I wasn't much of a hockey fan growing up. Locally, I knew that the Flyers made a run at the Stanley Cup in the late 80's, but that was about it. Just about all I knew about the game was it was kind of like soccer with sticks and pucks on ice, smaller goals and padded goalies. I played Nintendo's Ice Hockey at a friend's house from time to time, but he never told me what the term "icing" was so that the game quickly wore thin.

My indifference to hockey changed when I first played NHLPA '93 on the Sega Genesis. The realism from the slapshots, goalie movement, penalties, line changes, and the ability to pull your goalie simply overwhelmed me. I logged many hours on this game, both solo and playing with my neighbor. Together, we turned this game upside down and I saw its flaws but also saw it was fun.


Features

NHLPA '93, unlike its predecessor NHL Hockey, had all the real NHL players including names and physical attributes and ratings. In addition, it had all the real NHL teams in their respective (unnamed) conferences based on the 1992-93 NHL season, which is right at the outset of the great NHL expansion and migration era. You'll still see teams like the Hartford Whalers, Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Northstars. However, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators also join the mix. It even had two All Star teams comprised of players from East and West teams respectively. However, unlike Tecmo Super Bowl's pro bowl teams, you cannot customize who is placed on the All Star teams. This is a little bit more important in NHLPA '93 because there are some stinkers (rating-wise) who make the team as backups and it would be nice to replace them to fill out the lines more.

There are several modes in this game. The default type of game is a regular season game. By today's standards, this terminology isn't completely correct. Regular season mode is really preseason by today's sports game lingo in that you matchup any two teams against each other. You can even pit two identical teams against each other in a mirror match of sorts. This is a great feature as it was missed in sports games like Tecmo Super Bowl.

In addition to regular season mode, you can also play two types of Playoffs. One is a single game elimination bracket where the winner advances. The other is to play a best of 7 series, where the first team to win 4 games against a single opponent advances in the bracket. Both of these playoff modes start with a bracket of 16 different teams comprised of 8 from each conference. This is intended to represent the Stanley Cup playoffs as closely as possible.

When starting a new playoff, you select a team and the game randomly assigns playoff teams by their strength and likelihood of making the playoffs. Therefore, you will not see the Hartford Whalers or Ottawa Senators make the playoffs too often as a computer-picked team. If you don't have enough time to finish a playoff bracket, the game automatically saves your progress after each game. You continue by selecting the continue playoffs game mode in the startup screen.

In addition to these game choices, there are also many more customizable aspects. First you can play solo against the computer in a home or away setting. You can also watch two computer players battle it out in a setting dubbed "demo". I can’t see this mode being used unless takeout arrives while you're playing with a group of friends and you can't agree what to watch on TV while eating. Finally, you can introduce a second human player into the mix, by playing him, or have him join you on yours. While the competition in versus mode can be fierce, it was the cooperative mode which really grabbed my attention. I used to play this mode all the time with my neighbor; one of us would be the scorer and the other would be the enforcer, clearing the way with ruthless body checks.

You can also customize the rules quite a bit in NHLPA '93. You can turn off penalties with or without the exception of fighting, or you can turn them on with or without the exception of offsides. You can also customize the period length to 5, 10 or 20 minute periods. A typical 10 minute period game lasts 20-30 minutes of real time due to the sped up game clock. Finally you can turn on and off line changes. Line changes allow you to choose which line should come in given a certain situation. Having line changes turned on also allows your players to get fatigued based on how hard you skate them around the ice. This adds a certain amount of strategy to the game as your players will get slower and slower the longer their on-ice shift. If you don't turn on line changes, you can still customize your starting line at any time. However, the players that you choose will be on the ice the whole game should you decide to keep it that way.

The pause menu is very handy for its breaks from the action as well as offering some additional features. The pause menu can be accessed at any point during the game and is the default screen between periods as well as before and after the game. In this menu you have many different options. You can customize your line and save it. There's an instant replay feature that allows you to look at the action that just took place. You can pause the replay at any time as well as use slow motion and rewind. You can also watch a specific section of ice, or follow a certain player whether or not he has the puck. There's a scoring summary sheet that lets you know who scored in what period at what time, including who got the assists as well. Finally, there's a page detailing team stats for each side. These stats include passing, shooting, penalty minutes, powerplay efficiency, and body checks. These variety of stats aren't as extensive as they could be, but they can be fun to look at in between periods.


On Ice Action

The action on the ice described in one word would be smooth. The game is a balance between arcade and simulation where you can push the scale towards one or the other based on the options I described above. Players react on the ice based on their stats. So you'll notice that slower skating players really are slow, and players who cannot control the puck will frequently get it poked away. Unlike some previous hockey games, the goalies are completely controlled by the computer and react to pucks rather than moving from one side to the next like a pong paddle. They reach, sprawl, and dive for loose pucks as they are shot at the goal. It takes more than just a peppering of shots to get it by them especially when defensemen are trying to knock your head off. You can break the rules to a certain extent, but with penalties turned on, be prepared to head to the penalty box.

The topdown style of the rink is a nice change of pace from many hockey games of this era. Other hockey games and series had a horizontal hockey rink. This meant that the rink scrolled from right to left. NHLPA '93 scrolled vertically where the nets were located at the top and the bottom of the screen. This was a much better setup in that you could setup more realistic offensive or defensive formations. It allowed you to see the play developing much better using the width of the rink to your advantage instead of the depth.

The pace of the game is perfect. Players aren't flying down the ice at record pace, but the rink isn't so big that it takes 20 seconds for a fast player to go from end to end, either. Players also have a certain amount of momentum when they skate as well. They don't stop on a dime, rather skidding to a stop like a car on a rain-soaked highway. Transitions from offense to defense and visa versa are as smooth and easy to handle as they appear in the pros.

One of the biggest arcade aspects of this game is the contact. While the computer players use a variety of moves like poke checks, hooks, holds, and body checks to stop you from scoring, your primary weapon of choice is usually the body check. The game's most effective defense is a good offensive body check. Not only does it slow down the opposing player, but given the right situation, it can knock them down and your player can obtain the puck with a good amount of momentum. This frequently leads to breakaways when you nail a defensemen controlling the puck. The sheer amount of body checks in NHLPA '93 is much more than you'll see in a typical hockey game as they don't take place along the boards, but usually in the middle of the ice. This type of play leads to a couple consequences. The good consequence is that body checking will eventually cause you to injure another player, sending them off the ice for at least the rest of the period. However, body checking will send you to the penalty box for two minutes, especially if you injure someone.

Another physical aspect of this game is the fighting. Two players on opposite teams who are known to be hotheads will typically result in fisticuffs. The fighting mechanism isn't the clutch and grab that most hockey fans are used to. Rather it's more open punch and counter punch until someone goes down or the ref steps in. This results in penalty time for both players and possibly a two minute minor for another player who instigated the fight. While the fighting mechanism isn't realistic, at least it's fun, and it's certainly better than the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em robots in some of the later NHL games EA has released.

Despite all this, I do have some gripes about the on ice gameplay. The game emphasizes a “one player against the world” mentality. The great players have the puck, not tethered, but rather duct taped to their stick when they bring it up the ice. They can skate around everyone then do a quick fake or deke and get it by the goalie. In addition, the passing is just not on the mark enough. Therefore, once you get the puck to your great player, you're not going to want to give it up as there is a good chance the pass will be off the mark and your scoring chances will go down the drain. In addition, the computer AI doesn't really make much of an attempt to stop you until you've entrenched yourself in your opponent's zone. While I recognize the arcade nature of the game, good hockey is accomplished through lots of passing and teamwork. While I don't mind using one person to take the puck past the blue line and at the net, it's a little ridiculous to do this from your own blue line or even farther back.


Graphics and Sound

Despite the relatively solid gameplay, the graphics don't quite stand up to the test of time. Since we're talking about the Genesis platform here, the game is sprite-based. Everything from the players, to the nets, to the arena are all sprites. Unfortunately these sprites aren't as refined as they could be. I have seen better sprites from other Genesis games even in later Genesis versions of EA's NHL Hockey series.

Despite the lack of refinement, the graphics are functional and do not take away much from the game as a whole. The puck is big and easy to follow. The player sprites are big and are in good proportion to the rink. You're never left with the problem I'm often faced with where an opposing player comes out of nowhere and levels you as you skate helplessly towards them. The player animations are all done well as they move fluently to illustrate that the framerate is never choppy. This game even shows us a pool of blood that surrounds a fallen player after you issue them a vicious body check or pummel them in a fistfight.

The realism factor of the graphics is a mixed bag. The nets, ice, and seating area of the arena are all detailed nicely. The ice has clearly marked blue, red lines, and faceoff circles. Each team has a home and road jersey accurate to the real teams at the time. Players even hoist the Stanley Cup on the ice when they win it all in the playoff mode. Despite all this, the arena is really generic. The EASN (EA Sports Network) logo is etched into center ice, and it's the same people in the crowd at every game.

By today's standards the graphics are clearly subpar. That fact that EA does not go the extra mile to use the team logos shows a lack of refinement. However, in the end all that matters is that the graphics do not detract from the gameplay. In helping a game to withstand the test of time, a game's graphics do not have to be revolutionary, but they cannot get in the way of its other strengths either. This is the case with NHLPA '93 as the graphics never hinder the gameplay in any way. You know what your players look like, you can follow the puck, and you generally can understand what is happening on the ice.

The music is really a disappointment. When the game starts up, you're presented with a strong theme song that really catches your attention. However, beyond that there are probably only 5 different songs whether they're for screens and menus or on the ice. These themes are pretty weak and bland, while some are downright annoying. For instance, the arena has 3 different songs it plays from a theme to start the period, to another when the home team scores. There's also a third song played in the middle of the 3rd period. While this adds to the game initially, after a while it just makes the arena seem more generic.

The sound effects are somewhat detailed, but they also sound bland and disappointing. Sound effects include sounds from stick work like passes and slapshots, as well as sounds from skating movements, to even a ping when the puck hits the post. The crowd even cheers when the home team scores, when the home team hits someone, or when a penalty is coming up against the other team. They even boo when the away team does something positive. These sound effects are nice at first, but they really seem more and more generic and forgettable after you play the game many times. I've gotten to the point where I prefer to play as the away team to avoid the cheering crowd and organ music.


Controls and Challenge

The controls are this game's clear strength. This game was clearly tailored for the Genesis controller because of its ability to perform half circle turns. The responsiveness is great in that it really lets you accurately control the players and really makes them feel like they're skating, not running or moving like cars. The button scheme is also pretty intuitive. The game separates the buttons out depending on your style of play. If you like to clutch and grab, you'll be favoring the A and B buttons. If you're a power player like me, you'll be favoring the B and C buttons. Some buttons like B and C perform different actions depending on a given situation. For instance the B button used when you do not have the puck can either switch your player or poke check. I don't like this functionality because it might perform the opposite action intended. However, the C button is better in that it can either act as a body check or a speed burst on defense. It is a much more logical to double up these actions because they are one in the same anyway.

The challenge is what can make or break the game. For first timers, the game can be rather challenging. You'll pepper the other goalie with shots, but only a few might go in. The opponent does a good job of setting up its own shots and should score 3 or 4 goals during a normal defensive effort. This is where the challenge ends. Once you figure out how to fake out the goalie, it's not uncommon to score 30 goals in a game with 10 minute periods. This game doesn't have difficulty settings, so neither the goalie nor the defensive nature of the other players get any smarter.

There are other ways to increase the difficulty like playing as a bad team like Hartford or Ottawa. You can also play with weak or mismatched lines as well. Despite all these tactics, this won't increase the challenge for the very best and experienced gamers. So the question remains, what do you want to get out of a hockey game? If you don't mind putting up dozens of goals and running wild on your opponent, this game is probably for you. However, those in need of a challenge each time they lace up their virtual skates will require something more. As an example, even Tecmo Super Bowl can offer both a weak AI for people who like to take the computer out behind the woodshed as well as offer a tougher opponent for those looking for a challenge.


Replay and Value

For many the replay value might not offer the most a sports game can offer. The replay value of this game is tied the most into the challenge. Due to the fact that there is no true season mode, much less a franchise mode, there isn't anything beyond exhibition games and playoff brackets as far as options go. Therefore for those seeking to be challenged from their games every time they play, this game will wear thin very fast. The gameplay will keep people interested due to the creativity and utter brutality you can exhibit on the ice, however it all comes back to what the game returns to the gamer. While this game certainly is one of my all time favorites, I also have to recognize that there isn't much there for some gamers. Even more modern console games like NHL 2002 can replicate the same action, speed, and brutality this game does, while providing a functional franchise mode complete with trading and the ability to create your own player.

Luckily, at this point in time Genesis games have the most bang for your buck. I have seen this game sell for as little as 50 cents to as high as $2. In today's market, this game is a steal. So how much would I value this game? My value rating scale is based on how much I would pay for a game given any market. So for instance whether the game was selling for 10 cents or $100, the most I would pay for the game would be based solely on how much entertainment value an average gamer would get out of it. So, based on my evaluation of the game I would value it at $3. The strong gameplay and functional graphics will keep people involved initially, and the different teams and strong multiplayer gameplay will keep people interested beyond the time when they figure out how to score goals by the boatload. Beyond that, they'll probably just want to move on to a more advanced game.

Recommended: Yes