The sound effects are realistic, and I love the way the in-arena pipe organ blasts out chiptunes between whistles.Īs for what ’94 brings new to the table, let’s start with those updated rosters. It’s easy to get a handle on, but only reveals its many subtleties after hours upon hours of play. Regardless of which system you play it on, NHL ’94 is easily the best NHL game I’ve ever played. It’s not a problem I’ve encountered on my Genesis copy, so I’ll chalk it up to the Sony online distribution system. For whatever reason, the game is labelled NHL 21, and the only way to actually get to the main game is to wander the menus of the PSN store until I find something labelled NHL ’94 Rewind. I can’t get enough of NHL ’94, and I predict I’ll be playing it for years if not decades to come.Īn odd thing happens when I boot up my PS4 copy of NHL ’94. If only the real-world NHL could do the same.īut it’s not just about rosters and licences: NHL ’94 has gotten a major quality-of-life overhaul, with improved sound, crisper graphics, and several major gameplay enhancements. However, this does mean NHLPA ’93‘s much-vaunted fighting system (and aforementioned bleeding heads) have been excised.

Happily, NHL ’94 remedies past mistakes, bringing both licences home to roost. Conversely, NHLPA ’93 brought us player names and likenesses, but no NHL: you could now play as Gretzky – and make his head bleed – but he represented a generic “Team LA”, which just happened to have the same jersey colours as the real-world LA Kings.

NHL Hockey had NHL teams but no agreement with players, meaning you could play as the LA Kings, but not as Gretzky. It’s a game that showcases all the 16-bit glory our current console generation can muster, with the added bonus of updated rosters and teams.Īs fans may recall, previous series entries suffered from incomplete licensing agreements. Three entries in, the NHL series of video games has peaked with NHL ’94.

Download nhl 94 rewind switch for free