Gaming consoles have evolved significantly over the years, and ice hockey is one of the games that have experienced the changes. As the game itself gained popularity across the globes, so did consoles. The pixilated characters progressed into almost-real images of actual players. Understanding how far hockey consoles have come is important to appreciate the options available.
From Nintendo to PlayStation
In 1988, Konami released Ice Hockey for Nintendo as part of its Sports Series. The consoles beat top players such as Atari and contributed to spreading knowledge about the game. Canada, Sweden and the USA were some of the teams available on the platform. A few basics matched the real games, but the video game added some things to make the play more interesting. For example, instead of five skaters per team, it had five.Hot on the heels of Ice Hockey was Blades of Steel, which offered a more realistic gaming experience than its predecessor. Players had the opportunity to enter into tournaments. NHL ’94 was another groundbreaking creation that EA Sports made for Sega CD, Genesis and Super NES. Critics rated the game highly and to this day, it is considered one of the greatest games ever created. The first game for PlayStation was the 2 on 2 Open Ice Challenge, which came out in 1995. Later, games were developed for other platforms, including Xbox, Wii and PC
The Limitless Options
Ice hockey consoles now provide a myriad of gaming alternatives for enthusiasts, including online manager games. A game such as Manager Zone allows you to handle the intricate details of a hockey team like training, drafts and financials. Online technology has played a huge part in bringing more gaming options to fans. Gamers also enjoy more features when playing online like the ability to stream games.Since the release of Ice Hockey by Nintendo, the hockey gaming market has grown exponentially to provide players with fascinating alternatives. Whether you want to enjoy an ice hockey game with real players or prefer to build your team from scratch, there is a suitable console.