EA’s seminal hockey series lasted well into the twilight of the 16-bit era, and while fans will debate which is the best installment, the series never really dropped its overall level of quality. That’s pretty impressive compared to the many other sports franchises that floundered as time wore on, and the 1997 edition of NHL is proof positive that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” does work.
Tag: 1996
Disney’s Pocahontas
Disney’s stable of characters found a friendly home on the Genesis, and even as the console was in the twilight of its life it managed to produce quality titles that did justice to their source material. Pocahontas is one such example. Though it might not reach the same levels of quality as Aladdin and Castle of Illusion, it’s a solid adventure in its own right.
Smurfs 2: Smurfs Travel the World
Those little blue buggers are back on the Mega Drive, and this time they’re out to see the world! Join Inquisitive Smurf and Smurfette as they seek out shards of the Magic Crystal so they can get home. Released only in Europe, the second Smurf game featured little more than decent visuals and simplistic gameplay. But then, what’d you expect?
Nightmare Circus
Completed but pulled from western release schedules at the eleventh hour, Nightmare Circus managed to make it to store shelves in South America thanks to Tec Toy. Given just how bad the game is, it’s no wonder that it was canned. Shoddy controls, poor hit detection, and an overall lack of action make this one game that would have been better off stillborn.
X-Perts
After Sega scored a hit with Eternal Champions, it began to look for more ways to keep the characters in the public eye. Spin offs were quickly green-lighted for both the Game Gear and the Genesis, and anxious fans got X-Perts. Not exactly the game they were waiting for, and its development was almost canceled several times. In the end, Sega released a product almost no one was happy with, and it was a black eye to the face of an otherwise popular franchise.