Superstar Ice Hockey

aka: American Ice Hockey
Moby ID: 5587
Commodore 64 Specs

Description official descriptions

In Superstar Ice Hockey you control one of 20 NHL teams. The game has no license so you can't play with the stars. There are 4 groups with 5 teams. After the regular season the best 2 teams of every group are qualified for the playoffs. Worth mentioning is that you are playing always the center - the other players are controlled by the CPU. In the multiplayer mode you can only play friendly games.

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (Commodore 64 version)

5 People

Production
Design
Graphics
Game play
Stats/ menus
Support
SportTime music
Design support

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 71% (based on 10 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.1 out of 5 (based on 23 ratings with 1 reviews)

A good early effort, but you can never go back.

The Good
Long before Electronic Arts' NHL Hockey series became the thousand-pound gorilla on the block, there was Mindscape's Superstar Ice Hockey. For such an early effort (released for DOS in 1987), a lot of the elements that we've come to expect in a modern computerized hockey game were there.

Player control: Check! Coaching options: Check! Team management and trading options: Check! Adjustable rules such as offsides: Check! Adjustable period, season and playoff lengths: Check!

The first time that you start the game, you're asked to create a team for yourself to manage. You can also decide which of the four divisions your team belongs to. You can choose the number of games per season (four, seven or eleven), the playoff length for each division (best of one, best of three or best of five), the conference playoff length (best of one, three or five) and the playoff length for the SportTime Cup (best of one, three or five).

For individual games, you can select the number of minutes per period (between 5 and 20). Practice (exhibition) games are available or you can play out an entire season in League play. In fact, your team's stats, as well as those of the other teams, are tracked over several seasons.

For Practice games, you can select the number of players on the ice (two, four or six) but for League games there must be six players on the ice.

In between League games, you can play coach and adjust your lineups, or put on your G.M. hat and improve your team by recruiting new players, attempting to trade with other teams or sending your team to training camp. When the metal hits the ice, you can choose to play the game, or just sit back and let the computer control your team. During pauses in play, you can be coach again, selecting your lines and dictating your team's strategy (normal, aggressive or defensive).

On the ice, players generally play fairly intelligently. They will pass the puck back and forth, rather than hogging it. They will body check opposing players who are in possession of the puck. They use a variety of shot styles on net, from sliding wristers to slap shots that head for the cross bar. Goalies will drop onto their pads to stop a sliding puck or jut out glove to catch a flying one. Sometimes they almost seem to stand on their heads. Player animation isn't bad, given the small size and simplicity of the player models.

Player morale and fatigue are also factored in. Players tire as they play, but a goal will fire them up and give them an extra burst of energy.

Penalty times are adjusted based on period length. If a regular twenty-minute period length is chosen, penalties are two minutes. If only a five-minute period length is chosen, penalties are only thirty seconds. The ratio remains at 1/10 the total period length. Interestingly, all penalties are minor. There don't seem to be any five-minute (or 1/4 period) penalties and fights never occur.

When a penalty or offsides is called during play, you're treated to a full-screen picture of a rather comical-looking referee and the nature of the call. The expression of the referee changes seemingly at random; sometimes he grins from ear to ear, sometimes he looks angry, sometimes he looks downright puzzled. I imagine that the expressions were done to add some variety to the game. I personally find them amusing, if not always appropriate.

One aspect of the package that deserves particular mention is the game manual. This game comes with an excellent manual that fully explains all aspects of the game including game controls, on-screen displays and their meanings and even the various strategies. The game manual out-shines those offered by many more modern hockey games which explain only the rudimentary controls but leave out many of the finer details.

The Bad
Although you can create and manage your own team, you don't have the option of simply choosing one of the 16 existing teams to manage for some odd reason. It would have been nice to have this choice.

When playing a game, you have the option to control only the center and/or the goalie. Defence and forwards are always computer controlled. This contrasts with more recent computer hockey games that allow you to control every player on the ice (usually the one with the puck, or the one closest to it, if the other team is in possession).

Although those who are more interested in coaching and managing than they are in arcade action can delegate full player control to the computer, there is no option for simply simulating the outcome of a game and skipping the actual play entirely. This again differs from more recent offerings.

While you can turn the offsides rule on or off, there is no mention of the two-line pass rule, and you can't turn penalty calls on or off, nor can you adjust the strictness or lenience of your referee (i.e. how likely he is to call penalties).

The graphics, of course, can't compare with more modern offerings. However, compared with those of other sports games released during that era, they are serviceable. CGA and EGA are supported. All players look alike except for jersey colors to differentiate the opposing teams. Even in EGA mode, you have a choice of only two jersey colors; red or blue. If you happen to like green or yellow, you're out of luck.

There are no jersey numbers and player names are not indicated on the ice. Interestingly, your players do have unique IDs. You can see them in the coaching and management screens. However, once on the ice, you have no idea who's who unless you happen to know who plays which position by memory. Also, individual player stats are not tracked, so you can't tell who your top scorers are or who has the best +/- ratings.

When players are body checked, they tend to fall down and spin comically on their butts. Trouble is, they do this for a little too long. Many a time have I seen a forward get knocked on his keester behind the enemy blue line and then cause his team to get called offsides simply because the puck went back to the other side of the blue line and he was unable to get back on his feet before it crossed into the opposing team's zone again.

Line changes are not possible during play unless you call a timeout and you have only a limited number of these (is this hockey or football?) If your players are getting tired and you've used up your timeouts, they'll just have to wait for a whistle. Also, there doesn't seem to be an option to pull the goalie and put an extra attacker on the ice in the last minute or two of play if your team is behind by a goal.

NHL licensing is completely absent. All player names are fictitious. Don't look for any of your favorite 1987 stars. Teams are referred to only by city name; Toronto, Detroit, Montreal, etc. NHL team names are absent. Even the Stanley Cup is M.I.A. It's the SportTime Cup for you, my friend!

The Bottom Line
I remember thoroughly enjoying Superstar Ice Hockey when it was first released. In spite of its flaws, it was great fun. I welcomed the chance to relive old memories now that programs like DOS Box make it possible for me to once again play this game. However, I'm afraid I've been spoiled by modern technology. Today, Superstar Ice Hockey has some nostalgic value, but it just can't hold my interest for very long. Still, in its day, it was king of the ice.

DOS · by Halmanator (598) · 2007

Discussion

Subject By Date
Is there any modern format to play this game on? chuck brodsky Sep 10, 2007

Trivia

Awards

  • Happy Computer
    • Issue 01/1988 - Best Sports Game in 1987

Analytics

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Rantanplan.

Apple II added by ClydeFrog. Amiga added by Rebound Boy. Apple IIgs added by hoeksmas. Atari ST added by Martin Smith.

Additional contributors: Rascal, Patrick Bregger.

Game added January 11, 2002. Last modified September 15, 2023.