NHL'94 : My Impressions
Nhon Chieu Ta
NHL'94 as pointed out in the manual:
-goalie control [for those who think their goalies sucked (like
me) before now can be the goaltender. Next time a goal is scored
on you, blame it on yourself:) but for those who are afraid of
the puck smacking you, there is automatic control]
-shootout game [a new mode of play where you go one on one
against a goaltender and vice-versa. Great for practicing dekes
on goaltenders and understanding goaltender controls ie.dives and
catches.]
-penalty shots [no comment, have'nt got one yet.]
- bench and board checks- one of the fun parts of the game
what with no fighting or blood in this game. Line up your
opponent and ram him into the board or bench(yeah!) and see him
topple over.
- 3- or 4 player [have not tried it yet but looks like it's going
to get rowdy at my place soon:)]
- 1992-1993 NHL rosters and player ratings [ all your favorite
players on it! No.66 is rated 99 as with Molgilny!
-Variable player ratings for players on hot or cold streaks
[have'nt found in difference in performance on ice yet, oh
well...]
-Save player records for each player (as if we couldn't do that
with pencil and paper. Yup, that's probably where the hike in
price for the game came from...]
- Save user standings and records [the closest thing to regular
season play mode except you automatically qualify yourself for
playoffs]
- One -timers- special moves by the selected players(?) [ THIS is
the one feature I liked best. Flip a past to your teammate with
button B and quickly press button C when the puck is released
from the passer. I love it! It catches the goaltenders off
their feets especially with Hull's one timers:)]
- New player stats [where our money goes to pay for the NHLPA)
- Flip passes [don't know what it means yet]
-reverse- angle replay [ohhhh-ahhh a reversed angle when you are
in instant replay mode]
- Clear the zone when killing penalties [need I say more?]
- automatic line changes
- tougher computer defense [It is TOUGHER but not enough to scare
off 6 year olds from playing it. I think from the 7- 5 minute
games I've played, my total production of goals has decreased 3
or 4 times from when I played NHLPA'93 and I've let in 2 to 3
goals in a game when I'm manually controlling my goaltender. I
believe the defenseman has grown smarter and are more likely to
stick and bodycheck you more]
- tougher goalies [a little tougher but still there are those
weak point again. Belfour, rated 98 and Roy, 93 are tough to put
goals through. Dekes on the goalies work best like in NHLPA'93
but the chances are slimmer of putting it in]
- Computer shooter scoring moves [what moves? they are as inept
as they were in NHLPA'93. I wish they at least had SOME
play-making abilities instead of just twirling around on the ice
and finally wristing a soft shot on the net.]
- Player and team cards [they also included real player cards in the
game box and some other promos]
- Player profiles with 144 player pictures [Vanbiesbrouck, is
that you under the mask?:)]
- local organ music -72 pieces in all [ Varied and not annoying
as one might think. I think it's entertaining and goes nicely
with what is happening on the ice like the final minute of the
game]
- Team logos at center ice [ that's where the other half of the
monbey goes...]
- New crowd animations [you actually do see some individuals
cheering especially a boy who comes down from his seats to the
glass shields to watch the faceoff in one of the corners]
- No fighting or blood [If you want some, go rent Don Cherry's
Rock'em, Sock'em video while playing this game:)]
- Period stats
-More kinds of game stats [the programmers surely over did
themselves when they did this(....NOT)]
-2 expansion teams (Panthers and Ducks) [See the Ducks get
trashed... well, actually they are a pretty good team..]
Okay, that's all there is in this new game retailing here
in Calgary, Canada at $66 Cdn. It's not much of a big improvement
from NHLPA'93 I think but still worth getting if you can't stand
waiting for '95. I guess EA is going to milk this game dry and
improve a little each year until we, the consumers rise up and
revolt and....
P.S Oh, yes before I forget, for all you nitpickers, there is a
new zamboni and the guy driving it actually waves! Also, when
you hit the goalpost, there is a clunk sound like that of hiiting
a steel bar.
Nhon Ta