Game/Publisher/Developer
NHL 95, EA Sports / THQ (Game Boy), High Score Productions/Double Diamond Sports (Genesis), Visual Concepts (SNES), Realtime Associates Seattle (Game Gear), Probe Entertainment (Game Boy), EA Sports (DOS)
The Trailer
My Reaction
I played this one on PC. A friend got me going on PC games and we played NHL 95 together constantly. It was so fun. One of those games that’s tied directly to a memory of who you played it with, not just what it was.
Overview
NHL 95 (also known as NHL Hockey 95) is an ice hockey video game published by EA Sports, released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sega Genesis, with versions also released for PC, Game Boy and Game Gear. The team rosters and player attributes in the game reflect the 1994–95 NHL season.
What I Liked
- GamePro gave the Genesis version a perfect score, calling it “the smoothest, most entertaining hockey title ever created.”
- The ability to sign, trade and release real NHL players added real depth to the season mode.
- Creating your own fantasy players was a great touch for the time.
- Advanced statistics tracking made every game feel like it mattered.
- The new injury animations and realistic sounds added a level of presentation other sports games hadn’t reached yet.
- GamePro specifically praised “the unbelievably blazing speed of the game.”
What I Didn’t Like
- It’s very much a product of its era; the simplicity shows when you go back to it now after modern sports titles.
Verdict
NHL 95 earned its reputation as one of the best sports games of its generation. The speed, the depth of the roster management and the sheer fun of playing it with a friend made it a constant in my rotation. A genuine classic of 90s sports gaming.
Rating
82/100