Finally EA has released its NHL '97 for the PlayStation- and it was
worth the wait.  Comparisons with NHL Faceoff '97 will be made.  I have
both and I will make the comparisons as objectively as possible.  I've
noticed that SECA produces games which are wonderful to look at, but
sometimes are a little short in statistics.  While EA tends to focus on
statistics and gameplay over visuals.  NHL '97 is consistent with this
model.  Faceoff is a little prettier, but EA's game has better gameplay
and much better statistics.  And in keeping with EA tradition, this game
tries to make you feel as if you are part of a NHL telecast (by fox of
course!) James Brown and John Davidson are there to add to the TV like
quality.  This comparison is essentially Madden '97 vs. GameDay. So lets
get on with it!

Graphics 8.5
They are a little blocky in some places and there are some minor flaws
(if you really try hard to see them) but on the whole, the ice, the
reflections, the backgrounds are done very well.  This game should win
high marks for its smooth animation (much smoother than Faceofff).

Sound 7.5
This would be higher except for some discrepency in volume levels in
various modes.  For example, before a game each team's lineup is
announced - you can skip this- but nevertheless the volume level here is
lower than at other points in the game- another gripe is that some
sounds like when a player gets hit sound as if they were lifted from the
Genesis version of NHL.  There's also no dolby surround option that EA
and other companies sometimes offer.  Besides from these things, sound
is more than adequate and you'll forget all about the little flaws.

Music 8.5
Its your generic videogame background music in the selction modes and
some very nice organ music for gameplay.

Control 10
You can configure the controller to 1 of 4 control sets.  The action
seems very real, i.e. the goalie takes a second or two to get up when he
goes butterfly and therefore can be caught out of position- just like in
real hockey!  you can do just about anything other hockey games can do,
but I would say that EA makes good use of the PSX controller (i.e. L1
button for line changes is better than the /\ button) and although it
lacks Faceoff's "revolutionary" passing interface, I prefer the old
point and shoot kind of passing.

Replayability 10
If you like hockey games, and if you like playing the season and viewing
the stats, then this is the game for you.  Its got pleanty of stats and
it has some very nice game play.  Its smoother than Faceoff but overall
its not quite as pretty.  For me, the game play is the most important
thing and therefore I favor NHL '97.