A Classic Hockey Video Game
While certainly behind its time in the graphics department, NHLPA Hockey '93 delivers fluid, clean player motion, surprisingly realistic puck dynamics, and exciting, entertaining game play in both one and two player modes. The second game in EA sports NHL hockey series, NHLPA Hockey '93 represents a true balance of classic, simple sports gaming and modern hockey simulation physics.
While lacking in graphical quality, even for its time, this is more than made up for by the very accurate and natural sense of player skating motion and puck physics. Player momentum is given is truest treatment to date, and the result is accurate, flowing skating that rivals even much later installments of this and other hockey simulation series. Due to the poorer graphics, the response times for skating, checking, and shooting commands is laser-fast and feels surprisingly natural. This game suffers none of the herky-jerky motion and frame-rate issues that plagued hockey simulation games in their awkward years ('95-2001).
Two player mode (Exhibition only) is a strength of this game. The overhead vertical view (players skate up and down as opposed to other hockey series where they typically skated left to right) is very conducive to fast, competitive, enjoyable two-player competition. The simple, responsive, controls lead to a shallow learning curve and any player, using a top team, can be competitive after only playing a few games.
Sadly, the single-player gameplay options are limited. NHLPA Hockey '93 features only two basic modes: Exhibition and playoffs, where a single-player can take his or her team through a Stanley Cup playoffs. Player stats are tracked throughout a playoff mode, and a user can use the built in EEPROM memory to save their progress, but the playoff mode features end there. No injuries will carry forward from game to game, no trades are possible, and the only prize for a successful playoff run (SPOILER ALERT) is that your team's normal on-ice celebration will feature one of the players holding a rectangle that, if you squint, resembles the Stanley cup.
Furthermore, while NHLPA Hockey '93 features the full set of rosters from the 1992-1993 season, the game lacked a license agreement with the NHL, so teams are referred to only by their city names.
The game's other popular features included fighting, injuries, organ music before faceoffs, a cheering-booing crowd, and the occasional breaking of the glass behind the net on errant slapshots.
Having been on-screen in classic '90s movies Swingers and Mallrats (in an alternate scene), this game may have additional nostalgic value for those who (like this reviewer) came of age in this time period.
NHLPA Hockey '93 is certainly a classic hockey video game and, despite its graphical and gameplay limitations, is still an enjoyable and fun game even today due to its superiority in gameplay and physics modeling.Read full review
