"Best hockey title on the N64?"

Let's get right to the game. NHL 99 is supposed to be the best NHL game
on the N64. Whether it's true or not...well, read on.

GRAPHICS - 8/10

Very good graphics, the players, well, they could have been done a bit better,
they are jerky sometimes but realistic. The arenas look fantastic, with camera
flashes, a real scoreboard, and a great frame rate. Too bad you can only really
play from one camera angle. I think the graphics are a bit overrated...most
reviews I've read have given it a 9 or 10, saying they are absolutely fabulous.
Well, they are, but not that much. The extras are amazing too, like the
reflection of the lights on the ice, or the ice getting scratched as you
play...

SOUND 8/10

Play-by-play drags this down a bit. Bill Clement seems to find the most
annoying and dumb things to say on this game...Like when you check a guy,
''A Freight Train! Woo woo!'', and, ''Welcome to the roadkill cafe!'' So yes,
the rumors were true, he is a pretty annoying announcer. Some of his
comments are OK but some just don't really fit. The game sounds are a bit
overdone...bodychecks are loud, and I mean loud, as well as shooting...but
the best part is again, the extras. Like sometimes you can hear the ref
yelling, just like in a real NHL game. And even when you have the puck in
your own zone, you'll hear the occasional fan yelling ''Get it out!'' The crowd
is very well done, it reacts great to what's happening, unlike, say, NHL
Breakaway 99. Almost worthy of a 9, but not quite.

CONTROLS 8/10

The controls are pretty good, but if you don't like them you can always
customize them. I don't like the idea of a strategy button - I mean, it's
not the best idea to be selecting your defensive strategy right smack in
the middle of a game, when, say, you could end up being on the wrong side
of a 3 on 1. The spin button is neat but doesn't produce much other then
some shots on net. I like how you can use either the analog or control pad!

GAMEPLAY 9/10

The gameplay, it doesn't suffer one bit. It's almost perfect. There are
offsides, icing, two line passes, and realistic turnovers and goals. Fights
don't break out every 5 minutes, which is just the more realistic. There aren't
very many bad goals either, from how much I've played, except one where
I passed it toward the net, and somehow it went in, and there was Bill
Clement saying ''Wow! What a great goal!''...hm...

OTHER 7/10

The season mode confused me a bit, but the idea of managing as many teams
as you want, not just one, is pretty cool. You're going to definitely need
a Memory Pak if you want to do anything in this game...that's a bit of a
drawback. In the actual gameplay, it's not too much of a TV style...like
after a whistle, it usually goes right to the faceoff (sometimes it shows
lines for each team). That's ok, but I would have liked a bit more of a
TV style. There's not even anything that happens when you start a game except
joining the teams halfway through the anthem...no fancy lighted introduction
or anything, but I can live with that too. Obviously EA is missing a little
bit in this category, but the pros definitely still outweigh the cons.

IN CONCLUSION

NHL 99 isn't a perfect hockey game, and I think it left out a bit of the
cool things you might find in the PlayStation or Windows version of the same
game, but it's definitely the best hockey game on the N64. The drawbacks
shouldn't get in your way if you're not critical like me, and hey, just
have fun. It's still a great game. Rent or buy? If you love hockey, and
just have an N64, buy. If you love hockey and have an N64 along with a
PlayStation or computer, consider NHL 99 for the latter 2 systems. If you
have an N64 and are a casual fan of hockey, rent and you'll probably end up
liking it and buying it anyway.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/31/00, Updated 01/31/00