Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey'' is an
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
developed and published by
Atari Games Atari Games Corporation was an American producer of arcade video games, active from 1985 to 1999, then as Midway Games West Inc. until 2003. It was formed when the coin-operated video game division of Atari, Inc. was transferred by its owner Wa ...
for the arcade in 1996. A port for the
Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on June 23, 1996, in North America on September 29, 1996, and in Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997. As the successor to the Super Nintendo E ...
console was released almost simultaneously with the arcade version, on November 15, 1996, making it the first-ever 4-player game for the Nintendo 64, beating Mario Kart's Japanese release by more than a month. The game was followed by a sequel, '' Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey '98'' (also ported to the
PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
, and used as the basis for '' Olympic Hockey Nagano '98'').


Gameplay

As opposed to the more realistic ice hockey simulation gameplay seen in
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
' ''NHL'' series, ''Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey'' features arcade-style gameplay, with moves such as "power saves", which cause the goaltender to briefly transform into a brick wall, "power shots", which set the net on fire or knock the goalie into the net, and "power checks", which send an ambulance across the top of the screen. It features high-scoring games and over-the-top fights. There is also a simulation mode for those looking for more realistic gameplay. The game allowed the creation of profiles and would keep track of important individual and team stats, including goals, assists, and wins, among others.


Development

''Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey'' was the second game to result from a three-year deal for a line of signature video games featuring hockey star
Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...
, the first being '' Wayne Gretzky and the NHLPA All-Stars''. The skating animations were created by videotaping Gretzky skating from different angles and building a 3D model to imitate his movements. The arcade hardware was built around the
Voodoo Graphics 3dfx Interactive, Inc. was an American computer hardware company headquartered in San Jose, California, founded in 1994, that specialized in the manufacturing of 3D graphics processing units, and later, video cards. It was a pioneer in the fi ...
chip. The arcade game could be purchased as a dedicated cabinet or as a JAMMA-compatible conversion kit. It was announced that the Nintendo 64 version would include fatalities after the fights, but Midway removed them from the final version. The game was originally scheduled to be published by
Time Warner Interactive Time Warner Interactive (TWI) was a video game developing and publishing division within WarnerMedia, Time Warner. It was formed in 1993 after Time Warner acquired a controlling interest in Atari Games, which was already partly held by Time Warne ...
, but it was changed to
Williams Entertainment WMS Industries, Inc. was an American electronic gaming and amusement manufacturer in Enterprise, Nevada. It was merged into Scientific Games in 2016. WMS's predecessor was the Williams Manufacturing Company, founded in 1943 by Harry E. Williams ...
, which was changed to Midway Home Entertainment shortly before the game's release, after the Atari Games studio was sold to WMS.


Reception

''
Next Generation Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to: Publications and literature * ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company * Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...
'' hailed ''Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey'' as "an arcade hockey game against which to measure others." Though the reviewer suspected that the Nintendo 64 version's being released less than a month after the arcade version would prevent the game from achieving success in the arcades, he lauded the realistic physics, multiple play modes, comprehensive licensing, statistics tracking, and selection of moves. He also noted that the "Burst" button prevents situations where the puck gets out of reach for extended periods of time, ensuring continuous action. Most reviews for the Nintendo 64 version were mixed, generally praising the polygonal graphics and overall accurate recreation of the arcade version, but remarking that while the game is great fun with four players, the mediocre A.I. makes it impossible to enjoy in single-player mode. Most critics noted that while there is a simulation mode, it does not effectively translate the game into a realistic hockey sim, making it a disappointment to the hardcore hockey fan base. For some critics this was the game's key problem; ''
GamePro ''GamePro'' was an American multiplatform video game magazine media company that published online and print content covering the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software. The magazine featured content on various video ...
'', for example, concluded, "If fast, simple hockey appeals to you and your buds, Gretzky's there with all the right bells and whistles. Just don't expect the depth and staying power of EA's NHL series or Sony's Faceoff '97." ''Next Generation'' similarly said, "Fanatical hockey fans will be disappointed, as more realistic and finer-tuned hockey games on other systems easily outdo this one ... but more action-hungry players will find ''Gretzky'' worth the money, if only because its multiplayer capabilities are a blast, the arcade mode is fast, and the fights, well, they just come with the territory." However, ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
''s Tom Ham did not consider the lack of a true simulation option to be a problem at all, and concluded, "No more slower frame rates, small players, and limited perspectives: 64-bit action is here and boy what fun it is." Both Tom Ham and ''GamePro'' criticized the audio commentary as being too repetitive, while Joe Rybicki of ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The magazine was fou ...
'' found it impressive for a cartridge-based game to have an announcer at all.


See also

*''
Wayne Gretzky Hockey ''Wayne Gretzky Hockey'' is an ice hockey-themed sports game developed by Bethesda Softworks, and first published in 1988. Gameplay The game features the name and likeness of Canadian professional ice hockey centre Wayne Gretzky. ''Wayne Gretzky ...
'' *'' Hit the Ice'' *'' NHL Open Ice''


References


External links


''Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey''
at
MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controlle ...

''Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey''
at the
Killer List of Videogames Museum of the Game, which includes the Killer List of Videogames (KLOV), is a website featuring an online encyclopedia devoted to cataloging arcade games past and present. It is the video game department of the International Arcade Museum, and h ...
{{Midway sports games 1996 video games Arcade video games Atari arcade games Ed Logg games Ice hockey video games Midway video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Nintendo 64 games Video games developed in the United States 3D Hockey Williams video games