If you’re old enough to have a good recollection of the 8bit and 16bit era of sports video games specifically, then you’ll likely recall that for the most part they were pretty dire.
In fact, we specifically herald certain sports games as being legendary simply because they were the rare gems we always wanted to find.
Firstly think of any old video game console that you like a sports game on. Now, it’s likely that if you go find a list of the games released on that console and further narrow it down to the specific genre of that sport of which your chosen game is simulating, that you’ll find a handful or more of lesser sports games. Some of these you probably never even knew existed, and then there will be others on that list that’ll have you muttering along the lines of “oh jeez, I forgot about that game, uhh”
(sorry for undoing the memories your brain worked hard on suppressing).
Well today’s entry in Winter in Gaming is mostly focused on Blades of Steel for the NES. In fact it was almost entirely going to be based on Blades of Steel until whilst doing a little research into this entry I came across some loyal support for Nintendo’s own “Ice Hockey”, but more on that game later…
Even when I look back today I’m still somewhat surprised by the way Blades of Steel turned out. Konami had done a damn good job replicating the whole spectacle of Ice Hockey as opposed to simply wanting to make a video game version of the sport itself.
Examples of this spectacle are everywhere
- Instead of merely starting a game both teams skate into view in a synced formation, whilst upbeat music plays which you can imagine being part of a weekly tv hockey coverage show of the late 80s
- This is an NES sports game, with voice! Although perhaps I’m over glorifying the repeated clip of “hit the pass” and players groans when tackled, but for it’s time this was amazing.
- You can get into hockey fights! Yes, on occasion a harsh tackle would lead to a little 1 v 1 super simple fighting mini game.
- If that fighting mini game wasn’t enough, you’d occasionally play a very brief Space Shooter during intermission at times too.
- Little TV-style cuts to the overhead stadium TV display with score updates or short animations.
- Goal and post game team celebrations,
- Plus the (distorted) roars and (basic) animation of the crowds around you through out the game.
These little details and others within the game could potentially not make an impact on anyone who goes back to the game now. You really had to of been a product of the time to understand that when an NES game came along like this and presented itself in such a way your mind would do a great job on embellishing the rest.
In my head I’d have my imagination filling in blanks. Occasionally I’d provide my own commentary on the game to simulate TV coverage as I play, I’d be giving some of my unidentifiable numberless players names or deciding some specific role on my team was my star player. I’d even be fabricating team pep talks if I was narrowly losing and somehow mentally figured that would help.
As a kid, this was as real to me at the time of playing as the little stories I’d create with action figures, or simulating epic car chases with toy cars was. Surely everyone can recall a time when imagination could fill in all the blanks that would be trapped by any limitations of a video game or in any childish playtime for that matter.
Obviously we are now in a time when video games aren’t held back by as many limitations. We live in an age in which technology is always chasing a closer sense of realism. We’re spoilt for in game story, written dialogue, carefully directed set pieces. Your mind doesn’t need to wander because you’re generally following a script.
So…
Blades of Steel…
Great ice hockey game… Icy Cold Sport… Winter!
Now before wrapping up this post. I’ll briefly cover “Ice Hockey” by Nintendo.
Simple by name. Simple in it’s execution.
However simple can sometimes equate to the most fun when it comes to sports games. It makes them more accessible to the masses. You can be a stranger to the sport you’re playing and pick up the jist of it quickly, you’re more likely to be able to entice friends or family to play it with you. This is why Wii Sports was an astounding success after all.
My first taste of NES Ice Hockey came later in my life through Animal Crossing on Gamecube. In that game, although quite rare, you could collect NES games in your house which would allow you access to play some classic games (they’ll never be given away like this again in a world of money to be made through Virtual Console, and NES Classic Mini’s etc…). Being somewhat an addict to the Gamecube Animal Crossing game for a while, and being lucky enough to have a constant flow of friends round to my parents house at that time in my life. I managed to put in a decent amount of time into some of the multiplayer sides of the NES games in Animal Crossing. Primarily this was in NES Baseball, but Ice Hockey got a pretty good shake too I recall.
I believe it’s just a preference of which gameplay you prefer for which game is theoretically the better hockey game of the 2 mentioned.