From: dreier@jacobi.berkeley.edu (Roland Dreier)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey
Subject: Re: NHL video game(s)
Date: 2 Oct 92 00:54:13 GMT
Organization: U.C. Berkeley Math. Department.
NNTP-Posting-Host: jacobi.berkeley.edu
In-reply-to: matthew@wavefront.wti.com's message of 1 Oct 92 17:51:44 GMT

In article <535@wavefront.wti.com> matthew@wavefront.wti.com (Matthew Coohill) writes:
	   For those of you not in "the know".  Electronic Arts is (re)releasing
     NHLPA Hockey '93 for the Genesis and Super Nintendo.  It features 550 actual
     NHL Players with 14 "characteristics" based on the 1992 season stats.  All
     24 teams.  Battery backup to keep up-to-date stats (goals, assists, etc.)
     Penalties and injuries, instant replay (controlled by yourself), 2 player
     head-to-head or co-op play or one against the computer...

	   it goes on and on...

	   If you know anyone who works for ECA, congratulate them "in advance"
     for the greatest video game ever produced.

	   *** WARNING!!!  Once purchased, you will go into video	***
	   ***   game hibernation.  Please warn your friends and	***
	   ***   family that you will be leaving reality for quite ***
	   ***   some time.  And make sure to take at least 2	***
	   ***   weeks vacation time.  Remember to eat.		***

I agree that NHL Hockey for Sega was one of the greatest video games ever.
I wasted an incredible amount of time on it last year, but it was worth it
to drink from the Mather cup as NHL Champion of my housemates.  However, have
they fixed some of the flaws in the game? e.g.:

    (a) Stuffing the puck is impossible to stop, once you get the hang of
        it (I once beat one of my roommates 6-0, with me being the Sharks,
        and with the stats registering 0 shots on goal, just by stuffing
        everything).  By stuffing I mean skating your player right at the
        goal and then moving to the side at the last minute so that your
        stick and the puck continue towards the goal, through the goalie,
        and into the net for a certain goal.

    (b) Running the goalie when he has the puck is also a cheap goal that
        it clearly illegal.  Try this sometime: get the puck off the faceoff,
        take a long shot at the goalie, letting him control it, and then
        run your player into the goalie at top speed for another type of
        nearly unstoppable goal, although this type should clearly be
        disallowed.

    (c) Magnetized posts-- usually one game will have enough posts hit
        by shots for an entire NHL season.

    (d) Along the same lines, goalies should be able to make some saves
        other than watching the puck hit the posts-- if a good shooter
        takes a slap shot at the upper corner on his forehand, it is
        either a goal, a hit post, or a miss.  Goalies rarely make saves,
        which turns even games with 5-minute periods into 10-9 shootouts.
        It is not unusual to see stats like 15 shots, 12 goals, even with
        hit posts counting as shots (which they shouldn't, of course).

Still, NHL hockey is a mesmerizing game, and using real players makes it
even better.  The judgement of the guys who made the game is funny
sometimes, though.  Petr Klima (#85 on the second line for Edmonton), is
probably one of the best players in the Sega league...certainly one of
the fastest.  I might not agree in real life.  On the other hand, Mogilny
(#89 for the Sabres) actually has mediocre speed...and we all know that
in real life, Mogilny _defines_ speed on skates.  And Sandstrom (#7 for
the Kings) is unstoppable in Sega: rocket shot, impossible to knock off
his feet. He's not that domininant in real life.

--
Roland Dreier                                        dreier@math.berkeley.edu
Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey