You may think this game is out-dated, and you'd be . . . COMPLETELY WRONG!!! This is the best hockey video game ever.
Despite it's amazingness, at heart it is a pretty bare bones game in terms of game modes and the like, which only serves to make it even more amazing! There is no season mode in this game. When NHL Hockey starts up you press Start to get past the title screen. What comes up next is the game setup screen, where you make all the alterations you need to before hitting the ice. On the game setup screen there are seven lines of options that you can toggle by pressing left/right on the D-pad. The first option is called "Play Mode" and is where you select they type of game mode you want to participate in. The four options include Regular Season (just a one-off exhibition game), Continue Playoffs (pick up on a playoff run that you've already started, a game code is required for this mode as the cartridge did not have a save feature at this point), New Playoffs (make a run at the Stanley Cup, using single game eliminations) & New Playoffs – Best of 7 (make a run at the Stanley Cup with full best of 7 game series as per NHL rules).
The second option is called "Players" and is where you select who will be participating in the game. The five options include One – Home (a one player game where you are the home team), One – Visitor (a one player game where you are the away team), Two – Teammates (a two player game where you work together on the same team as your buddy), Two – Head to Head (a two player game where you work against your buddy, on opposite teams) & Demo. Just a couple notes about these options. First, you can only choose the Demo option under the Regular Season game mode. Second, you can only choose whether you are home or visitor in the Regular Season mode, in the Playoffs modes the computer decides your standing in that regard.
The third and fourth options are titled "Team 1" and "Team 2" respectively. This is where you decide what NHL team you would like to control, as well as what team you would like your opponent to control. Team 1 always refers to the team that player one is going to control, whether he/she chooses to be home or visitor. Note that in Regular Season mode you choose these two teams independent of each other, but in the Playoffs modes they are chosen in tandem. You find the team you want to control under the Team 1 banner and your opponent will be automatically selected.
The fifth option is "Period Length". The three settings include 5 minutes, 10 minutes and 20 minutes. Note that time in this game runs a lot faster, the seconds are a lot shorter than in real life, so the games do go quickly, especially on the 5 minutes setting.
The sixth option is "Penalties", where you decide whether or not you want infractions to be penalized. The three settings include On, Off, and On – Except Off-Sides.
Finally, the seventh option is "Line Changes", where you simply toggle them On or Off.
After you decide on all of the above options you press Start and are then taken to the team comparison screen. You will see a side by side comparison on how your team stacks up against your opponent, gauging all areas including left wing, center, right wing, left defense, right defense, goalie, and overall team depth. Press Start once more and you will then be taken to the opening faceoff. During the Playoffs modes you will get a secondary screen that comes up between games showing the playoff tree, basically giving a breakdown of how all of the various playoff series are unfolding. This is also the screen where you will find the game codes you need to input to continue your playoff journey the next time you fire up your machine.
As for gameplay and appearance, it is awesome . . . dynamite really! The game is simple in it's appearance, it's an overhead view with the ice surface running north/south. The home team always starts on the bottom facing upwards, with the teams switching between periods as usual. For some reason that is the favourable position in these types of games and it's true, I at least always play better when I'm heading upwards. The arenas all look the same but the fans are pretty fleshed out and involved in the action. They sure get noisy when the home team does something they approve of! The main strength of the game is what is on the ice though. The players look great, they sound great, and they respond to the controls just perfectly. The hits are massive and violent, the fighting is simple but oh so fun, and the realism of the game is astounding. In most hockey games now you can totally blow your opponent away most nights, but in this original game scoring can be tough to come by. Shots on net and goals always seem to be held in check at a more realistic rate for whatever reason, which I like. Although the graphics may look rudimentary compared to modern hockey games, they are still pretty good considering, and at the time were top drawer. NHL Hockey is pretty colourful, with all NHL teams represented true to form, and the sound is also really good. The theme song is fantastic, I still remembered it all these years later without even hearing it! The in game sound is great also, it gets really noisy when the home team does something good. When a big hit is thrown, a fight erupts, or a goal is scored and sets the goal light off . . . it gets pretty raucous! The overall gameplay experience on this title is among the best I've ever had in any game, let alone just a sports game.
Once in the middle of some game action you can press the Start button to bring up the pause menu, from which there are four options. The first is called "Resume Game", where you go to return to the action. The second option is "Instant Replay", where you go to re-watch the last bit of action in the game, whether it be a big hit or a sweet snipe. The third option is "Stats Report". Here you can view a side by side comparison between the two teams in a number of different categories including the score, shots on net, powerplay efficiency, penalties, fights won, and attack zone time. The final option is called "Goalie". Every team in the game has two goalies, this is where you go to switch between the two or to pull your goalie for an extra attacker. At this point I should probably mention that you cannot edit lines in this game. Every team has three pre-set lines (Scoring 1, Scoring 2 and Checking), as well as two pre-set lines each for powerplay and penalty killing. Also, although all NHL players at the time were represented in this game, they were not done so my name. You won't find a list of player's names anywhere in this game, the only way you can identify them is by what number they wear for their respective team.
As for game controls, like I mentioned earlier the players respond to your commands just perfectly. The control scheme is pretty simple, easy to understand and get used to. The D-pad is used to move your player around the ice, and also to aim your passes and shots. The A button is used to hold your opponent and also as the rewind function during an instant replay. The B button has many functions. You use it to attempt a win in the faceoff circle and also to pass when you are in control of the puck. When you don't have the puck it is used to switch your control to the player closest to the puck. It can also be used to poke check, and as the freeze frame function during an instant replay. As for the C button, when you have the puck it is used to make your player shoot. Hold down the C button longer for a slapshot or just tap it for a wrist shot. Without the puck it is used to make your player perform a speed burst/body check. During an instant replay it serves as the play function. All three buttons, A, B and C, are used to select your various lines if you have the Line Changes option set to On.
As for the pros and cons of this game . . . well, there are actually no cons at all, so that's easy! But the pros are many, as you may have figured by now. First of all, the look, feel and sound of this game are all fantastic, as I've already gone over. I love the realism factor it contains, while at the same time being a bit arcade-ish. I also love the nostalgia factor. This game was released during the golden age of hockey in my opinion, when there weren't any headshots or concussions, and people weren't pissing and moaning about fighting. After almost every stoppage in play in this game, if you hit somebody after the whistle you have a good chance of starting a fight. Fighting in this game happens often, and it is oh so fun and hilarious! I also like the teams it contains, speaking of the golden age of hockey. I really miss the time when the NHL was separated in to the Campbell and Wales Conferences and there were only 21 teams in the league, including franchises in Winnipeg, Quebec, Hartford and Minnesota. This is the NHL I remember and love so much better than what we've got now. The teams represented in this game include the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Quebec Nordiques, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets. The Campbell Conference All-Stars and Wales Conference All-Stars also had teams represented in this game. This is the classic NHL, with the exception of the San Jose Sharks of course. Lastly, the fun this game contains is off the charts! Despite the fact that it doesn't have a season mode and doesn't track stats, it's one of the best hockey games ever made, if not THE best. Everything about this game oozes fun, and with two players it's even better. Combine all this with how quickly you can play a game on the 5 minutes setting and it drives the replayability factor through the roof as well! Absolutely awesome.
In terms of tips and tricks, I really don't have much to offer, it's a pretty straightforward game. Everybody has to find their own best way to play for success in NHL Hockey. The one thing I could mention is that most people have a penchant for shooting high, because it's more glamorous I suppose. Definitely shoot high because it is a lot of fun, but make sure to mix things up and get some good low shots on net, those low shots can really wreak havoc on the goalies in this game and increase your chances of scoring.
In closing, I don't even know what else I can say other than . . . this game is fu$&ing awesome!!!