NHL Stanley Cup / Super Hockey

Well, what can I say about Nintendo's first Hockey game since Ice Hockey for the NES. First off, it uses fancy mode 7 effects to give it a very unique viewpoint compared to most other hockey games. However, that doesn't make it the greatest hockey game for the snes. By: Evan G

Graphics: 6/10

Most of the in game graphics are extremely pixiated due to the mode 7 effects, but the players are not tiny, like in EA's NHL series. There are also nice effects, like skate marks on the ice (although it comes off looking like a white fuzzy streak). Player animation is decent. There is some slight slowdown when there are lots of sprites in the screen. The menu graphics a nice and smooth, and the announcer is well animated.

Sound: 6/10

Nothing spectacular here. Typical organ music and hockey sounds dominate. The crowd noise is well done. The menu music is slightly annoying and may drive you nuts after listening to it for a while.

Play Control / Gameplay: 6/10

The controls are manageable, but there are some problems. For instance, if you continuously press the check button, it is sometime hard to stop moving in a certain direction. Also, when your player is not in the screen, it can be confusing to go towards the puck (which is one of the ultimate downfalls of the game). Also, there is the problem that if you dump the puck from the blue line, you will almost always score, as the goalie will go out of the net (and there is no way to prevent that). Another problem is that it is nearly impossible to score any other way.

Go Jets! Bring them back!

Overall Score: 5/10

Though on paper it looked like a good idea, in execution, making this kind of game just does not work. The main problem is that the action focuses solely on the puck, meaning if your player is not in the area of the puck, you only see an arrow of where your player is. This leads to frustration. Also, it is not much fun that scoring is near impossible. Having a season mode is good, but the lack of an NHLPA license makes stat tracking less fun. Multiplayer is ok, but it pales in comparison to EA's NHL series. Overall, I would say that this game was a good experiment, but you should not pick it up unless you have played the crap out of NHL 94 and want something different.