Brett Hull Hockey '95
| Brett Hull Hockey '95 | |
|---|---|
 Super NES cover art |
|
| Developer(s) | Radical Entertainment[1] |
| Publisher(s) | Accolade[1] |
| Designer(s) | Brian Carpenter[1] Emmuanel Lopez[1] Dave Roberts[1] Chris Robertson[1] |
| Artist(s) | Mike Jackson[1] Arthur We[1] |
| Composer(s) | Paul Wilkinson[1] |
| Series | Brett Hull Hockey |
| Platform(s) | Super Nintendo Entertainment System,[1] Sega Genesis, MS-DOS |
| Release date(s) | Super NES: Sega Genesis: |
| Genre(s) | Traditional ice hockey simulation[1] |
| Mode(s) | Single-player or Two-player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: K-A (Kids to Adults) |
Brett Hull Hockey '95 is a traditional ice hockey simulation video game released on January 1995 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Mega Drive.
[edit] Summary
The game was developed by Radical Entertainment and published by the sports division of Accolade.[3] It is the sequel to the original Brett Hull Hockey. The gameplay options include; Exhibition, Half Season, Full Season, Play-offs and All-Star.[3] Al Michaels called the play-by-play for every game (including the exhibition and all-star games).[3]
More than 600 authentic hockey players are used for this simulation game. Athletes are rated in skills related to skating, offense, defense, and goaltending skills.[4] The "coach mode" allows players to customize the team in order to meet their gaming needs.[4] There is an NHLPA license in the game but no NHL license; so that teams are only mentioned by city name.[4] The Super NES version only has a password save method instead of a battery backup method due to memory limitations.[4]
[edit] Criticism
The game features pixelated graphics and an aborted attempt at a pre-game analysis.[5] While the uniforms intend to be realistic intepretations of the NHL teams from the lockout-shortened 1994–95 NHL season, they end up looking bland.[5] The scoring element in this game turns the experience into a game of chance rather than a game of skill.[5] NHL 95 had a better visual experience but this game is superior to most 16-bit ice hockey video games in term of gameplay.[5] The virtual crowds in this game are energetic but the intermission music sounds more like a porn groove than anything that would be heard in an actual ice hockey game.[5]
In the Sega Genesis version, the music sounds like a putrid creation from a 16-key MIDI keyboard and rushed out a tune that looked catchy at the time.[6] Al Michaels tries to sound like Ron Barr but the lack of voice capability on 16-bit systems turns it into a blasphemous rendition.[6] The actual gameplay has a camera that looks like a group of spectators sitting in rows that need binoculars in order to see the action.[6] Instead of using the proper blue color for the blue lines, they decided to use teal instead on the Sega Genesis version.[6] The skating animations in the game are roughly identical to Wayne Gretzky and the NHLPA All-Stars for the same system.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Release information (Super NES version)". GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/snes/588232-brett-hull-hockey-95/data. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
- ^ "Release information (Sega Genesis version)". GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/genesis/586075-brett-hull-hockey-95/data. Retrieved 2011-12-29.
- ^ a b c "Game overview". MobyGames. http://www.mobygames.com/game/brett-hull-hockey-95. Retrieved 2011-10-06.
- ^ a b c d "Advanced game overview". allgame. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=12384. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
- ^ a b c d e "Negative game overview". Video Game Critic. http://videogamecritic.net/snesab.htm. Retrieved 2011-12-29.
- ^ a b c d e "Negative game overview (second reference)". Sega-16. http://www.sega-16.com/2011/01/brett-hull-hockey-95/. Retrieved 2011-12-29.
