NHL ’97 (PlayStation) Review

Overview

NHL ’97 was released on October 31, 1996 for the Sony PlayStation. Now, if I were to describe this game in one word it would be this: prototype. That’s exactly how this game feels. Don’t get me wrong, it’s finished. It just feels like it was… hurried out the door too quickly. That’s probably because EA really wanted an entry on Sony’s console. Yet, my feelings on this game are kind of conflicted. I’m starting to ramble now, so let’s just get on to the review.

Graphics

If you want my honest opinion, I’d say that the graphics are about on par with the N64. Well, let me clarify that statement. I should say that the in-game graphics are on par with the N64. The menus look decent for the time, even incorporating a little 3-D, which is actually a nice touch, in my opinion. The videos that they used looked pretty nice for the time, as well. That is, if you put aside the intro movie, which had the worst CGI I’ve ever seen. In-game, however, everything except the ice is made of rough polygons. It just looks ugly. And because of the pace of the game, you will be looking at those polygons for what feels like forever. I know that this is an early PlayStation game, but it’s just… jarring.

Audio

Audio-wise, most of the sound is there. I say “most” because while the menus sound decent, as do the videos (most of which feature Announcer Jim Hughson), in-game sound effects just sound… off. For example, slap shots have no impact to them. Despite what the HUD will tell you, you won’t feel like you’re slapping a puck at a goalie. You feel like you’re playing catch with them. I’m no expert on the sport, by I don’t think a hockey game should make you feel this way. Then there’s the deathly silent crowd. Regardless of what happens, the cheering section never elevates beyond an “indistinct high school basketball crowd” level. I’m really not feeling like I’m in a hockey game, here. As a side note, come of the in-game audio (such as player grunts) sound completely ripped from the 16-bit versions of the game.

Gameplay

Let’s get to the gameplay. That’s where you can tell this game was rushed. From the opening faceoff, you’ll notice just how clunky this game is. I mean, it is just sluggish. Players skate like they’re taking a nice little jog, as opposed to rocketing across the rink. Like I said earlier, it feels like you’re playing catch with the goalie every time you fire a shot. That goalie might as well be a brick wall, too. It is very hard to score a goal in this game. You will likely be spending what feels like an eternity playing catch with a brick wall while the clock slowly trickles down to zero. Sounds like epic hockey action, doesn’t it? And that’s when you’re not getting stopped every five seconds for the game to assess you with some arbitrary penalty. Riveting.

Summary

With all that said, I know that this game is, at its core, a basis for EA to build on. A predecessor to great games. Take NHL ’98, for example. What I think is a better game than this in every way imaginable would never have come into being without this. This game does have your typical Exhibition, Season, and Playoff modes, but to be honest, the only reason why I would play this again is to watch the incredibly cheesy videos.