The Good Ol’ Hockey Game: Ice Hockey

It’s NHL playoff time in the real world. To celebrate, I’m reviewing a hockey video game each week until Lord Stanley’s Cup is awarded. Our first stop this season? The NES, of course. Haven’t you read any of my work?

Ice Hockey was the first such game to call the Nintendo Entertainment System home. While the title screen is reminiscent of Nintendo-made NES launch-window titles, Ice Hockey hit the scene in 1988, which we’ll later see was a busy year for the NES’ hockey library.

Being the first-to-market wasn’t the only gimmick of this game. It still stands out today with it’s player selection feature in which you build your team of four skaters choosing between the fast, faceoff-winning, weak-shooting, soft-hitting skinny guy; the average average guy and the slow, hard-shooting, hard-slamming fat guy. The key to victory for most matches isn’t just determined by playing skill, but by their strategy in building a team that takes advantage of the opposing roster’s weaknesses.

Other unique features among its field of competitors include cheat codes to eliminate goalies or to make the puck frictionless, and changeable game speed.

As far as playing the game goes, it’s just about a guarantee that a new player with no instruction booklet will claim the computer cheats. The controls are surprisingly nuanced, starting from the opening faceoff. With some quick expert button presses, you can substitute players until your fastest guy is ready to take the puck. When on defense, the A button will initiate stick-checks, but if there’s an animation for it, it’s neigh impossible to see. You’ll often loose the puck without even knowing it was poked away from you.

It’s important to note that your goaltender is forever tied to your D-pad, and will constantly move along (within the confines of the rather roomy crease) with whichever skater you are controlling. This makes it neigh impossible to play defense, as it’ll leave your net wide open from an out-of-position goalie.

You won’t have to worry about offsides, icing, two-line passes (as was the style at the time) or even penalties for your hits, stickwork or even crease violations. You will have a player riding the pine for two minutes (game time) if you get in a fight, and lose. Which I’m personally okay with.

While Ice Hockey isn’t my favorite game of the NES crop, I can see why a lot of people made it their No. 1. Despite the oddness of 4-on-4 play, it offers more variety and opportunities for strategic thinking than games released even 6 years later. If I were handing out medals, that’d be enough to put Ice Hockey on the podium.

We need to resurface the ice for the next game. Not sure why the zamboni drivers need goalie masks, but I suppose you can’t be too careful.

…I have to say, the Penguins and the Islanders are having one heck of a series. I wouldn’t have expected anything like it at the beginning of the season. I’m also surprised Vancouver is headed for another first-round departure.