ESPN National Hockey Night

n/a

Mega Drive Mega-CD
ESPN National Hockey Night
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Sega Mega-CD
Publisher: Sony Imagesoft
Developer: Sony Imagesoft
Licensor: ESPN, National Hockey League, National Hockey League Players' Association
Sound driver: GEMS
Peripherals supported: Team Player
Genre: Sports (ice hockey)
Number of players: 1-4
Release Date RRP Code US 1994-12 T-93176 US 1994-11 T-93215
Non-Sega versions Super NES

ESPN National Hockey Night is a ice hockey game for the Sega Mega Drive and Sega Mega-CD, named after the ESPN television program of the same name. It was only released in North America.

The game was licensed by the NHL, so real team names and logos are present. The Mega-CD version additionally carries a license by the Players Association, so real player names and portrait are present as well. The Mega Drive version lacks this license, so players are unnamed but have the same jersey numbers and statistics.

The game features commentary by sports analyst and former professional hockey player Bill Clement, through digitized voice samples in the Mega Drive version and full-motion video clips in the Mega-CD version.

Gameplay

The game is an NHL hockey game including all of the teams from the 1993-94 NHL season. It can be played by one to four players, who can be assigned to either or neither team before the start of the match. The game uses a side view by default, but it can be changed to a vertical view before or during a match.

Before a match, players can view the match-up to compare the strength of each team in several categories or view the line-up of players on each team. There are options to set the difficulty of computer opponents (Beginner, Amateur, and Pro), toggle penalties or only allow offsides (the most common penalty), change the length of each period (5, 10, or 20 minutes, with a default of 10 minutes), or toggle line changes. When line changes are not enabled, players do not tire out or need to be replaced over the course of the match. The Mega-CD version also has an option to decrease the frequency of FMV, which is shown on certain plays, or to disable it entirely.

	Face-Off
	A player from each team tries to hit the puck by pressing when the referee drops it onto the ice. A face-off is played at the start of the game, after a team scores, and after a penalty.
	Defense
	When the player's team does not have possession of the puck, the player skates with the D-Pad. Holding provides a boost of speed but tires the player out faster, so it can only be done a limited number of times per player and per game. The player can poke or check by pressing when near an opposing player to try to take the puck (or trip the other player). The active player is indicated by a circle around him and can be changed by pressing when not near an opposing player. When the goalie has the puck, press while aiming with the D-Pad to pass the puck to a player. Holding the puck for too long is a penalty and results in a face-off.
	Offense
	When the player's team has possession of the puck, the player skates using the D-Pad. The player can pass the puck with while aiming the D-Pad toward a nearby teammate. If there is no teammate in the direction chosen, the puck is shot into the distance. The player always controls the player with possession of the puck, who is indicated by a circle around him. The player shoots the puck with , which is automatically shot toward the goal and does not need to be aimed. Pressing and releasing the button quickly performs a wrist shot, while holding the button performs a slap shot (which takes longer to perform but causes the puck to travel faster). The player can flip the puck with , which shoots it with greater height and distance. Line changes can be done by holding , which brings up a box in the upper left corner showing the lines and their strength, then pressing , , or to switch to a given line.
	Fastest Man
	One of the two challenge modes. A player from each team skates around the rink to try to get the fastest time. The player skates by pressing and alternately and using the D-Pad. The player skates faster if the player presses the buttons faster or falls over if the player fails to press them alternately.
	Shootout
	One of the two challenge modes. A player from each team tries to hit all of the targets on a goal within a time limit. The player shoots the puck with and aims using the D-Pad.

Modes

The game has the following modes, which can be played by one to four players:

• Exhibition: A single match between any two teams (which can be the same team).
• Challenge: Plays one of the two contest modes, the Fastest Man or the Shootout.
• Playoffs: An abbreviated season that skips to the Stanley Cup playoffs, an elimination tournament played to the Best of 1 (win a single game to eliminate a team) or a Best of 7 series (win four games to eliminate a team).
• Season: Plays a full season of 84 games. Progress is saved to a battery backup in the Mega Drive version or the console's internal memory in the Mega-CD version. Games are selected from a calendar; the player can skip ahead to later games, with the computer simulating the outcomes of skipped games. If the player's team ranks high enough at the end of the season, the player proceeds to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Teams

• Anaheim Mighty Ducks
• Boston Bruins
• Buffalo Sabres
• Calgary Flames
• Chicago Blackhawks
• Dallas Stars
• Detroit Red Wings
• Edmonton Oilers
• Florida Panthers
• Hartford Whalers
• Los Angeles Kings
• Montreal Canadiens
• New Jersey Devils
• New York Islanders
• New York Rangers
• Ottawa Senators
• Philadelphia Flyers
• Pittsburgh Penguins
• Quebec Nordiques
• San Jose Sharks
• St. Louis Blues
• Tampa Bay Lightning
• Toronto Maple Leafs
• Vancouver Canucks
• Washington Capitals
• Winnipeg Jets

Development

Development likely began at Park Place Productions, but finished at Sony Imagesoft, as the latter hired a number of former Park Place employees during production.

Production credits

Mega Drive version

• Programming: Craig Broadbooks, Paula Willman, Scott Murray
• Additional Programming: Eric Hagstrom
• Lead Artist: David Estus
• Artists: Andy Jaros, Steve Mitchell, Ted Robertson, Scott Rogers, Brian O'Hara, Katy Roe, Dave Fenderson, Chris Meland, Joe Brisbois, Kevin Toft
• Additional Art: Paul Willman, Craig Broadbooks
• Producers: John Smedley, Daniel Meade
• Associate Producer: Greg Oberle
• Assistant Producer: Dennis Quinn
• Sound and Music: Joe Hight, Rex Baca

Source:

US manual

Mega-CD version

• Programming: Eric Hagstrom, Craig Broadbooks, Paula Willman, Scott Murray
• Lead Artist: David Estus
• Artists: Andy Jaros, Steve Mitchell, Ted Robertson, Scott Rogers, Brian O'Hara, Katy Roe, Dave Fenderson, Chris Meland, Joe Brisbois, Kevin Toft
• Additional Art: Paul Willman, Craig Broadbooks
• Producers: John Smedley
• Associate Producer: Greg Oberle
• Assistant Producer: Dennis Quinn
• Sound and Music: Joe Hight, Rex Baca
• Testing Coordinator: Brian Wiklem
• Testing: Dennis Quinn, Greg Kaine, Fred Wigand, Justin Busch, Robert Baumsteiger, Martha Williams, Jody Kelsey, Kurt Schwengel, Bruce Cochrane, C J Connoy, Andre Leighton, Seth Luisi, Jose Cruz, Tobin Russell
• Sony Executive Producer: Richard Robinson
• Executive Producers: Steve Bornstein, Ed Durso, Dick Glover, Tom Hagopian, Jim Noel, John Wildack, Howie Schwab
• Special Thanks To: Andy Zaffron, Bill Clement

Source:

US manual

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Magazine articles

Main article: ESPN National Hockey Night/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Print advert in GamePro (US) #64: "November 1994" (1994-xx-xx)
also published in:

• EGM² (US) #5: "November 1994" (1994-1x-xx)

Physical scans

Mega Drive version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 45 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 50 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 63 Game Informer (US) NTSC-U 53 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 75 VideoGames (US) NTSC-U 70

	59
Based on 6 reviews

ESPN National Hockey Night

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual Poster PCB

Mega-CD version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

{{{{{icon}}}|L}}
Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score Game Players (US) NTSC-U 40 Game Informer (US) NTSC-U 56 Next Generation (US) NTSC-U 50

	49
Based on 3 reviews

ESPN National Hockey Night

Mega-CD, US
Cover
Disc Manual

Technical information

Main article: ESPN National Hockey Night/Technical information.