NHL
99
There's simply no
other computer game or series that keeps me coming back
more often than EA Sports' NHL titles. And as good as
these have been in the past, this year's version, NHL 99,
is bigger, better, and more enjoyable in almost every way.
NHL 99 offers
exhibition, season, and playoff modes, as well as shoot-outs
and coaching drills (for honing your skills). The game
includes all 27 NHL teams along with 18 international
teams.
Gameplay is
basically the same, with several new features that help
improve the overall quality of each game. Shot
deflections are much more prevalent this year, for
starters. Shoot a puck and any teammate between you and
the goal will automatically try to get a stick on it.
Because of this feature, I saw a dramatic increase in
goal scoring at both ends of the ice. In fact, through
two full 26-game seasons (at Pro and All-Star levels), I
managed to win only four games via shutout.
Rebounds are
still a great way to score, though straight one-timers (without
a deflection) are an exercise in futility. Breakaways are
pretty tough also, but only for your team-the computer
seems to score at will when it gets a breakaway.
Some of the game's
other notable new features include the ability to force
your goalie to cover up the puck, a video-goal judge
feature that checks questionable goals, and a ref that
will toss your center out of a face-off if you get too
anxious with the pass button. Also, this year the AI will
actually retaliate for those after-the-whistle chucks,
and the ref will call penalties. The fighting option can
be fun at first, but it gets pretty repetitive after a
few games.
The Voodoo II-enhanced
graphics are superb, but the other graphic modes are
pretty good, too. Using a RIVA 128ZX-based card on a P233
MMX delivered respectable image quality and performance,
and the software renderer looked decent and moved along
nicely on the same machine.
Difficulty levels
are fairly well stepped, but the difference between Pro
and All-Star has more to do with the number of hits than
anything else. On All-Star, you will be hard-pressed to
hold the puck for more than a second or two before a
computer player clobbers you.
EA claims that
the game supports up to 12 players over IPX, TCP/IP, and
modem links. Because I didn't even know half that many
people who actually had the game at the time of this
review, however, I was unable to test that claim. The
game's remote-league feature is a neat idea, but
accessing it over modem or Internet links is a slow,
clunky process.
The game has a
few other flaws, including the fact that you can't change
difficulty levels or period lengths during the course of
a season-simply ludicrous. Shot totals are still way too
high, and the game still computes the goals-against-average
statistic incorrectly when you play 5- or 10-minute
periods. Finally, the play-by-play this year seems pretty
sloppy and is often just downright bad: commentary is
rife with random, mistimed, mixed-up, and factually
incorrect quips from Jim Hughson and Daryl Reaugh.
Still, these
shortcomings detract little from NHL 99's overall quality.
Its excellent gameplay and new features make it even more
enjoyable than its previous incarnations.
Summary:
PC hockey nearing
perfection.
Tips:
If you can nail a
one-timer from the point during offensive face-offs,
chances are that one of you wingers will deflect the puck
onto and/or into the net.
Shoot, shoot,
shoot-rebounds are still the best way to score in this
game, so fire that puck every chance you get. Also, if
you see some teammates near the net, shoot low. (Low
shots typically generate better rebounds.)
If you're having
trouble scoring, try the Funnel offense with the pressure
setting at 100 percent. The Crash the Net offense works
fairly well, too.
If a computer
player gets a breakaway, do everything you can to take
him down before he shoots. The AI is much more likely to
score on a breakaway than on a penalty shot.
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