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.
The problem that has prevailed over the years is that while the ability of computer graphic artists and programmers increased, the consoles were behind. Now though, we are at a stage where the technology has gone so far that our ability to use it is lagging behind. But it matters little about which is better, graphics or game play, the game player of today wants it all.
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.
The thing that games developers back in the day knew is what people really liked in a game. They didn't have the ability to display a few thousand fans jumping up and down every time a ball hit the back of the net in a hockey game. Well even if they had the ability then they didn't have the processing power of today's machines. So with all the information, the game play and the good presentation in today's NHL titles, it's no surprise that they are as popular as a child with sweets in a playground. Like all games consoles and the sports titles that go with them, the hockey titles have progressed a great deal. 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.
People and especially the younger generation of today are extremely luck to be able to play NHL games for Xbox & Playstation game consoles the way that they do. So much has been done over years of development that it's hard to comprehend what early games were like. Suffice to say they were cumbersome at best.