NHL '94!
Philip Carrotta
It's in! Picked it up today and ran to my friends dorm to try it out!
(My sega is currently on loan to a friend of mine and the bastard wasn't home
today :-) ) Initial reception was great!
The game sports several new features that enhance game play. All of
the final rosters from last year are intact and the majority of Anaheim's and
Florida's draft as well. Of course, the Devils away colors are still mixed up,
but that's a minor concession, to say the least. The sound is great. The
instructions boast something like 72 individual organ pieces, but who's gonna
count? As far as localized organ pieces, New Jersey DID sound different than
Los Angeles, but whether or not this variety will be particularly noticable in
the long run is debatable. Team logos are a welcome sight, as are the 144
digitized images. The rules state that there are pic's for the six starters on
each team. Assumedly, the starters for Anaheim and Florida are identical, thus
leaving the game 24 teams of unique photos. They are in black and white of
course, unlike the color photos like the Super MES (Ooh, sorry :-) ) but they
still add to the atmosphere. In addition to THESE pic's, you can now check
somebody into the boards, onto the benches and there is even a Home Team Hat
Squad for Hat tricks!
The most noted improvements, however, lie in the gameplay. The motion
has a more realistic feel to it. Though I've heard some complaints in
magazines that the players "slide too much", I don't think that it is beyond
convenience or above a little practice. I did not experiment with Goalie
control, though I imagine it could take a little getting used to for the
adventurous player. (I had enough trouble reminding myself not to go blazing
out of the crease whenever the computer made a glove save!) I assume that
Goalie control would be more entertaining in the 'shootout' game. Which brings
me to penalty shots. In regulation play, a bell will sound when an offensive
player enters the attack zone before the defense. If a penalty is incurred,
then the player will receive the penalty shot. Starting at center ice, the
game gives you approx. 20 seconds with which to approach the net and shoot.
There is no restriction on Forward or Backward movement and, thankfully, you
get one shot. (Would kind of defeat the purpose is EA allowed penalty rebounds
eh?) We encountered a bit of difficulty here, but with practice, perhaps
we could net a few more breakaways. (The shootout game saw us go three full
rounds before Claude Lemieux found the net!). And the Great Gretzky was
denied on three breakaway attempts and a penalty shot....
One welcome feature in my book is 'streaky' players. Before the game,
One or two players from each team will be announced as 'HOT' w/ an equal amount
as 'COLD'. The result is a +/- 10 to 30 % (!) in their stats. This makes for an interesting twist as lines and individual performance can be better
anticipated. Believe me it was noticable. C. Lemieux scored a Hat Trick when
hot, but nary a point when cold.
Another option is Auto line changes. Though I like the input into line
changes afforded by the previous cart's, I enjoyed letting the Sega add the
element of variety. Also, when calling for a line change, your player will
flip pass the puck into the attacking zone instead of maintaining possession.
By far the best new feature, however, is the One-Timer. As I'd seen
suggested on this net, one can accomplish a one timer by passing with B as
normal, but by pressing C, while the puck is en route, the pass recipient will
pound the puck in the direction of the net as soon as it is within stick's
reach. The sheer POWER of these shots are phenomenal! Nothing was prettier
than watching John McLean skate up to the edge of the crease and wait for a
threaded pass to slam home into an unguarded net! Or the thrill as a two on
one is culminated with a precision pass onto the slapping blade of a charging
winger! Seriously folks, with a little teamwork and a good eye, these shots
aren't even CLOSE! Gone are the frustrating days when your wing would elude his defenseman and sit on an empty net only to revert to peewee training drills
(OK, here comes the pass. Stick down. Let the stick give JUST enough to
control the puck. OK, shoot) as the Goalie makes a cup of coffee and
repositions himself. OK, I may be a bit caustic, but I'm sure those of you who
have read this far into the article know what I'm saying. Suffice it to say
that the play is a bit more dynamic with the added features.
Perhaps the last thing I should mention is the stats. Stats for the
game are fairly thorough. In addition to the stats kept for NHLPA, there are
1-timers made/attempted, breakaways made attempted, shot % (team), PP shots,
and SH goals. In addition, the game lets you save seven 'usernames'. For
every NHL player in the game, if you play with stats save ON, the game will
save records for Goals scored, by what username, against what team, played by
what username. A feature that has the potential to be entertaining. Also,
there is a User Record menu, which I didn't check out, but I'd assume it saves
overall record and perhaps goals scored record.
Each arena is now named as well and the game records highest dB level.
Supposedly, when the old record falls, the game play speeds up by about 10%,
but I can't confirm this.
The only question that remains is where I can sell NHLPA! And perhaps
THIS one as well, should EA follow thorough on its promise to deliver this
awesome cart to CD. I know, I'll probably get flamed for admitting this in
the midst of the Sega Inquisition, but "I believe in the Sega CD!"
P. "Devil's Advocate" (as if ya couldn't tell) Carrotta