NHL Stanley Cup

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NHL Stanley Cup

Developer(s)	Sculptured Software
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Super Famicom/SNES
Release date	^NA November 1993
Genre(s)	Sport
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Not Rated (NR)
Media	8-Megabit Cartridge

NHL Stanley Cup (known as Super Hockey in Europe [1])is an ice hockey video game developed by Sculptured Software for the Super NES. In the game, the player chooses a hockey team and then plays against either a computer or human player on an ice rink. The goal is to score the most goals within the given time through steering the puck, speeding down the rink, and fighting other players for the control of the puck.

NHL Stanley Cup lets all 26 teams from the National Hockey League at the time of the game's release (including the expansion Florida Panthers and Anaheim Mighty Ducks) compete for the highest honor in professional hockey, Lord Stanley's Cup. As it licenses from the NHL, but not the NHLPA, the game can use the team logos and the Stanley Cup but not the names of real players. Despite this, the players have strengths and weaknesses that correspond to their real-life counterparts, so e.g. Pittsburgh Penguins #66 or Los Angeles Kings #99 have an easier time scoring. You can substitute for or pull your goalie and institute line changes, but not line edits, as you see fit. Gameplay modes consist of Exhibition, Season and Best of Seven Series. Options include three different period lengths (5, 10 or 20 minutes) and having the penalties and line changes turned on or off.

This game mimics real ice hockey in that you can shoot, pass or dump the puck, and you can perform hip, shoulder and poke checks. You can even fake a slap shot and aim your shot on goal to a particular corner of the net. Hockey is an overtly brutal sport, and this game reflects that, but there are numerous penalties that you can commit, including tripping, cross checking, slashing, roughing, hooking, interference, icing and offsides.

A special Mode 7 viewpoint gives you a three-dimensional perspective that helps you keep your eyes focused on the puck, the center ice and the surrounding action. Battery backup lets you save your progress throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs. Other features include season and game statistics, three difficulty levels (Junior, NHL and NHL Pro), and the ability to skip games against particular opponents. After the end of each game, a sportscaster will give you a complete wrap up of the action.

[edit] Trivia

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The game has the ability to present all on-screen text in French.
The ice surface becomes scuffed as players skate over it, being cleaned up between periods (ostensibly from the Zamboni).