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Since my Madden '98 report was so popular (God only knows why), I'm going to maintain my review format for this title. Let's get the complaints out of the way first.

1) No big whoop-de-doo for hat tricks; 2) No names on the back of jerseys; 3) Benches look like life size poster sales display; 4) No commissioner to regulate trades; 5) Cheesy looking Stanley cup on playoff victory sequence; 6) Inability to play any game during season and playoffs; 7) Very undetailed and unclear instruction book. Now, let's bring these gripes into perspective. 1) You know that you did it when it happens (check the player stats during the game if you forgot); 2) Hold the left shift key to see the names of everyone on the ice; 3) Same as it ever was, though it would be cool if they made it so benched players could hold their sticks out and trip opponent's skating by; 4) How annoying was that guy anyway! I don't want him back, do you?!?; 5) This sequence goes by so fast that you should just enjoy the victory and not sweat the details; 6) Okay, here we may have a legitimate complaint. I'll get back to this in a moment; 7) Well, shit! That's what I'm here for! Let's face it, this game is simply a top notch, full-fledged, boot-stompin', ass-kickin', hellava good game (May I be so bold as to say, "the coolest game on earth"?)* [* Keyz' Lowdown Report for NHL All-Star Hockey '98 accepts no responsibility for any plagiaristic actions be they accidental or intentional.]

Enough wasting time. Let’s get serious and give you all an idea of what makes this game such a proud effort. Right from the moment you power up your Saturn, you will witness the wonder known as NHL All-Star Hockey '98. The crystal clear FMV intro is fast paced action laced with a heart-pounding metal soundtrack. I had chills the first time I saw it. Now, before I get too generous with my praise, I'll tell you flat out that this game is quite easy to beat. If you know some of the basic strategies of hockey and know your way around a Saturn controller, you can and will stomp the computer like a red-headed step-mule (or something like that). If you play against a human player, however, there is much to cheer about. The control is smooth as silk. Honestly, the best I've ever played. The controller configuration is simple and easy to learn, but if you don't agree, you can change it however you like. All of the view to choose from (5 in all) are practical and easy to become accustomed to, especially the "All-Star Cam" which is much like PowerPlay's view last season. Lines are simple to edit, though I haven't quite figured out how to pick which shifts (power play, penalty kill, etc.) you want your players to work on. I'll get back to you on that. The coach team feature allows players to really get into the strategic aspects of the game, a refreshing change from EA Sports and that previous Sega Saturn hockey title (What was that called?). Also, just in case you change your mind about who you want to play as in the middle of a game, you can change sides simply by going to the pause menu and switching the team control option.

The graphics this year are oh so sweet, too, right down to the NHL Logo on the puck. The polygon players are crisp and well-detailed and the arenas are beautifully rendered. The randomly-chosen still shots while the games are loading are a nice switch from the run-of-the-mill “now loading” screens so often seen in other video games. Now, the animation if you look closely is kind of frame-by-frame, snapshot- like. It’s only really noticeable when using the slo-mo instant replay. I actually think this is a good thing. Why you ask? I am pretty sure that the game would have ended up rather sluggish (not to mention more delayed in production) if they had, unnecessarily, saw to it that players moved swan-like, without a single flaw in each movement. Instead of wasting time with such frivolity, the game maintains a fast & smooth pace. This pace is what makes the gameplay of NHLASH’98 so spectacular. Good call, Sega! Speaking of the instant replays, if you can think of a view, you can see it in the instant replay mode. The only two views they may have forgotten were the fish-frozen-in-the-ice cam and the drunk-guy-throwing-up-in-the- trash-can-out-in-the-parking-lot cam. Neither view was really all that important, so let’s move on. Fighting, the true nature of the sport. Well, this isn’t exactly Mutant League Hockey, but the fighting is very well animated. Fights usually occur almost once a game. Pretty true to life, wouldn’t you say?

Though the sights are quite impressive, I am not one to turn a deaf ear to the great sounds of the sport. Except for Marv Albert (before he started wearing women’s lingerie), the announcing is second to none. The announcer is as hometown biased as the crowd (I love that! It’s just like watching local announcers on TV). He tells you when a goal was short-handed, powerplay, unassisted or whatever. When the action on the ice is stopped momentarily, what do the real arenas do? Play music, which is exactly what this game does. Sometimes the organ will play to get the crowd stirred- up. Sometimes they’ll go to the jukebox. Many of the tunes are strangely familiar (hey, you want to get as close as you can get without breaking copyright laws, correct)? Now, let’s say you want to keep the sound f/x, the announcer, and the organ, but get rid of the crowd and the music. Yea, right! What do you think this is? NHL All-Star Hockey Ninety-Eigh...oh, never mind. You can do it, because the pre- game and pause menu allows you to adjust the volume of all five of these categories individually. You can even save multiple preference files if you have more than one player of the game with different tastes than your own.

When it comes to extras, this game has got them in a big way. Although it hasn't been advertised very clearly, you have full team management privileges at your disposal. Create. Delete. Sign. Trade. Release. All for you to scramble the NHL till your heart's content. This does bring up yet another concern I had. The rosters included in the game are not very accurate to the actual present day rosters. Without even trying, I noticed that Mark Messier is still with the Rangers. But, this game provides such ease of roster reorganization, I am willing to overlook that. Check back at this web page/newsgroup for my guide to updating your rosters to the latest Sporting News Hockey Guide & Register. I almost have the one for Madden '98 done. A big plus this year is the ability to save multiple roster files, just like the aforementioned preference files. This whole package of feature just about lets you recreate all the rosters for the past 20 years of the NHL! For those of you who like to create "God-Players" and stomp the computer by a score of 173 to 0 (sick bastards!), you can do it without worrying about having to punch a code in everytime you start the game up. A few final notes about the extras: the stats are tracked and organized very well and are easy to read and review; After winning the Stanley Cup, the game shows the new tier with all of your team's players' names on it; and, though not all that useful to me, the game has the ability to present the menus in 3 different languages (how thoughtful).

Play modes are exhibition, season and playoff. Yea, just the basics this year, though you are given the option of 4 different lengths of both playoff and season. As in many other hockey games, the game clock moves at a faster speed than real time. This has become a given, but it is something we take for granted. Can you imagine what the score of a real time game would be with 20 minute periods?!?

In closing (yes, i really should try to do some work today), I wish to expand on number 6 from the opening paragraph. One thing about Sega miserable 1st Saturn hockey attempt: it allowed you to play any game(s) during the entire season and simulate the rest. This allowed the player to select several team (or none as a matter of fact) to play as many games from the season as they chose. Is there any hockey fan who only likes one team and despises the rest? If Sega wants an improvement idea for next year, here it is: BRING THAT BACK!!! Regardless, this game is a real treat and I plan on playing it till my thumbs either blister or callous, and I probably will not notice and keep on playing, anyway.

Here's my ratings for NHL All-Star Hockey '98...

CONTROL : 9.5
GRAPHICS : 10
GAMEPLAY : 9.5
EXTRAS : 9.5
SOUND : 10
REPLAY VALUE : 10
OVERALL : 9.8