Best Genesis NHL Game?

[pacmanhat]

I'm curious as to what the concensus is regarding which of the EA NHL games for Genesis is really the best. They're all so cheap and easily attainable, but is there one that really stands out above the rest?

[dbiersdorf]

95 or 93. I'd go with 95.

[jwl]

I liked NHL 94 the best except they took out fighting in it, and Mutant League Hockey was great too.

[pacmanhat]

I'm also asking because I just picked up '96, and was hoping that it would get some love so I'd feel better about my choice.

No love so far, though...:(

[Gamereviewgod]

I hated the change in the series after 94. Too fast and unconrollable. It lost the feel that made it special in the first place. The graphics weren't an upgrade either as everything looked squished.

My fave is 93, like it was said above, it still had fights and it still had blood. NHL 94 on the Sega CD is a tough one to pushover though.

if you really want a good one, check out NHL 95 on the PC. I plays just like the early console versions with far more features.

[drewbrim]

I liked 94 or 95 the best. Whichever one was the first to add the one-timers. Also from a personal standpoint my team (the Bruins) and my player (Bourque) were unstoppable. I swear it took a miracle to knock Bourque down to the ice or into the boards.

[pacmanhat]

So...what does everyone think of '96 then? What makes it different/better/worse than the earlier iterations?

(Since no one's mentioned it and it's what I have) :P

[pseudonym]

i don't think i ever owned nhl 96 although i rented the snes version. it wasn't bad. i'm fond nhl 93 and 94 personally.

[AlexKidd]

I've never played '96 but I have '94 and '95 and I like '94 a lot better.

[jdc]

I "inherited" my friend's near-mint complete of NHL 95 when he got rid of his Genny. He liked it because it was realistic enough for him. Now we play ESPN NHL 2K5 on Xbox...and 95 doesn't seem so realistic any more!! LOL

[SKVermin]

Have to go with NHL '94. One of the guys at work has a SNES in his cubicle that always has '94 in it. He can't wait to get his work done and challenge people to a game or six.

[GrandAmChandler]

NHLPA 93. Best Hockey game on Genesis. May be my all time favorite hockey game ever, Blades of Steel is a close runner up though. If I remember correctly wasn't there something significant about NHLPA93 compared to the later versions? I want to say they took something out with the fighting in the later versions... I forget though.


Oh! I almost for got MUTANT league hockey. that is a great hockey game too 8-)

[NeoZeedeater]

I think the original is the best one. They subtlely altered the gameplay with the sequels and made it less enjoyable. The glitchy stuff was part of the fun in the first game.

[bluegenes]

96 is just as good as the others, if not better. It's got fighting and not just the infamous bleeding heads. The tunes are pretty catchy and it still has the rocking organ music. It's pretty much your run of the mill EA hockey game. Definately nothing to be dissappointed about. I think the preference of year probly depends on one's favorite team or players.
I was kind of bummed about no hockey this year, so I picked up NHL rivals used, dirt cheap. That game is great. If you don't have any new hockey games, I'd recommend that one. Go Ducks!

[Daniel Thomas]

So does the '96 version have the massive head wounds? That's what I loved about '93 so much, aside from, well, everything else.

I remember each NHL game was better than the last up to '95, but by then I moved on to the Saturn. I faintly remember '95 was different in some fashion; maybe it was that I figured out the computer's weak points and learned how to score at will. Or maybe the reckless violence was toned down. I can't remember at all, which is wierd considering how much I played those games.

For pure violence I'd go with the first two games; for gameplay you'd probably want one of the latter ones.

[shai hulud]

i have to vote for 94 as well since it pretty much was the reason i got my current job

[GarrettCRW]

NHL '94 is the game that added the one-timers, but also saw the removal of all fighting and blood (largely because of an oh-so-family values expose on ESPN that mercilessly tore into the violence in sports games, with hockey in particular getting ripped a new one). Despite the no fighting stuff, it's generally considered the best of the lot.

[felix]

95.. it was the best ballance of arcade and sim.

[buttasuperb]

94

[Nature Boy]

NHLPA 93 is my favourite. That's the first one that had the Senators, right?

I really stopped liking the series once they stopped me from using "the move." I'd much rather play against buddies, try to stop "the move" while trying to execute it myself, and have games end 13-12 instead of having 1-0 games where I feel lucky to have even scored.

And since I had "the move" in NHLPA 93 I could take the aforementioned Senators through to a Stanley Cup win.

I have nothing against NHL '96, but I find I prefer playing the NHL versions with the Nords, Whalers, Jets and the like. But like you said, since they are all so cheap I just went out and bought 'em all on Genesis(NHLPA through to NHL 97 or 98 or whatever). I don't need to purchase another NHL game ever again!

[mitch079]

95 was my fave. I thought that 94 was too slow and 96 and 97 were difficult to score in. Only thing that stunk about 95 was if you were playing a season and moved too many guys around from team to team, all the rosters would eventually get f*d up.

[captain nintendo]

93 was the best period. Whatever anybody says is a lie unless they agree with me ;) :P


:D

[Saabmeister]

I'd have to go with '93 on this one.

[shai hulud]

its not so much me, its J.R. he`s good.

[Cthulhu]

Can I vote for Mutant League Hockey here? That one was my fave by far. :D

[thegreatescape]

Ask me in 2 years when me and my friend beat a playoff in all of them starting at NHLPA '93. So far we're upto NHLPA '93.
Yes, we are very bad at it. :/

[The Manimal]

NHL '98

[Moon Patrol]

The only two hockey games I own are Nhpla 93 and NHL 95, thought that NHL 95 was really bad assed. I've played Mutant League Hockey though, it was awesome too. Hell, its a Genesis, just buy all of the hockey games, I mean, why not?