SEGA CD Longplay #9: NHL 94

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. Being the third game in the NHL series media franchise, it was released in October 1993. NHL '94 launched to critical acclaim, and has since been referred to as both the greatest sports game of all time as well as one of the best games ever made.
The National Hockey League had EA Sports remove fighting from the game
The game maintained the series' signature vertical camera angle, which offered the player distinct gameplay and strategic advantages over contemporary side-view hockey games, and kept the 2D sprite character models of NHLPA '93 (albeit with some new animations).
NHL '94 introduced the "one timer", an authentic hockey move where a player shoots the puck directly off of a pass. It also added the ability to save records, and has four modes - Regular Season, Playoffs, Best of Seven Playoffs, and Shootout. There are no international teams, but both all-star teams are present. Also introduced were team-specific organ songs played at the start of periods and after goals-examples included the Hartford Whalers' trademark "Brass Bonanza", "Halte-là! Les Canadiens sont là!" for the Montreal Canadiens, "When the Saints Go Marching In" for the St. Louis Blues, "The Sabre Dance" for the Buffalo Sabres, and the Chicago Blackhawks theme song "Here Come the Hawks". "Birthday" by The Beatles is also featured as an organ song after a goal is scored.
GamePro gave the Sega CD version a perfect score, citing improved controls and playability from the already outstanding Genesis and SNES versions, as well as the use of real life NHL footage.
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[@benjamincase109]

The cd version played fast, no look one timers just anticipating your guy there. You could get longer shots to go in than the cartilage game. That introduction masterpiece!

[@SportsPlug-cp1eq]

Cartilage game😢😂😂I love it

[@videogamesman131]

Biggest reason to own a Sega CD back in the day

[@Paul-uo1vw]

This and Final Fight CD.

[@vaastdovahkiin635]

one of the best game of all time

[@videogamesman131]

Both are great in fact 92-98 on the 16 bit are all amazing

[@bencastanha6163]

Best game ever

[@videogamesman131]

Very impressive opening

[@SugarJRay]

Wow for the last 25+ years I always assumed the one on the Snes was the definitive version but this is a nice surprise. I'd love to play this.

[@HIDEFACES]

Ha, i thought it was on the Genesis. This version shines the most IMO

[@felixfranzen7578]

@@HIDEFACES Is there any difference between this and the Genesis version apart from the CD sound? Any differences in terms of game play? A lot of people claim there is and that the CD-version somehow plays better, but no-one seems to be able to explain how it's better or point to any specific factor.

[@Davidjon1946]

Sound!!! Introductions !!! I had no idea even graphics slightly better

[@timburr4453]

​@@felixfranzen7578I have both. The CD has slightly faster and smoother gameplay. Graphics maybe a tiny bit better. The players are more crisply animated

[@F28aj]

SNES had the worst version 😂

[@ManuelFlores-oe2wf]

Cam Neely = Seabass Scouting Report: who’s the dead man who threw the salt shaker at him

[@MsSteveman]

Wow i forgot a bunch of these sports games also came out on the sega cd not just the genesis

[@HIDEFACES]

I always thought the best nhl 94 game was on the Genesis! Until i played this game a few months back haha. It's basically the same as the Genesis version but with voice over commentary.

[@td64youtubechannel80]

It supported backup ram cartridge for it?

[@justworkingfortheweekend8504]

Best game on the Sega CD. If it was it's own system it would have been a pass

[@incumbentvinyl9291]

*its

[@BrandonSantino]

Is there a way to get this on any system today?

[@incumbentvinyl9291]

Yes. Get a Sega CD and the game. Easy as pie.

[@frankiebeans8055]

That’s the same thing I do. You scored and than check someone for the hell of it. Hhahahah

[@HIDEFACES]

Haha yeah it is obligatory! There's one NHL game that lets you bodycheck the referrees after the whistle.. I think it was 93

[@incumbentvinyl9291]

@@HIDEFACES You could steamroll the ref in NHL 94 on PC as well. You got a misconduct and got thrown out of the game.

[@Paul-uo1vw]

And you couldn’t do stuff like that on SNES versions if I remember correctly.

[@samueleart258]

Which one is better 96 or 94? I've played 96 but never this one.

[@HIDEFACES]

94 is the best by far. The SEGA CD version is the best version because of the live commentary but it's also a great game on the other consoles. Spent my childhood playing the genesis version thinking it was the best until i played this one ;)

[@samueleart258]

Haha. Awesome. Appreciate the good content. I've gone my whole life thinking 96 was the pinnacle of hockey games and now this revelation has shaken me to my core. Definitely gonna have to check 94 out

[@jtsburn]

@@HIDEFACES Not by far!! Mutant league hockey holds a close second. ;-)

[@evanschmitt2830]

@@samueleart258 the only NHL game I have is 96 and i think its pretty good despite me having a limited knowledge of the game of hockey

[@hunter371]

I grew up playing NHL 96 and when I'd play 94, I always thought it was so slow. Gradually I grew to play 94 more over the years to the point that I felt 96 was so fast it was not enjoyable. I would put 94 as the best and 97 as the runner-up (they seemed to slow down the gameplay a bit so it is more enjoyable to revisit)

[@leonardokula5742]

4k 60 FPS before 4K 60 FPS

[@agonleed3841]

Alright!

[@HIDEFACES]

It's in the game.

[@Vitani168980]

True fact, the NHL had EA remove fighting from the Sega CD version of the game.

[@HIDEFACES]

Really? Now i understand why people say the genesis version is the best one. This one has commentary, though. IDK, i think i still prefer this one

[@Vitani168980]

@@HIDEFACES I tried contacting you through the discord link but it did not work for me. I have an article published in GamePro magazine around the time that game was released where it mentions this fact.

[@ricardoa4322]

It's also removed from the Genesis version nhl 94,95 did not have any fighting

[@Paul-uo1vw]

Yep. They brought back fighting in NHL 96 though. However 94 and 95 were the best versions of the game.

[@matthewdempsey8852]

0:24

[@incumbentvinyl9291]

I heard this version of the game has no fights.

[@felixfranzen7578]

It doesn't. NHLPA '93 had fights but no one-timers. I always thought the fights were kind of a drag that ruined the gamplay. If you want fights you should play the original NHL Hockey from 1991. That games has fights every 30 seconds. The funny thing is that the player who loses the fight get's sent to the penalty box and the winner get's to stay on ice. The actual NHL should implement that rule.

[@incumbentvinyl9291]

@@felixfranzen7578 *gets That was also the case with Blades of Steel on NES, Ice Hockey(loser of the brawl) and I believe Face Off!. Yeah, except that who decides who wins, haha!

[@felixfranzen7578]

@@incumbentvinyl9291 Autocorrect is set to Swedish on my device, so some words "gets" scrambled if I don't watch out ;). I might have confused NHL 91 with Blades of Steel come to think about it, since I haven't played '91 since about 1992. A friend of mine hade both Blades and that basketball game made famous by Family Guy. I can't remember if it was Double Dribble of Tecmo NBA.

[@incumbentvinyl9291]

@@felixfranzen7578 Why would you use autocorrect? Can't write yourself? I can't remember which game that was either, but you could throw from the side with a 100% success rate, more or less. Tecmo Bowl was also covered on Family Guy - Great game!

[@felixfranzen7578]

@@incumbentvinyl9291 Just standard on my device and I haven't bothered to turn it off. It's funny you should say that btw as I (mainly) make my living writing stuff and have a degree in journalism. I guess it don't put as much effort into proof reading my YT comments as I do when writing professionally. It was Double Dribble that had the corner shot thing, I've checked.

[@ragnaraxelson59]

Any sega cd emulators out there to play this game?

[@DmSayr]

Meh...how 'bout '93 Betman...how 'bout it...cashing on MK money with all the blood...I know where you live! BOO!!!... I prefer '95 on Genesis because you can make a shit load of players, essentially allowing you to recreate your favorite roster (sort of)...'96 on SNES had the best controls...and Genesis '98 was the creampie-cream of the crop of them all...anyway, I'm Canadian...this was and always will be a collector's item and the definitive version of '94...crackheads talking 'this' and 'that', then I ask them what they thought about the SEGA CD's version...they be like "WHAT'S THAT?"

[@BIGGIEDEVIL]

Just added sound effects voice clips and music, no upgraded graphics at all not 1 new Sprite or frames, that's just lazy and pathetic

[@ThemePark_Nerdo]

It technically makes it more superior than the Sega Genesis version.

[@cazz8017]

SNES version way better

[@HIDEFACES]

In what aspect?

[@cazz8017]

control. graphics, game play, the ice was the right color..even jerseys were done right unlike the genesis@@HIDEFACES

[@SportsPlug-cp1eq]

Sound in the biggest issue for me with Sega Genesis vs Snes. Sega lower quality always sounds like it was recorded in a tunnel.

[@cazz8017]

@@HIDEFACES control..graphics.. ice was the right color..jerseys were spot on

[@lutherburbank8323]

I hated this game