Play NHL 97 Online Free for Super Nintendo.
NHL 97 hits different when it boots instantly in your browser. Released in 1996 on the Super Nintendo, this retro classic from EA Sports, Black Pearl Software is ready the second you press start — no downloads, no setup.
A Panasonic M2 version was in development and slated to be one of the launch titles for it, but never happened due to the cancellation of the system. It was released in 1996 and was the successor to NHL 96.
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| Action | Keyboard | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| D-Pad Up | ↑ | D-Pad up |
| D-Pad Down | ↓ | D-Pad down |
| D-Pad Left | ← | D-Pad left |
| D-Pad Right | → | D-Pad right |
| B (bottom) | X | Bottom face |
| A (right) | Z | Right face |
| Y (left) | S | Left face |
| X (top) | A | Top face |
| L | Q | Left shoulder |
| R | E | Right shoulder |
| Start | Enter | Start |
| Select | V | Select |
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The Story Behind NHL 97
NHL 97 is an ice hockey video game by EA Sports. It was released in 1996 and was the successor to NHL 96. It is the sixth installment of the NHL series and the first to be released on both PlayStation and Sega Saturn.
A Panasonic M2 version was in development and slated to be one of the launch titles for it, but never happened due to the cancellation of the system. The cover of the game features goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck, who played for the Florida Panthers between 1993 and 1998. NHL 97 was the last game of the NHL series to feature a goaltender on the cover until Martin Brodeur was chosen for the cover of NHL 14.
How NHL 97 Plays
NHL 97 also introduces play-by-play commentary, provided by well-known announcer Jim Hughson. NHL 97 introduced a skills competition, allowing the user to pick players to compete in drills such as hardest shot, goalie 2 on 0, and accuracy shooting. NHL 97 uses a full 3D engine, with motion captured polygonal players (PC/PlayStation/Sega Saturn versions only, the Genesis and SNES versions retained similar graphical values to previous games, but with further enhanced animations).
Examples are Joe Sakic's (Colorado Avalanche) "wrong-footed wrist shot" and Rob Ray's (Buffalo Sabres) ability to check an opposing player while still controlling the puck. For the first time since EA Hockey, national teams were added, but only Canada, the United States, and Russia have their own teams while the other two are selections of the best European players. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning and Vancouver Canucks.
Why Players Still Load It Up
NHL 97 was nominated as Computer Games Strategy Pluss 1996 sports game of the year, although it lost to Links LS, and won the same title at the 1996 Spotlight Awards. Air Hendrix of GamePro agreed that NHL 97, while graphically impressive, was not as good as FaceOff due to its lack of strategy-oriented features. Scott Alan Marriott stated in Allgame, "All in all, NHL 97 is still a fun game to play based on the quality of the graphics and presentation, but a few key issues keep it from being the definitive PlayStation hockey experience." Air Hendrix made much the same comments of the Saturn version as he had of the PlayStation version the previous month, save that he stated that the graphics are not as sharp as the PlayStation version's, though still the best of any hockey game on the Saturn.
He also said the player switching is finicky and the D-pad-controlled aiming makes it difficult to execute precise shots, but spoke highly of the game's overall fun. The game was honored with a Game of the Year award for Best Sports Game by PC Gamer. A reviewer for Next Generation remarked that the player graphics and animations, while impressive in absolute terms, fall short of those in the PC version of the game and competitor NHL Powerplay.
NHL 97 — Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I buy the original NHL 97?
See the "Other Places You Can Get This Game" section below the article for legitimate places to buy real-world versions.
What console was NHL 97 released on?
EA Sports, Black Pearl Software shipped NHL 97 for the Super Nintendo back in 1996, and this page runs that release.
Can I save my progress in NHL 97?
Yes. Create a free account and the player unlocks save states — snapshot your progress at any moment and resume later on any device.
How many players does NHL 97 support?
This browser version of NHL 97 handles 1 player(s).