Mario Lemieux Ice Hockey review - Sega Megadrive

The obvious question is how well does Mario stand up to EA Hockey? Well, not all that badly, as a matter of fact. The close-ups are an improvement over the EA formula, and mastering the fight and penalty sequences especially takes some doing. The main game is quite speedy, although the automatic player selection is a bit dodgy. The graphics are okay, but the sound is awful, with a few bars of a dying tune squeaking up at moments of tension and hardly any sound effects to speak of. Mario Lemieux is a fine game, more challenging and harder to master than EA Hockey, but without quite the smoothness of gameplay of the Electronic Arts game, or the atmosphere that gave EA Hockey its sense of realism. Worth a look, but EA Hockey still reigns supreme.

After much play, I've come to the conclusion that EA Hockey still rules supreme, but Mario Lemieux Ice Hockey certainly gives it a good run for its money. Mario is tricky to master, packed full of excellent features, but is unfortunately marred by the annoying player selection - when you pass, the computer sometimes choose a player away from the puck which results in you being intercepted and your attack completely breaking down. Very irritating, especially if the computer team scores! Apart from that, Mario Lemieux Ice Hockey is a very comprehensive simulation of the sport which features impressive stats screens and some neat touches. It should definitely appeal to fans of the sport - but check out EA Hockey before you buy.