Category Archives: Reviewed

Wayne Gretzky Hockey – Retro Review

January 28, 2011   kevkev   No comments

With it being the Great One’s 50th birthday; what could be more fitting than reviewing the first hockey game that he agreed to sell his name to.
presenting, Wayne Gretzky Hockey – 1989. Games consoles were just beginning to become more common in the home; the NES seemed to be the console to own and people were enjoying Super Mario Land on their over sized Gameboys.
This game however was for the new and slowly emerging PC market. Computer were still ugly; required some geeky knowledge on how to run a game and graphics were virtually unknown.

This game continues the trend of both making the most of a limited pallet and excessively using the colour blue – like so many DOS games did in this era.

After finally figuring out what to enter on DOS to run the game; you a presented with a cute, but well illustrated intro “video”, well with the bizarre exception of an audience looking quite embarrassed (perhaps over being featured in this game). This animation shows a hockey player (Most likely Gretzky, as he is wearing a Kings jersey) and this player then fires a puck at you. If this was in 3D; you would most likely duck – however in the days of low tech, it looks a little naff.


(Intro screen 1)

This is then followed by the usual intro screen; which is the last to the pretty menus as you are then taken to the rather authoritarian looking options menu where you can customize anything and everything in the game (except the actual controls).


(Intro screen 2)


(ugly menu)

First, you choose who controls the teams – notably yourself, an option to Play and Coach; a coach only option and an option called Wayne coaches. This sounds more fun than it is, mainly due to the lack of any information on each mode, it was virtually impossible to see what the differences are.
The next section is choose your skill level from High School through to pro. Not that I noticed a difference again. You can then choose your period length; from 5 -20 minutes and trust me, 5 minutes was enough to bore me so be warned. Game speed options and the control types are fairly self explanatory, I don;t think joystick would even be a reasonable option now as the ones that work with this game probably wouldn’t work with your computer now.
Fights can be turned on or off, not that its noticable as in 3 games I have no fights. Juts like watching UK hockey really. Choosing between practice game, playoff game and normal game seems to do nothing either – perhaps it makes it more difficult, but thats hard to tell (I will explain that more later).
Also avaliable is the option to load a saved game, and the option to edit the team and team colours.
The team colours option is very retro, with a panel featuring a whole choice of 8 colours are available, from Boston Yellow to a North Star green and even a San Jose Teal. There’s even that nasty gold colour Nashville tried using once if you want to relive those days. and I guess Ducks fans could be pleased with the purple colour – maybe? Those of you after an even more dull experience could always choose grey – because well, everyone likes grey…


(You can have any colour you want. So long as its one of these 8)


(No clue what this does, but it doesn’t seem important)

This then leads you to another screen where you can choose a player image. I have NO clue what this does, as choosing even the goalie icon made no difference to the game, and no matter what colours you choose; they are all the same.
Edit the team allows for the change of team name (to anything I should add), and the name of the coach. You can edit the roster, print the lines (erm why?) and you can choose from 2 starting goalies (a tough decision). The rosters and lines management screen allows for you to shift players around from a limited selection; and there are some big named players for this era on offer.


(Ugly, yes. Essential, yes)

After making your way through these ugly menus, you finally get the play the game. The colours are incredibly loud mind you; with an aqua coloured ice being visible, but it does show players skate marks which is kind of neat; if not a little annoying after the 1st period or so as they DO NOT disappear. (Guess Zamboni’s hadn’t been invented).
Game-play itself feels cumbersome with the standard enter to shoot, arrow keys to move and space to attempt a check being the controls here. These are not configurable. The player does not often move in the direction you want it to, with a weak over slide function being in-place to make it feel more realistic. Shooting angle in both impossible to see and impossible to predict; thus in all 3 games I never scored once; but nor did the opposing team, or the CPU when I left it on CPU vs CPU mode. The scoreboard will appear when you hold space; and shows the clock and team name. The CPU do not seem to do much besides move around getting in the way of the puck; which when hitting the side makes a PONG sound. A horrible rough sound plays when players collide or commit a penalty; and the end of each period shows a splash screen with a blue/white picture of a goalie and some basic options being available.


(clean ice to start with)


(ugly ice)


(drab menu)

Only from this screen can you see the penalties in place, and it can only be reached when the game stops for end of play, offside or a penalty. You can be in for a long wait as penalties seem rare.
Arguably, the penalties are one of my favorite functions of this game. First, you get a little ref doing the action; and then the game shows the jumbotron showing the ref on the ice, followed by a description of who got the penalty.
Offsides are a lot less visual, but a small message appears on the screen telling you what is happening and why, and then of course this is followed by the menu screen and then faceoff on resume. When the game ends, which if scoreless after 3 goes into OT but no shootout – is followed by a view once again of the jumbotron, where a rather neat animation of the players leaving the ice can be seen. this then takes you back to the main menu.


(The penalty is announced)


(then the information on who it is too)


(it does its job I guess)


(kinda neat looking exiting ice animation)

Overall, the actual experience of playing is not that fun. Awkward controls and terrible on ice movement make this game agonizing to play at times and it stops being fun after about 5 minutes of play. I appreciate the customization available, which compared to other games at this time blows them out of the arena; however this cannot make up for the terrible shooting system.
Graphics wise, this game is real hit or miss. The intro is very bright, and engaging, as are the rather neat Ref animations, and the use of the jumbotron – however that is then mixed with nasty blue/White menus and some very ugly message windows.

Based on my experience with this today; whilst I respect the game is now 22 years old, and things have changed a lot, I feel that the games entusiastic visuals and detailed customisation options are more often at times are marred by a horrible menu system and abysmal controls; and that is something now cute animation of players leaving the ice can cover up.

Rating “3/10″ – Bad.

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Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series – Review

January 25, 2011   wildwing64   No comments

Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series

Hockey themed superheroes. An interesting concept that Disney tried out as a new means of advertising their at-the-time 3 year old NHL franchise. A marketing method that the NHL has ironically come right back to 14 years after this cartoon series had finished airing with the Guardian Project. But no, this article was not hastily cobbled together to tie-in with the current heavy promotion that project is getting. Well, OK. Maybe it was. But this was really done as something special I wanted to write for PowerPlayGoal.com’s fifth anniversary season.

And why would that be? What is it about this 90’s Saturday morning Disney cartoon that warrants a “special” review? To tell the truth, I (PPG’s resident Anaheim Ducks fan) became a fan of the NHL team, and for that matter a hockey fan at all, because of this cartoon. As a born and bred Brit who failed to develop an interest in soccer, the UK’s national sport, I loved this cartoon as a kid and it got me interested in ice hockey. A few years later, I discovered the real NHL team through NHL Hitz 2002 on the Gamecube, and then followed the team via the internet as they made it to the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals.

So yeah, it was this that made me the hockey fan I am today while the horrible films series that came before it did not. Granted, I did just happen to see one of the films shortly before I got NHL Hitz, but even back then my reaction to it was little more than “Meh”. But I digress. What exactly was it about this cartoon that eventually got me hooked to the NHL team?  Is it as great as I remember it to be when I was 7? Anyone who has seen the film series will be shocked to discover that, aside from the name and the tying in with the NHL Mighty Ducks franchise, the cartoon thankfully has nothing to do with the films at all. For starters, it had a budget.

Mighty Ducks:The Animated Series stars a pretty standard group of heroes made up of six anthropomorphic ducks: Wildwing (the Hero, also the team captain and goalie), Nosedive (the Bumblebee), Duke (the Lancer, also fangirl-bait), Mallory (the Chick/Action Girl), Grin (the Big Guy) and Tanya (the Gadgeteer Genius, with a ridiculous hairdo). Six characters, enough to form an offensive line, defensive line, and the goalie, which in this cartoon is apparently enough to form an entire NHL team. Considering they have to fight crime during the day, play hockey at night, and then occasionally fight crime at night that interferes with their hockey games, these heroes really have their work cut out for them. It’s just as well that they don’t have to worry too much about hiding in plain sight unlike the Ninja Turtles.

The Ducks hail from a planet in another dimension imaginatively known as Puckworld: an icy cold world with a culture entirely dedicated to hockey. Basically, it’s Canada in space, inhabited by humanoid ducks. The planet is invaded by the Saurians, an evil race of dragons led by the Big Bad of this series, Dragaunus. This and that happens, and the Saurians are chased back into space by a group of rebels, made up of the aforementioned heroes who call themselves the Mighty Ducks. They go through some portal thing called Dimensional Limbo which conveniently sends them all to Earth, and even more conveniently to Anaheim, California. This and that happens, Dragaunus is defeated for the week, he vows his generic revenge, and the Ducks form a new NHL franchise to play at the Arrowhead Honda Anaheim Pond, replacing the departed “Mighty Frogs” team who apparently moved to New Jersey.

For the record, aside from the Ducks none of the other real-life NHL teams exist in this version of the league, instead being replaced by some that are either nameless, have very generic and forgettable names, or are parodies of existing teams, for example the Toronto Maple Syrups and Dallas Armadillos. As the show essentially existed to replace the film series in either advertising the NHL team or selling more jerseys, or both, there are naturally several references to the then-Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. For example, the team wears the white jersey of the NHL franchise (much like the film series team), they play in Anaheim instead of a fictional city like Duckberg, they play at the NHL team’s arena (which houses their high-tech secret base underneath), the star of the show is named for the mascot, said hero wears a mask very much like the NHL team’s logo – complete with high-tech functionality – and Guy Hebert, former star goalie for the real team, makes a cameo appearance in which he voices himself.

Your average episode will go something like this: Ducks play hockey at the beginning of the episode, crime happens, sometimes disrupting the game, Ducks have to fight Dragaunus’s ludicrous plan of the week, Ducks win, and Ducks resume hockey game at the end. On rare occasions there is no hockey at all. Along the way is plenty of action involving the Ducks’ hockey themed weapons (like blasters that shoot exploding pucks), a fair bit of character development, and plenty of humour involving fourth wall breaking – it’s broken so much that it may as well not even be there. There is a surprising, if small amount of dark humour present as well, for example in one episode, when the city of Anaheim’s power station is under attack by a giant electric monster; one of the Ducks asks if San Diego wants a hockey team. There’s also plenty of business and money related gags courtesy of the team’s jerkass general manager, Phil Palmfeather, which probably gave parents plenty of laughs back in the day. Much like the films series, most of the NHL rules were not too well researched, but since this is a kids cartoon it probably doesn’t matter as much.

After a 26 episode run, the show was inexplicably cancelled, despite the real NHL team making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, however it still maintains a cult following to this day – most of which are fangirls who couldn’t care less about the real NHL team. The series got some VHS releases back in the day, but for some reason never got released to DVD, which may be something to do with the awkwardness surrounding the trademarked team name or the blatantly advertising nature of this series.

So, what do I think of this TV series? Is it truly dire? Well, not really. It depends on what way you look at it. Some fans of the NHL Ducks hate the fact that this show existed since it caused additional embarrassment to them along with the film series. However, this show seems to be more obscure and brought up less frequently than the nasty movies. Yes, as you the reader may know from my past reviews of the film series, I hate them with a vengeance. However, even as an Anaheim Ducks fan, I tend to look back at this cartoon through rose-tinted nostalgia goggles, considering it was the source of my hockey fandom. From a critical point of view, it’s not the worst thing that could ever have been inflicted upon humankind, but it’s not exactly a masterpiece either. To be honest, it’s all pretty standard stuff despite the wacky premise of the show.

If you like hockey, like cartoon superheroes, want to see what is essentially a prototypical Guardian Project or want a taste of 90’s nostalgia: you will probably like it. If Disney’s methods of marketing the NHL Ducks made you cringe back in the day, regardless of whether or not you are a fan of the team: avoid, avoid, avoid.

Rating: 5/10 “Okay”

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NHL11 – The Review

January 04, 2011   kevkev   No comments

Introduction

Regarded as the best sports game this year by several harsh critics, it is impossible to deny the fact that NHL11 hasn’t caused a stir amongst both Hockey Fans and Video Games Fans.
And sure, whilst the game has been out since October; perhaps you have been waiting for the sales to afford it just got a shiny new ps3/Xbox for Christmas or you had totally forgotten about it.
Whatever your reason for not owning it yet; this definitive review should hopefully tell you everything you need to know or want to know about the latest instalment of the ever popular EA sports game.

"This faceoff screenshot gives an idea of the depth the game goes to for detail"

Overview

This game is available on both Xbox 360 and on Playstation 3. For any of you asking “Is there an NHL11 on the Wii”, sadly; the answer is no. However, you can be relieved to know that there is a close equivalent; NHL Slapshot – which we reviewed a little while back. Sadly NHL Slapshot is not on sale in the UK or most of Europe; but it is possible to import copies from Sweden and they are fully English.

Technical specifications see the Playstation version of the game require at least a 10mb install; and several patches on install to fix, add and enhance the game, with the Xbox version being similar (requires 13mb).
Both versions support HD, and for the first time in the NHL11 series, custom soundtrack support is on both the Xbox ad Playstation version.
The Playstation version supports 1-7 players (assuming you have the living room space and amount of controllers); whilst the Xbox version supports up to a maximum of 4. Online; they both support up to 12 players along with co-op play, leader boards and voice support all being implemented by the EA sports server system. Please note that if you are buying either version preowned, you will face EA’s harsh $10 online pass charge to enable online features. A 7 day trial is available.

Graphically, both versions offer pretty similar graphics; with the Playstation 3 version being slightly smoother and the blacks being a little deeper.

Show the audience how it moves. Custom goal celebrations are here for the win.

Gameplay

On first boot; you will immediately be taken to the create your player screen; where you face the same options as previous years in regards to faces; features and similar options in regards to sticks; skates and helmets. Considering that both PS3 and Xbox support a camera input; the absence of technology that could map your face onto your custom player seems a little annoying; especially when you consider EA’s real push this year for authenticity.
Once you have completed the setup; you are taken to the training mode. Even if you’re a seasoned player, it is defiantly worth running through these quick drills as they will give you a quick refresher course on what’s changed and introduce any major new features to you.

The main new feature this year; it’s the new revamped faceoff system.
At the opening faceoff and for any faceoff at center ice; you will immediately notice the new camera angle. This overhead view makes the puck drop much easier to watch; and it is a lot easier to get your player into the right position. Which, whilst we are mentioning is now completely controllable in NHL11! Whereas in previous games, you replied solely on a single button to win the face-offs; now you need to time moving the control stick at the right time and in the right direction. This can take some getting used to; but it does add to the overall authentic feeling of the game.

The graphics itself appear smooth; with the textures well rendered. The intro to the ice feels authentic and over the top, and on the be a pro mode feels very real.
With a new physics engine sitting beneath it; every check in NHL11 feels different and can really make for some exciting replays. However, this said, the goalie does have a distinct obsession with covering the puck up every time he gets it; so this can slow down game play in single player mode.

Scoring feels a little easier than in previous versions of the game and once again with the right stick controlling your players stick it can make for some exciting and unusual goals – and there doesn’t seem to be any rubber banding from the cpu when you score; however this said overtime games seem to be more in the cpu’s favor than your own. The goal horns that play after scoring also seem to closely match the real life horns; but if you would really prefer to replace them then the custom music features allow for this.

Goal celebrations are also now customizable, and changing what buttons you press when you score does usually have an effect on the celebration, although this occasionally does not seem to be the case.

Other modes include the Be a Pro mode; which is virtually unchanged from previous years; although the camera angle leaving you on the bench or in the penalty box when your players not on the ice does again help to add to the authenticity feeling – but if your player is a grinder; or always on line 4 this can get a little boring as you could end up spending more time watching the game than playing it.

This game however does seem to push more emphasis on online play than the previous ones; which is great if you have a good connection and like playing online – but for some people that is not necessarily the case.

The biggest push in this version from EA is the ultimate team. Basically this involves winning games to unlock new players who can be added to your team. You compete in online tournaments against players from around the world earning EA pucks.

These pucks are then traded or sold in a bid for more players; jerseys or new equipment.

Also online, are Drop in Games. These online games allow you to take your be a pro persona into a game online and to be automatically assigned to any tem – However, as this is random at signing teams, your player could end up playing for The New Jersey Devils…

Do whatever it takes to shoot on goal. Just expect the AI to cover up the puck.

Additionally, there is an online playoff mode where you can battle against a player to win the cup and also a nice practice mode where you can simply take part in a scrimmage against other players online.
As a Playstation owner, I can only talk about the speed and reliability of the PSN; which was good and there is always a good range of people online to play. I imagine that the Xbox will offer similar; with potentially more people online as it has a much larger user base.

The other modes, such as shootout mode, be a GM, create a play are virtually untouched from last year, and I don’t feel the need to discuss these in detail.

Other features

The soundtrack is always a key feature in these games; mainly due to the fact your subjected to it at menus, in creation mode, whilst waiting and even on ice. Now the good news is you can customize it; and that is very good news because this year the soundtrack isn’t too great, for he soundtrack features such nausea inducing tracks such as the soccer-suited song “¡Olé!”
That said; it does include some classics such as “The Final Countdown”, Pantera’s “Walk” and “Dialetic Chaos” from Megadeath.

Custom teams are yet again restricted to the inbuilt logos and names, which does somehow ruin the fun of creating your own team as you are stuck to a template. Considering that games such as NCAA football support 100% custom team design using your computers web browser and your favorite drawing program; I expected EA to implement this.

Teams have a wide range of jerseys (for the most part), and third jerseys such as the infamous Columbus one; the new Ducks one and the entire new look for Buffalo are available by an unlock code. This unlock code does need enterting every so often, so best scribble it down. If you are looking for the code its: bcxkg8fkx3h4m3p5.
This will apparently be fixed in future patch will do away with the code being needed making it easier for those who own the game and need the third jerseys.

Update wise; EA seem to push out plenty of tuner updates, occasional roster changes and full game updates every once in a while so there is no need to be concerned that EA will leave this game to collect dust.

The mad scramble to take possesion of the puck is taken to a new level on NHL11

Conclusion

Is this the best the game could be? No. Is this the best hockey game ever? Yes. The design is smart; the game play is genuine and it feels like something ever fan needs to own. The game is as perfect as we can get to right now with hockey; 2K haven’t been able to achieve anything near this level of greatness with a hockey game and whilst they are taking a year off right now to figure out their next move they will have a lot to accomplish in a year.

That said, there are a few niggly little issues on this game, mainly cosmetic ones that I do feel hold this game off of being perfect. There are occasional glitches, goals that don’t register and not all the jerseys are coloured 100% accurately.

For this reason; I am awarding the game 9.8, which is as close to perfection as the game seems to be and still leave in my opinion space for EA to work on for next year. NHL12 hopefully will enhance character creation, use controls featuring Playstation Move, and perhaps even include something for those with Kinect and I hope the ability to use custom logos for your team.

Rating: 9.8 / 10 – Pure Awesomeness

Thanks for reading

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