| Wayne Gretzky and the NHLPA All-Stars | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Semi Logic Entertainments |
| Publisher(s) | Time Warner Interactive |
| Composer(s) | Andy Armer |
| Platform(s) | Super NES, Sega Genesis |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Single-player Multiplayer |
| ||
|---|---|---|
Former professional ice hockey player Awards | ||
Wayne Gretzky Hockey NHLPA All-Stars is a Super NES and Genesis/Mega Drive hockey video game that features Wayne Gretzky and other NHLPA players.
Players can play in exhibition mode, regular season mode, playoff mode, and even listen to stereotypical music of each nation in the sound test mode (country music for Canada, rock and roll music for Team USA, for example). In the Sega version, the players' names are formalized (Thomas instead of Tom, David instead of Dave, Steven instead of Steve, etc.).
Players can also have the CPU play some or all of their regular season, but the computer will lose more games than win them so it's important to play as many games as possible manually. In addition to American cities corresponding to real NHL teams, the player can also play as international teams (Sweden, Finland, Czechoslovakia, Russia, United States and Canada).
The game lacks the NHL license, meaning that teams are represented only by their corresponding city, rather than official name and logo. On default settings, teams do not feature their appropriate colors, but the game can be customized so that each team's uniforms resemble their NHL counterparts.
In late 1994, Time Warner Interactive signed hockey star Wayne Gretzky to a three-year deal for a line of signature video games. Wayne Gretzky and the NHLPA All-Stars was the first game to result from this deal, with Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey being the second. [2] The original Genesis version was to be followed by versions for the SNES and PC, [2] though the PC version was never released. An Atari Jaguar CD version was also in development and planned for a November 1995 release, but it was never published. [3] [4] [5] [6]
Producer Mitzi McGilvray of Time Warner Interactive recounted:
[In 1994] several of us at Time Warner thought about creating a new hockey title. We were fans of EA Sports' NHL games, but we thought we could make something better. So for a long time we just played all the available hockey games, coming up with ideas and thinking about who would work on such a project. After looking at lots of programmers and artists, I settled on a company called Semilogic Entertainment, which I'd worked with in the past. They loved hockey and were really enthusiastic. I met with every single person individually who would be working on the game because, as producer, you really need to know everyone personally. We didn't have a firm plan of what this new game was going to be - originally it was an international hockey game! We had lots of design meetings, and everyone on the project contributed ideas. [7]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | 66.83% (SNES) [8] 65.83% (Genesis) [9] |
Slapshot McGraw of GamePro gave the Genesis version a rave review, praising the inclusion of fighting, the strong selection of teams, the "Just Play" option, and the general accessibility of the game, calling it "a terrific hockey game for both beginners and veterans." [10] The two sports reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it scores of 7.5 and 7 out of 10, variously praising the inclusion of fighting and the unique gameplay features, though one of the reviewers said he was "a bit disappointed by the overall performance of the game." [11] Next Generation reviewed the Genesis version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "This is an essentially different type of hockey game perfect for the younger gamer, but anyone looking for depth and simulation is advised to pass on this arcade-style effort." [12]
Air Hendrix of GamePro gave the Super NES version a negative review, saying players can win just by repeated checking, with no need to use strategic plays or skillful footwork. He praised the graphics, noting the full motion video clips and large sprites, but said the animation is poor with sprites that "seem to float rather than skate". He summarized, "Fighting gamers may find momentary fun in this easy Wayne Gretzky cart, but hockey fans will shudder. Since both camps can find more satisfying action elsewhere, this mixed reaction earns Wayne a trip to the penalty box." [13] A critic for Next Generation , while agreeing with Air Hendrix that the game is not a true hockey simulation, said that "it ain't bad" though "nothing special." Expressing the most pleasure with the comprehensive selection of modes and options, he gave it three out of five stars. [14]
Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey is a video game developed and published by Atari Games for the arcade in 1996. A port for the Nintendo 64 console was released almost simultaneously with the arcade version, on November 15, 1996, making it the first-ever 4-player game for the Nintendo 64, beating Mario Kart's Japanese release by more than a month. The game was followed by a sequel, Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey '98.
Primal Rage is a fighting game developed and released by Atari Games for arcades in 1994. The game takes place on a post-apocalyptic version of Earth called "Urth". Players control one of seven prehistoric beasts, that battle each other to determine the planet's fate. Matches feature many of the conventions of fighting games from the era, including special moves and gory finishing maneuvers. Ports were released for home video game consoles and personal computers. Efforts to perfectly emulate the arcade original have been unsuccessful due to the use of an unusual copy protection method. Toys, comics, a novel and other merchandise tie-ins were produced. More than 1.5 million copies of the game were sold.
Animaniacs is a series of platform video games developed by Konami, based on the animated series of the same name. Two games were developed featuring significantly different gameplay and storylines; one for Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and one for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and Game Boy. The SNES and Genesis versions were released in 1994, and the Game Boy version in 1995.
ESPN National Hockey Night is a multiplatform traditional ice hockey simulation video game for the Super NES, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, and personal computers with MS-DOS capabilities.
Batman Forever is a beat 'em up video game based on the film of the same name. Though released by the same publisher at roughly the same time, it is an entirely different game from Batman Forever: The Arcade Game. The game was followed by Batman & Robin in 1998.
NHL Open Ice: 2 on 2 Challenge, or just NHL Open Ice, is an ice hockey arcade game released by Midway Games in 1995. It features comically exaggerated hockey play, causing it to often be described as an ice hockey equivalent to Midway's NBA Jam.
NHL 95 is an ice hockey video game developed by Electronic Arts Canada. It was released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sega Genesis. The team rosters and player attributes in the game reflect that of the 1994–95 season.
NHL 96 is a 1995 sports video game developed by EA Tiburon for the SNES, High Score Productions for the Sega Genesis, EA Canada for DOS, and Probe Entertainment for the Game Boy. EA Sports published all versions of the game except the Game Boy version, which was published by THQ. The game is based on the sport of ice hockey and puts the player in control of a hockey team in modes of play such as exhibitions, seasons and playoffs. It is the fifth installment in the NHL game series.
NHL 97 is an ice hockey video game by EA Sports. It was released in 1996 and was the successor to NHL 96. It is the sixth installment of the NHL series and the first to be released on both PlayStation and Saturn. A Panasonic M2 version was in development and slated to be one of the launch titles for it, but never happened due to the cancellation of the system.
NHL Breakaway 98 is a 1997 ice hockey video game for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64. It was the first hockey game to come from Acclaim Entertainment and the first game released under the publisher's new Acclaim Sports label. The game met with divisive reviews upon its release for the PlayStation, though the game's management mode and its system of using points to improve aspects of a team received widespread praise, but reviews for the later Nintendo 64 version were more consistently favorable. It was followed by a sequel, NHL Breakaway 99, released the following year.
Olympic Hockey '98 is an ice hockey game for the Nintendo 64 that was released in 1998. It is a re-release of Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey '98, but this time not endorsed by Wayne Gretzky and featuring the license for the 1998 Winter Olympics that were celebrated in Nagano, Japan. It was the video game developer debut of Treyarch. Besides the box art, in-game titles, and some minor graphic changes, every single aspect of the game is practically identical to Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey '98. Due to this fact, it received highly negative reviews, with IGN rating Olympic Hockey Nagano '98 a zero.
Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey '98 is an ice hockey game for the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation, released in 1997. The game is endorsed by hockey star Wayne Gretzky, and is the sequel to Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey. A successor game, Olympic Hockey '98, was released in 1998.
NHL '94 is an ice hockey game by EA Sports for the Genesis, Super NES, and Sega CD, as well as the first release for the PC (DOS), simply titled "NHL Hockey", without the "94" in the title. The game is officially licensed from the National Hockey League and the NHL Players' Association, and was the first game in the series to have both combined licenses. The third game in the NHL series media franchise, it was released in September 1993 for the Sega Genesis and November 1993 for the Super Nintendo. NHL '94 launched to critical acclaim, and it has since been referred to as both the greatest sports game of all time as well as one of the best games ever made.
Brett Hull Hockey is an ice hockey video game developed by Radical Entertainment and originally published by Accolade for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in January 1994. It prominently features former Canadian-American NHL player Brett Hull and is officially licensed from the NHL Players' Association.
NFL Quarterback Club is an American football video game for multiple platforms that features quarterbacks from the NFL. It is the first game in Acclaim Entertainment's NFL Quarterback Club series.
Brett Hull Hockey '95 is an ice hockey simulation video game released in January 1995 for multiple platforms; including the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, and personal computers running DOS.
Newman/Haas IndyCar featuring Nigel Mansell, released in Japan as Nigel Mansell Indy Car (ナイジェルマンセル・インディカー) and in South America as Newman/Haas IndyCar Estrelando Nigel Mansell, is an IndyCar racing video game developed by Gremlin Interactive and published by Acclaim, which was released in 1994 for the Super NES and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive.
Pro Sport Hockey, known in Japan as USA Ice Hockey, is an ice hockey video game that was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES in 1993.
NFL Quarterback Club 96 is an American football video game released in December 1995. The game was released on the Sega Saturn, Sega Genesis, Game Boy, Sega Game Gear, DOS, and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game's cover features San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young passing while being tackled by Chicago Bears defensive linemen Chris Zorich and Albert Fontenot. The Saturn, Genesis, SNES and DOS versions were developed by Iguana Entertainment, while the Game Boy and Game Gear edition was developed by Condor Inc.
Tecmo Super Hockey is a professional hockey video game that was developed by Malibu Interactive and published by Tecmo's American division, and released in 1994 for the Sega Genesis. An SNES version was planned, but cancelled. It was not licensed by the NHL, but did have a license from the NHLPA.
