Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey
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''Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey'' is a
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed and published by
Atari Games Atari Games Corporation, known as Midway Games West Inc. after 1999, was an American producer of Arcade game, arcade Video game, games. It was formed in 1985 when the coin-operated Arcade game, arcade game division of Atari, Inc. was transfered ...
for the arcade in 1996. A port for the
Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and Au ...
console was released almost simultaneously with the arcade version, on November 11, 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 subsequently re-released as '' Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey '98'' (also ported to the
PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
) and later in an Olympic version.


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 Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the d ...
' ''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 was an American technology company headquartered in San Jose, California, founded in 1994, that specialized in the manufacturing of 3D graphics, 3D graphics processing units, and later, video cards. It was a pioneer in the fiel ...
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 Games Midway Games Inc., known previously as Midway Manufacturing and Bally Midway, and commonly known as simply Midway, was an American video game developer and publisher. Midway's franchises included ''Mortal Kombat'', ''Rampage (series), Rampage'' ...
removed them from the final version.


Reception

'' Next Generation'' 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; Air Hendrix of ''
GamePro Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...
'', 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." A critic for ''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 Air Hendrix criticized the audio commentary as being too repetitive, while Joe Rybicki of ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''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 m ...
'' 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. Release Bethes ...
'' *'' Hit the Ice'' *'' 2 on 2 Open Ice Challenge''


References


External links


''Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey''
at
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''Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey''
at the
Killer List of Videogames 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 has been referred to as "the IMDb for pla ...
{{Midway sports games 1996 video games Arcade video games Atari arcade games Ed Logg games Ice hockey video games Midway video games Nintendo 64 games Video games developed in the United States 3D Hockey Williams video games