second-to-none. Everything, from the drop of the puck, to the sound of a player’s body crunching against the glass, sounds authentic. Overall, the sound is amazing, the only fault to it is the menu music.

The gameplay in NHL 96 matches real hockey to a tee. Even though the lack of fighting is a bit of a disappointment, it doesn’t detract from the game all that much. The gameplay is fast-paced, there’s always something going on, and you always have to be on your toes when you play this game. Players can, and will, steal the puck from you if you don’t guard it well, you will miss your shots on goal if you don’t plan them out just a little bit, and you won’t win the game without some kind of a strategy. You’ll love this game for these reasone though, the fast-paced nature of the game gets your blood pumping. You’ll really want to guard that puck with your life, it will become the most important thing to you. You will do whatever it takes to get the puck back from your opponent just in case they squeak by and steal it from you; and you will have the desire to plan out your game because you will WANT to win the game, it will become the most important thing to you. Even though the gameplay is great, it's just a rehash of NHL 95, so it's really knocked down quite a bit.

The control in NHL 96 is good, but it has a few too many flaws for my liking. Well, let’s get the good parts of the control out of the way. All of your hockey needs are covered with the control sceme in the game; you can check your opponent, you can shoot the puck into the goal, or you can whack your opponent in the head with the stick, the choice is up to you. As far as versatilty goes, few games will match the versatility in NHL 96’s controls. However, the responsiveness of the control leaves a bit to be desired. There seems to be a delay in the sense that when you press a button, the action will take a second or so to happen on-screen. This can really cause major problems in this game because of the fast, frantic nature of the game. Everything in the game happens on the spur of the moment, and that spur of the moment gameplay is hindered due to the unresponsive controls. The control problems really drag the speed, and therefore the feel of the game down.

The challenge in NHL 96 is variable, but in general, the game isn’t all that hard. You’ll have a hard time with the game no matter what though if you don’t plan your games, if you just go out there, mash some buttons, and expect to win, you’ll find yourself on the short end of the stick awfully quick unless you start to plan.

NHL 96 is packed to the gills with replay value. There are tons of modes in the game to keep you occupied, and the game’s silky-smooth gameplay will have you coming back for more years from now.

Well, the game is a huge disappointment overall. Other than a roster change, nothing substantial has been added to the game, sure the gameplay is still razor-sharp, and the soujnd and graphics are great, but the control isn’t what it should be, and the game feels recycled.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 08/02/01, Updated 08/02/01