GameSpot editors' review
-
CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 12/13/2006
- Released on: 12/11/2006
- Originally published on GameSpot: Ice Hockey (Wii) Review
The first sports game available for the Wii's Virtual Console was Soccer, and it was an all-around dud. Things are looking up, however, as the next sports title to hit the service is the NES game Ice Hockey. Now almost 20 years old, the game's simple, fast-paced gameplay holds up surprisingly well.
There are six teams to choose from in Ice Hockey: United States, Sweden, Poland, Canada, Russia, and Czechoslovakia. You can also select from three different period lengths and five different game speeds, which basically amounts to selecting a difficulty, because the faster the speed, the harder the game. Next you're taken to the lineup screen, where you put together a team of four skaters of varying sizes: "Fat Guy," who's slow but can check well and has a powerful shot; "Skinny Guy," who's superfast but can't shoot very hard and is easily knocked off the puck; and "Regular Guy," who's the most balanced, but often the least effective of the three. You also get a goalie, but he's always the same.
Canada's team is popular with Beatles look-alikes.
%20Wii%20Game%20reviews%20-%20CNET%20Reviews&srcUrl=http://reviews.cnet.com/wii-games/ice-hockey-wii/4505-9993_7-32179677.html){kind=small}