When people look back at their youth it's often through rose tinted spectacles and everything seems like it was much better back then. The food you ate had more taste and the days never seems to end. These days there is not much that you can put your finger on and say that it is definitely better now. That is apart from NHL games for Xbox & Playstation game consoles.
You don't see any kids these days that could get excited about pushing a little white dot around the screen that is supposed to be a puck.The matchstick men that were supposed to resemble a fully padded out Ice hockey player have gone too. Kids still want to play games that they perceive as fun though. Not all progression in presentation means that you will end up with a better game. Lots of the time all you need to enjoy yourself is the basic shapes but you need something. Something like speed and or accuracy to test your reflexes and skill.
The games that have gone down in history whether they have been hockey, NHL, console based or not, have all had one thing in common. They have all been very playable. In some, the presentation didn't really matter at all. Like the type with the falling blocks that you have to arrange, many games relied solely on their ability to keep you coming back for more. Hockey games have been no different and no matter who is on the cover of any NHL title, it's what's inside the box that has really mattered.
While both of these games had the very best levels of playability, they really paid little attention to detail with the presentation. The genius that invented either of those really understood what makes people tick. Sadly their talents will be missed but they paved the way forward for sports and action games makers.
In this day and age, games console hockey games are so far advanced that if they get any better then they'll be in the room with us. You never know, with the growing popularity of 3D TVs you may see something like a 3D hockey game before long. That technology is probably already with us it's just a case of making it affordable. Really that has been key to making hockey games that can be played on a games console. They have had to make something that a true hockey professional has put their name to in many cases. So it's not just about making something that looks pretty but is awful or slow to move. On the other hand it is not been a good idea to make something that has been easy to move but looks terrible. So the children of today have had it easy or lucky or whatever they are getting fed up of hearing. But to be fair it's everyone that benefits from NHL games for Xbox & Playstation game consoles especially once the kids are sleeping.