OH BOY! I simply could not get home from the mall fast enough to play
this one. I heard on Friday that it was released but I couldn't find
anyone with it, so I stopped at the Mall on Saturday on my way home from
the Jets game and look what I found!!

I have been waiting for this one for a while, It's one of the reasons I
bought a PSX. NBA Jam was an excellent and fun game, but I hate
basketball, no really I do, I think it's a dumb sport for freaks of
nature. BUT I love Hockey, hockey is life for me, so when I first saw
Open Ice at the arcades I fell in love, and swore that when Open Ice
came out for PSX I'd buy a PSX. Well I bought my PSX a few months ago
and now finally I had OPEN ICE!

Ok...let's get to the game. First thing you notice, no cool intro, just
a demo mode, with the tips screen, and stats screens. Loading time isn't
too bad, but it does have to load twice, once to enter your intials, and
once before the face off. Options before starting include period length,
tournament mode On/off, big heads on/off.

Teams are all updated... Phoenix, Buffalo's new jerseys, Gretzky's a
Ranger, Roenick's a Coyote, Isles have Palffy and Fischaud in net. Teams
have 4-5 players to choose from.

Once you start the game the fun starts, Pat Foley the announcer kicks
ass! Most of the comments from the arcade version "He got a glove on
it!", "A rocket!", "He shoots... he scores!!!. And some new ones,
including the ESPN classic "He puts the biscut in the basket", and a new
one that had me ROTFLMAO "So many hat tricks he needs a hat rack!". All
the players names are mentioned too, including goalies, "T-BO" for
Thiabault is the best sounding, "J.R" for Roenick, "The Finnish Flash"
for Selanne, "Le Manifique" for Lemeuix. The sound and quotes during the
game are flawless, but for some reason the intro sounds ("A huge Rivalry
tonight, the New York Islanders vs. The New Jersey Devils") get cut off
and skip sometimes (usually when I try to enter a code).

Gameplay is identical to the Arcade version, just as faced paced and
action packed. And there is a challenge, my record after this weekend is
24-11-0, 2 wins to the CUP! I started on normal difficulty, tried it,
then hard and found the best challenge was on very hard. By the time I
switched to very hard, I was playing quality teams, and the games are
very challenging, Toronto stopped me 3 times in a row. I've been playing
in Tournament mode, no computer assistance. Actually, there is one
difference in gameplay, OT is now 1 min sudden death, arcade version was
another 3 min. period (not sudden death).

In the manual are many of the codes to enter for power-ups, I tried
super goalie and got SHUT-OUT (on very hard diff), so for now I'm
sticking to normal goalies and the high scores, although some games are
fairly low scoring close games (6-5) (4-3). I didn't like the super
goalie mode because it takes away from the hot meter's use, which adds
to the fun of the game. Yes the scores are outrageous, but who cares,
was NBA Jam a simulation? Open Ice is not a simulation and doesn't hide
that fact! It's just action! fun! excitment! action! goals! action!
checks! saves! action!

My only complaint about the game (besides my sore thumb) is the
graphics, they are a shade less detailed than the arcade version, I
kinda expected a perfect translation. They seem a little less detailed
and maybe missing a frame or two of animation. HOWEVER they are still
great graphics, you can tell the players by their faces (with big heads
on).

Best teams... Phoenix (Roenick, Tkachuk) PHI (Lindros, Leclair, Renberg,
Brindamour) Chicago (Daze, Zhamonov, Chelios), EDM (Weight, Arnott), COL
(Forsberg, Lemieux, Sakic, Ozlinsh), and Ottawa believe it or not
(Dagile, and I forget the other's name) All the top players are there,
Jovanoski, Mogliny, Sundin, Leetch, Kariya, Selanne...

Overall I'd Open Ice is an excellent adaptation of the arcade version, a
must have for any hockey fan. This game is all-about action and scoring,
if you're looking for a hockey sim, look elsewhere, If you're looking
for crushing checks, blasting slapshots, amazing saves, a killer
announcer, and flaming pucks and nets, it's gotta be Open Ice. Supports
up to 4 players with multi-tap. Do yourself a favor if you're not sure
about it, give it a rent. If you're thinking about buying it, what are
you waiting for? Log-off and get in the car!

There's three bad things I can see people saying about this game..
1) Ridiculous scores (Well it's not a sim... simple as that)
2) NBA Jam ripoff (Absolutley true, but hockey is ten times more
exciting then basketball IMHO)
3) No computer challenge (jury's still out on this one, so far I've had
a decent challenge, especially from the better teams, and once you win
the cup you play all-star teams which should be even tougher. Since
moving up to very hard, I haven't blown anyone out, most wins are 1-2 or
3 goals.

* Hockey fan biased ratings*
Graphics 8/10
Sound 10/10
Gameplay 10/10
Overall 10/10

*Normal unbaised ratings*
Graphics 7/10
Sound 10/10
Gameplay 9/10
Overall 8/10

I you still have any questions post 'em here or email me, I'll be happy
to answer them between games. And if you live on L.I.,NY and want a
challenge...e-mail! (karen@htp.net)

"He's on fire!!!!"