Sega Genesis
Released in 1997 by EA Sports
Grade: B
What the hell? I can clearly remember reading, from multiple sources, that this game is a lazy replica of NHL 97. Well, I bought the stupid thing anyway, and guess what? It’s not the same! It’s got strategy settings! It’s got speed settings!
Okay, actually it’s the same as NHL 97. Once the puck is dropped, it’s the same thing, and that’s not good, because NHL 97 is plagued with overly fast, unwieldy gameplay. The control is slippery and unresponsive compared to NHL ’94, NHL 95, and NHL 96, which are all great games.
The strategy settings are a nice addition. And the speed settings aren’t, because even the slow setting is still too fast and the control is still unresponsive.
If you’re going to recycle a game engine, why not recycle NHL ’94 and slap the new features and new rosters on it? That would have worked better for EA’s sales, right? Whatever. I try not to focus too much on the business side of video games. What’s important is if they’re any fun to play today.
It’s not a big deal. EA was continuing their series on the next generation. On PlayStation, NHL 98 is significantly better than NHL 97, so they had bigger fish to fry.