Description
The second part in Electronic Arts' hockey series. It features the NHLPA license (so it has real player names), but not the NHL license (so it doesn't have NHL team names).
Gameplay is altered only slightly over the predecessor. Regular season and Playoff modes are available. Goalies have improved AI, there are more foul play options and the game now features detailed statistics.
Console Availability:
Super Nintendo
Sega Mega Drive
Features:
It featured organ music and a digitized audience that cheered and catcalled with every decision made on the ice. There is an exhibition mode and a playoff mode with the winner of the playoff mode collecting the Stanley Cup. Offsides and penalties can be turned on and off but icing must remain on at all times. Notable contemporary players like Doug Gilmour and Wayne Gretzky can be seen as they attempt to score goals and steer clear from the penalty box. This game was released near the Christmas of 1992. Also, the game featured fighting, blood, and the ability for the glass of the arena to break. These features were removed in the following hockey games, except for fighting which was refeatured in NHL 96 and onwards.
The game had an NHLPA license but not an NHL license. So, the game included all player names and numbers but not real team names or logos. Instead, teams were identified by their city and colors. This means that the New York Islanders were referred to as "Long Island," even though the official name designated the team as such. Also introduced were Tampa Bay and Ottawa to the 22 teams of "NHL Hockey". The Sega Mega Drive version also included EEPROM battery saving, which allowed one to save lines and the ongoing Playoff, rather than use passwords.
The game also started a dispute between EA and the ice-hockey ruling. In the game, injured players often bleed, misaimed shots can break the glass behind the net, and the instruction manual makes references to injuring opposing key players, stating "Player injuries — it's a part of the game. Knock key opposing players out of the game with an extra hard body check."
A glitch in the game, which makes scoring extraordinarily easy, is found when one wraps around the right side of the near-side net. The goalie will never switch sides, allowing for a quick put in every time.