NHL '94
Encyclopedia
NHL '94 is an ice hockey
game by EA Sports
for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Super Nintendo
and Sega CD, as well as the first release of the "NHL Hockey" series for PC
/DOS
, simply titled "NHL Hockey", without the "94" in the title. The game is officially licenced from the National Hockey League
and NHL Players Association
. Being the third game in the NHL Hockey series
media franchise
, it was released on March 15, 1993. NHL '94 is included as #47 on IGN's Top 100 Games of All-Time and is named All-Time Greatest Sports Video Game by Boston.com
and various gaming forums.
and NHLPA Hockey '93
-- NHL '94 was designed to give gamers the most realistic hockey experience possible. The game maintained the series' signature vertical camera angle, which offered the player distinct gameplay and strategic advantages over contemporary side-view hockey games, and kept the 2D sprite character models of NHLPA '93 (albeit with some new animations). While today such a lack of graphical change from year to year would be criticized by players, the NHLPA '93 framework was regarded as the most groundbreaking hockey engine ever made—meaning that NHL '94 had the luxury of simply tweaking the basic aspects of the game. The result was one of the most widely-acclaimed sports games ever made, and a game that still has an extensive cult following to this day, such as NHL94.com
That's not to say no improvements were made to the engine by EA between 1992 and 1993. Notably, NHL '94 introduced the "one timer
", an authentic hockey move where a player shoots the puck directly off of a pass; NHL '94 's one-timer was in fact so devastating that it would become the scoring method of choice for most players. However, other techniques such as "the duper" and "the move" remain quite popular and effective scoring tactics, not to mention the sometimes used b-button shot. Because of NHL 94 's (mostly) realistic and action-packed gameplay, the game is almost universally considered the best hockey game of its generation, and is frequently mentioned in "all-time top sports game" lists.
, better all-around control of players, a cowboy kid sitting in the stands who gets up and bangs on the glass behind the net, being able to save your records, as well as the four modes - Regular Season, Playoffs, Best of Seven Playoffs, and Shootout. There are no international teams, but both all-star
teams are present. Also introduced were team-specific organ songs played at the start of periods and after goals—examples included the Hartford Whalers
' trademark "Brass Bonanza", "When the Saints Go Marching In
" for the St. Louis Blues, "The Sabre Dance" for the Buffalo Sabres
, and the Chicago Blackhawks
theme song "Here Come the Hawks
".
version of NHL 06
. The port included was based on the Sega Genesis version, but lacked the official NHL rosters from the original title.
A version titled NHL Pro Hockey '94 was released in Japan for the SNES
which has all the important text in Japanese including the main menu, the actual hockey players, the secondary (end of period and post-game) menus, and the crowd meter. However the passwords still used letters of the Roman alphabet and numbers exclusively.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
game by EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Super Nintendo
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
and Sega CD, as well as the first release of the "NHL Hockey" series for PC
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
/DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
, simply titled "NHL Hockey", without the "94" in the title. The game is officially licenced from the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
and NHL Players Association
NHL Players Association
The National Hockey League Players' Association or NHLPA is the labor union for the group of professional hockey players who are under Standard Player Contracts to the thirty member clubs in the National Hockey League located in the United States and Canada...
. Being the third game in the NHL Hockey series
NHL series
NHL is a series of professional ice hockey simulation video games developed by EA Canada and published yearly by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports brand...
media franchise
Media franchise
A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements...
, it was released on March 15, 1993. NHL '94 is included as #47 on IGN's Top 100 Games of All-Time and is named All-Time Greatest Sports Video Game by Boston.com
Boston.com
Boston.com is a regional website that offers news and information about Boston, Massachusetts and its surroundings. It claims to be one of the most visited regional websites in the United States....
and various gaming forums.
Gameplay
Just like its predecessors -- NHL HockeyNHL Hockey
NHL Hockey is an ice hockey game by EA Sports. Released in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, it is the first game in the NHL Hockey series.-Features:...
and NHLPA Hockey '93
NHLPA Hockey '93
NHLPA Hockey '93 is a SNES and Mega Drive/Genesis ice hockey game released in December 1992.-Features:Included is a single-game exhibition mode and a playoff mode with the winner of the playoff mode collecting a trophy similar to the Stanley Cup.The game had an NHLPA license but not an NHL license...
-- NHL '94 was designed to give gamers the most realistic hockey experience possible. The game maintained the series' signature vertical camera angle, which offered the player distinct gameplay and strategic advantages over contemporary side-view hockey games, and kept the 2D sprite character models of NHLPA '93 (albeit with some new animations). While today such a lack of graphical change from year to year would be criticized by players, the NHLPA '93 framework was regarded as the most groundbreaking hockey engine ever made—meaning that NHL '94 had the luxury of simply tweaking the basic aspects of the game. The result was one of the most widely-acclaimed sports games ever made, and a game that still has an extensive cult following to this day, such as NHL94.com
That's not to say no improvements were made to the engine by EA between 1992 and 1993. Notably, NHL '94 introduced the "one timer
One timer
A one timer is an ice hockey shot that occurs when a player meets a teammate's pass with an immediate slapshot, without any attempt to control the puck on his stick. An effective one timer requires precise timing on the part of both players involved, especially the shooter. This play often results...
", an authentic hockey move where a player shoots the puck directly off of a pass; NHL '94 's one-timer was in fact so devastating that it would become the scoring method of choice for most players. However, other techniques such as "the duper" and "the move" remain quite popular and effective scoring tactics, not to mention the sometimes used b-button shot. Because of NHL 94 's (mostly) realistic and action-packed gameplay, the game is almost universally considered the best hockey game of its generation, and is frequently mentioned in "all-time top sports game" lists.
New features
Key features in this game are the ability to shoot a one timerOne timer
A one timer is an ice hockey shot that occurs when a player meets a teammate's pass with an immediate slapshot, without any attempt to control the puck on his stick. An effective one timer requires precise timing on the part of both players involved, especially the shooter. This play often results...
, better all-around control of players, a cowboy kid sitting in the stands who gets up and bangs on the glass behind the net, being able to save your records, as well as the four modes - Regular Season, Playoffs, Best of Seven Playoffs, and Shootout. There are no international teams, but both all-star
National Hockey League All-Star Game
The National Hockey League All-Star Game is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held at the midway point of the regular season of the National Hockey League , with many of the league's star players playing against each other...
teams are present. Also introduced were team-specific organ songs played at the start of periods and after goals—examples included the Hartford Whalers
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The club played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–79 and in the National Hockey League from 1979–97...
' trademark "Brass Bonanza", "When the Saints Go Marching In
When the Saints Go Marching In
"When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as "The Saints", is an American gospel hymn that has taken on certain aspects of folk music. The precise origins of the song are not known. Though it originated as a spiritual, today people are more likely to hear it played by a jazz band...
" for the St. Louis Blues, "The Sabre Dance" for the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
, and the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
theme song "Here Come the Hawks
Here Come the Hawks
"Here Come the Hawks!" is the official fight song and introduction of the Chicago Blackhawks. The song was written by J. Swayzee and produced by the Dick Marx Orchestra and Choir in 1968. It is still played today during the pre-game video. An abbreviated rendition is also played following the end...
".
Game modes
- Exhibition Game
- Stanley Cup Playoffs: Single Game Series
- Stanley Cup Playoffs: Best of Seven Series
- Shootout Mini-Game
Other versions
The game was included in the PlayStation 2PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
version of NHL 06
NHL 06
-External links:**...
. The port included was based on the Sega Genesis version, but lacked the official NHL rosters from the original title.
A version titled NHL Pro Hockey '94 was released in Japan for the SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
which has all the important text in Japanese including the main menu, the actual hockey players, the secondary (end of period and post-game) menus, and the crowd meter. However the passwords still used letters of the Roman alphabet and numbers exclusively.
Remaining active NHL players
Only four players remain in the NHL from the game:- Jaromír JágrJaromir JagrJaromír Jágr is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . Jágr formerly played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers...
- Roman HamrlíkRoman HamrlíkRoman Hamrlík is a Czech professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League .- Playing career :...
- Nicklas LidströmNicklas LidströmNicklas Erik Lidström is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenseman who has played his entire National Hockey League career with the Detroit Red Wings, and is their captain...
- Teemu SelänneTeemu SelänneTeemu Ilmari Selänne nicknamed "The Finnish Flash" is a Finnish professional ice hockey winger, an alternate captain of the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League . An offensive player known for his skill and speed, Selanne has led the NHL in goal-scoring three times and has been named to...