The Great Hockey Video Game Debate of 2018

[nickerjones]

One of my buds wrote a blogpost about his top hockey games ever and honestly... I had played 1. I didn't get real big into hockey until I was almost 30 so my hockey video game knowledge is somewhat limited. For some reason I loved mutant league hockey on Sega genesis when I was little though. It sucks that non franchise games aren't really around anymore.

Nonetheless what's been your favorite hockey game?
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[bucks_oil]

1) NHL Hockey (aka NHL 1992) (as my avatar suggests) was fantastic and a huge step up from the previous gen hockey. It was the first time "real" players/teams were in the game, even if they were only their numbers. You can argue for NHL 1994 if you prefer, but this one started it all.
2) NHL 2007 - the first version on Xbox 360 and it was a huge innovation and step forward. It introduced the skill stick, which forever changed the way you played (one stick for feet and one stick for hands)... the potential was/is huge. Unfortunately EA has done little to move the franchise forward in a meaningful way since then
3) NES Hockey - super enjoyable and fun to play, even if "Blades of Steel" had "better graphics". My 12 year old bros and I would play this till well past our 11pm bedtimes on Fridays... it was more fun then pretty much anything, even talking about girls.
4) NHL 2K? - I honestly didn't play this enough to be a huge fan, but I know many diehards swear by it... so it deserves a spot even simply for the role it played in keeping EA honest back in the day. Wish it would come back.
5) Blades of Steel: Another great game from the NES era. It was fun to play against your buds, even if the shot location was predetermined.

 

[blood gin]

NHL 94 isn't just the greatest hockey video game, it's the greatest video game period

Also the first NHL Faceoff (989 Studios?) game was a hit if I remember correctly.

 

[Zobitembois]

The only correct answer is Nhl2k8.

 

[Soedy]

NHL04 has to be in the top 5. Mine are probably 04, ESPN 2k5, NHL 10, 2k8 and 97 in no particular order.

 

[BruinDust]

NHL 98 on PS1 has and forever will be my favorite hockey video game.

Just recently I built a team in HUT mode using guys from that mode who were also on the NHL 98 rosters and I would of (or did) select for the teams I built on NHL 98 many years ago.

I'm also a big fan of:

Blades of Steel
NHLPA 93
NHL 2005
NHL 2 on 2 Open Ice

 

[Beauner]

NHL 2002 was unreal. The commenrary was hilarious, it was just fun to play and had a good soundtrack/extras. Hell my buddy who wasn't that into sports loved playing it.

 

[Nickmo82]

The 2k games blow their EA competitors out of the water. Much better.

It's a crying shame that they don't make them anymore. You only have to put nba 2kXX up against nba live XX to see the difference in quality between 2k and EA.

 

[Cor]

NHL 10 is the greatest simulation hockey game EA Sports has made. NHL 2002 was probably the best arcady hockey game they have made. NHL 93 and NHL 94 are good for nostalgia.

2K sports killed 2K9. The franchise mode in the 2K games is better than anything EA has produced.

 

[Smirnov2Chistov]

For me on PS1 it has to be Fox's NHL Championship 2000 (which included the glowing puck), and NHL Faceoff 2001.
Ps2 - NHL 2004 because of it's dynasty mode

the worst game? NHL Blades of Steel for the Ps1. The skating was terrible, and it seemed like every player just shot backhand.

 

[CutOnDime97]

The 2k games blow their EA competitors out of the water. Much better.

It's a crying shame that they don't make them anymore. You only have to put nba 2kXX up against nba live XX to see the difference in quality between 2k and EA.

Lol NBA 2k18 is a joke, the microtransactions in that game trump even EAs.

 

[Nickmo82]

Lol NBA 2k18 is a joke, the microtransactions in that game trump even EAs.

I don't even play basketball games, but it's undeniable that NBA 2kXX is infinitely more popular than EA's offering.

With regards NHL games you have one option - EA.
With regards NBA games you have two options... and one of them is consistently better.

The same was true when 2k sports made hockey games.

 

[CutOnDime97]

I don't even play basketball games, but it's undeniable that NBA 2kXX is infinitely more popular than EA's offering.

With regards NHL games you have one option - EA.
With regards NBA games you have two options... and one of them is consistently better.

The same was true when 2k sports made hockey games.

EAs NHL was more popular than 2k. Which is why there's only one option.

 

[Nickmo82]

EAs NHL was more popular than 2k. Which is why there's only one option.

That's very true... but it's still a damn shame. It's allowed EA to get so completely lazy that it's turned NHL games into garbage.

 

[OddyOh]

2) NHL 1997 - the first version on Xbox 360 and it was a huge innovation and step forward.

Xbox 360 came out in 2005. Maybe you meant NHL 2007?

NHL Hitz is still good, so easy to just pick up and play...I could see how the commentary might annoy some people, but I like it:
"Knock Knock! Who's There? A big painful bodycheck!"
"Hit me baby one more time!"
"(player name) is going to be eating food that will fit through a straw for the next week!"

LOL. His delivery on those first two lines kills me every time...

 

[Frosty415]

EA had some good games from 98-2004

From there, NHL 2k3 developed one of the best sim engines at the time, followed with the ESPN NHL 2k game AND NHL 2k5 being only $19.99 back in 2004-05 (which was unheard of) combined with their sim it was the best time to be an NHL gamer, get the sim/arcane style from EA followed by a pretty accurate simulation game in 2k (try it if you have an old console lying around)

When the 360/PS3 era came EA developed the skill stick which absolutely changed the game, NHL 2k tried to do the same thing but never got it right and pretty much continued to rely on its great gameplay followed by average graphics/controls until it died (RIP).

NHL 2k8-NHL 2k10 were all great games with fantastic game play, but EA absolutely killed em during this era.

Ever Since NHL 12.. I feel like EA just stopped trying, and here we are.


Basically, 2k was great for competition.

 

[Default]

The ESPN one was definitely up there for me. The layout, UI, etc was all great. Something about that NHL ESPN theme...

07 was my personal favorite when I was younger.

2012 and 2013 just for the sake of the memories I had and my top skater years in EASHL lmaoo.

But forreal though, I think everyone sleeps on Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey. Always a fun one to occasionally play with the boys. For sure the best arcade type NHL game.

 

[CutOnDime97]

When the 360/PS3 era came EA developed the skill stick which absolutely changed the game, NHL 2k tried to do the same thing but never got it right and pretty much continued to rely on its great gameplay followed by average graphics/controls until it died (RIP).

NHL 2k8-NHL 2k10 were all great games with fantastic game play, but EA absolutely killed em during this era.

Ever Since NHL 12.. I feel like EA just stopped trying, and here we are.


Basically, 2k was great for competition.

Completely agree. EA was the better game during this period. The addition of EASHL made it not even close and may have been the dagger for 2k.

 

[bucks_oil]

Xbox 360 came out in 2005. Maybe you meant NHL 2007?

NHL Hitz is still good, so easy to just pick up and play...I could see how the commentary might annoy some people, but I like it:
"Knock Knock! Who's There? A big painful bodycheck!"
"Hit me baby one more time!"
"(player name) is going to be eating food that will fit through a straw for the next week!"

LOL. His delivery on those first two lines kills me every time...

You are right... 2007 was the skill stick. I was off by a decade somehow. Forgot to "carry the 1" I guess.

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

NHL 2004
ESPN NHL 2k5
NHL 10/11

Things started taking a bad turn in NHL 12, fell off a cliff in 13, and the game hasn't been the same since.

 

[ImpartialNHLfan]

Blades of Steel, just so many fond memories.

 

[n00bxQb]

NHL 17 in the top 5 cries zero credibility.

NHL 09, NHL 10, NHL 11, NHL 14, NHL 15 (PS3/X360), NHL Legacy are all substantially better games than anything on this generation especially relative to expectations and relative to other games released in the same year.

Mutant Hockey League not on a list that is heavily biased towards arcade hockey is also brutal.

 

[Boris Le Tigre]

NHLPA ‘93 is probably my favourite.
Slap shot to the top corner, glove side.
Probert was the best.

 

[BruinDust]

NHL 2004
ESPN NHL 2k5
NHL 10/11

Things started taking a bad turn in NHL 12, fell off a cliff in 13, and the game hasn't been the same since.

100% this.

2011 was the last NHL game I really truly enjoyed. 2012 was a downgrade, and like you said, it went off a cliff in NHL 13, the worst EA NHL game of all-time IMO.

Last year was the 1st year since 2007 I didn't buy on release day. And I may not buy on release this year either.

 

[HTFN]

EA had some good games from 98-2004

From there, NHL 2k3 developed one of the best sim engines at the time, followed with the ESPN NHL 2k game AND NHL 2k5 being only $19.99 back in 2004-05 (which was unheard of) combined with their sim it was the best time to be an NHL gamer, get the sim/arcane style from EA followed by a pretty accurate simulation game in 2k (try it if you have an old console lying around)

When the 360/PS3 era came EA developed the skill stick which absolutely changed the game, NHL 2k tried to do the same thing but never got it right and pretty much continued to rely on its great gameplay followed by average graphics/controls until it died (RIP).

NHL 2k8-NHL 2k10 were all great games with fantastic game play, but EA absolutely killed em during this era.

Ever Since NHL 12.. I feel like EA just stopped trying, and here we are.


Basically, 2k was great for competition.

But 2k8 was better than anything EA would put out until, like, 2010.

you say never got it right, but only one of these games let you handle the puck and move your feet at the same time.