EA's (developed under the EA Sports label) NHL Series is the most popular video game series based on ice hockey. The first version was released for the Sega Genesis in 1992, and since then it's available on most major gaming platforms. Currently, it is available for the PC, PlayStation 2, GameCube and the Xbox.
The first version of the game, titled NHL Hockey, released in 1992 for Sega Genesis was considered the most realistic hockey game of its time. This game used a vertical view, which was unique at the time since most previous hockey games used horizontal or top-down views. It also featured an NHL license but not a license from the NHLPA, the players association. Therefore the team names and logos were all present, but no players names were mentioned. Instead, all players were referred to by their numbers. The Mega Drive version was released soon after, called EA Hockey and featured international teams. However, this change was merely cosmetic, as most team colours could be tracked to NHL teams. Altough the game had all NHL teams, the only competition present were the playoffs, either decided on one or seven matches.
The next release was titled NHLPA Hockey '93. Since there was no NHL license, it had all player names and numbers but did not have real team names or logos. Instead teams were identified by their city and colors. This meant that the New York Islanders were referred to as the Long Island team, even though the official name does not designate the team as such. Also introduced were Tampa Bay and Ottawa to the 22 teams of NHL Hockey. It was also one of the first non-RPG games featuring EEPROM battery saving, which allowed to save lines and actually save the ongoing playoff, rather than use passwords.
The game also started some dispute between EA and the ice hockey ruling bodies over what could be included on the licensed game. Injured players often bled when injured, mis-aimed shots could break the glass behind the net and the manual made references to injuring opposing key players deliberately; Neither NHL or the NHLPA approved this, and both features were removed in NHL'94 since were considered harmful to the sports image. Fighting, although much more rare on NHLPA '93 than on EA Hockey (that could have up to ten fights on one match) was also removed in the next version, NHL Hockey 94. The removal of fightings in the game was referenced in the movie Swingers:
- Trent: I wish they still had fights in this game so I could bitch-slap Wayne.
- Mike: What? They don't have fighting anymore?
- Trent: Doesn't that suck?
- Mike: Why'd they get rid of the fighting? It was the best part of the old version.
- Sue: I think kids were hittin' each other or somethin', man.
- Trent: Yeah but you know what, Mike? You can make their heads bleed in this one.
- Mike: Make somebody's head bleed.
- Sue: No man, were in the playoffs.
- Trent: I'm making Gretzky's head bleed for super-fan #99 over here.
With NHL Hockey 94, EA managed both NHL and NHLPA licenses NHL and NHLPA licenses. This was also the first version available for the PC and Sega CD, alongside the already existing Mega Drive/Genesis and Super Nintendo. It also included two new teams, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and the Florida Panthers, before the team had ever played a game in the NHL, which created a new anomaly. The team had just acquired goalie John Vanbiesbrouck from the New York Rangers, in the expansion draft , yet since all other team rosters were based on the previous season, Vanbiesbrouck, among other players, could be set against himself in a playoff game between the Panthers and the Rangers (although the likeliness of the Panthers making the playoffs in the game was slim, even though the real team ended up doing surprisingly well and just missed the cutoff). The Mega CD version of the game had Vanbiesbrouck removed from the Rangers, but with no added substitute, which left Richter as the only goalkeeper. The game added one-timers, goalie control and penalty shots, and a shootout mode was also added. The series, however, gave a huge leap with NHL'95. For the first time, a complete season could be played, players could be created and traded, and gameplay also had improvements with the inclusion of fake shots, drop passes and laying on the ice to block shots.
NHL 96 for the PC was the first game in the series to have multiple cameras, using EAs Virtual Stadium techonology, which used 2D sprites on a 3D enviroment. Fighting was reintroduced, as well major and double minor penalties. Steve Yzerman and Scott Stevens were featured in the cover, and NHL's theme song, (Get Ready For This by 2 Unlimited) was also used as the games' main theme. NHL 97 took the graphics even ahead, using a full 3D engine, with motion-captured poligonal players. Each goaltender had his own custom painted mask (and the original artwork could be seen inside the game) and for the first time since EA Hockey, national teams were added, although only Canada, the United States and Russia had their own team, the other two a selection of best scandinavian and European players. Along with the PC, Mega Drive/Genesis and SNES versions, both Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation version made their debut. NHL 98 took the series little ahead, but introducing full national teams, as EA was not able to capture the Nagano Olympic Tournament license (acquired by Gremlin Interactive). Between NHL 99 and NHL 2003 there were no large improvements; a career mode (later developed into a Franchise mode) with retirement, drafting and player trade was added, created players could have a face textured with any photo and on-line leagues became more organized in-game. It was also the worst period in the series, with many long-time fans either leaving after gameplay decread in quality or suffering from a massive community attack, where sites where hacked and fan-made modifications corrupted or packed with virus, and they are still struggling to return to the pre-NHL 2000 better times.
NHL 2004 added 3 European Elite leagues - Germany's Deutsche Eishockey Liga, Sweden's Elitserien and Finland's SM-Liiga (however, not for the first time, EA released both Elitserien 95 and Elitserien 96 for the Mega Drive in Sweden only and Elitserien and SM-liiga 2001 as a expansion pack for PC in Sweden and Finland), World Cup and teams that can be created from scratch. Play-by-play and colour commentary is also a feature. NHL 2005 features Open Ice Control - better control, including players without the puck, and seems to be considered a return to the genius of the 16 bit versions.
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