NHLPA Hockey 93

"It's all because of this, baby."

I love all types of games, and I always enjoy a 'new' sports game. I mean, it's fun going back in time, and playing as old rosters every once in a while. Tecmo Super NBA Basketball is a perfect example of a game that I don't mind going back to play.

When I first got this game, I played it to death. Along with John Madden Football, it was my first sporting game ever. The rosters were of 1993, so of course, I'd play as the mighty Montreal Canadiens. My friends would argue, and I'd always win. Choose another team you fools! After I received NHL 95 for Christmas the following year, I would rarely ever play NHLPA 93 again. NHLPA 93 paved the way for NHL-style games for future systems. Most errors made in this game, were fixed. New modes were implemented because NHLPA 93 lacked them, and people wanted them. This was not the best game ever, but it was very important.

For any hockey fan, this game was fun. You could play this game for hours on end, trying to win Lord Stanley. If you dislike hockey, you would not play this ... ever. That's not surprising, but it needed to be said. If you hate hockey, you'll hate this. Everything is pretty realistic, which keeps it real. The players are not terribly hard to control once you get the hang of it. Once you play another game, you'll not be able to get 'the feeling' of the controls back. These controls are as good as they could've been back then. When you master the controls, the game is ridiculously easy. Winning 35-5 with 5 minute periods is insane. That is the one problem with NHL games for the SNES. They are fun, but get too easy.

The only storyline in this game would be the attempt to try and win the Stanley Cup. Of course, you could always create your own storylines in your head ... Montreal VS Toronto, anyone?

Graphics-wise, they are all right. Each rink has the home team's logo in the centre. All the players are the same. Unless you memorized your favourite team's numbers, you'll have no idea who you're controlling until they score. The text in the game is great in that you can read it clearly. All other images in the game are pretty nicely done. Graphics in current games are so much better, but for 1992, they were pretty nicely done. You can distinguish between teams, and I guess that is all that matters.

Even though every arena has their own logo, all the music and fans all sound the same. The sound is the same everywhere. Music is the same, the sound effects are the same ... everything is the same. It becomes such a drag to listen to, that it's best to have some sort of music blaring in the background. Don't get too bored listening to these effects. For the SNES, it's decent. Just not as good as it could've been.

As said earlier, mastering this game is easy. The only way to extend your playing time would be to try and win the Cup with every team. Otherwise, the game gets really stale, really fast. You'll continue to play this game a lot until you get a better hockey game. Trust me. But after that, I bet that you never touch it. It's worth playing, but why would you if you have NHL 95? NHL 96?

If you find this game for under $10.00, buy it. It's a good game to have in your collection, and it won't be really expensive. It'll be worth the buy, and you'll enjoy taking a trip down memory lane. Then, you'll never touch it again once you find that better NHL game. I enjoyed it for a very long time, and who knows. Maybe you'll enjoy it too.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 05/26/04