Nakajima Satoru Kanshuu: F-1 Grand Prix

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Varie

A little history lesson for folks like me that know nothing about racing in general. Satoru Nakajima was the first full-time Japanese driver in the history of Formula One racing. He never actually won an F-1 championship, but he won several Japanese Formula Two titles. If you have no idea what that means, that's okay. I don't either. We'll just assume that Wikipedia knows what that means since that's where I got that info from. Anyway, to keep going with firsts, along with Nakajima being the first full-time Japanese driver, I believe that this was his first video game to be released with his name in the title as well. Basically, this game allows players to re-live the 1991 Formula One series (which, ironically, I think was Nakajima's last) with many of the notable drivers from that season included. Unfortunately, unless you're a Formula One fanatic, I don't know if you'll enjoy much here. The top-down racing perspective would probably be fine if this was a slower-paced game or if the tracks had fewer turns…but considering this game is designed to emulate actual tracks, and most of them aren't oval-shaped, and the speed can get pretty high, it can take a while to get used to everything so that you aren't crashing into walls or sliding into grassy areas when you were supposed to turn. Perhaps, positioning the camera a little higher up in the air and allowing the player to see more of the track could have gone a long way in that regard - the way it currently is, turns often sneak up on you…especially if you aren't familiar with the track. I think Formula One fans may like what this game has to offer, but I think the rest of us would rather play something else.

Review added: 02/06/2022

NBA Showdown '94

Also known as: NBA Pro Basketball '94 (Japan), NBA Showdown (Europe)

Developer: Electronic Arts

Mortal Kombat is a classic example of a game that was considered good when it was released, but has not aged very well. The fighting was never Street Fighter-level smooth, nor as easy to pick up and play as Street Fighter was…but for its time, the fighting mechanics made this fighter stand out from the crowd as much as the blood and violence did. Mortal Kombat wasn’t a Street Fighter clone like the majority of fighting games released in the early/mid 90s, it was very much its own fighting game. With that said, I wasn't really a fan of the gameplay of the original Mortal Kombat, even as a youngster. I eventually grew to appreciate the game for what it is…but I still find it to be a so-so fighter that doesn’t have ageless controls or design, but I also see it as a game that set the groundwork for one of the most popular fighting game franchises of all-time. The sequel, which is better in just about every way, is what solidified that Mortal Kombat would be a mainstay in the fighting genre for years to come. This game just set the stage.

Review added: 06/06/2024

NHL '94

Also known as: NHL Hockey '94 (Europe)

Developer: High Score Productions

NHLPA Hockey ’93 was, arguably, the greatest hockey game ever created when it was released. One could make the argument that it may have been the best sports game, or at the very least, it was in the conversation. So, obviously, high expectations were in place for NHL ’94 to deliver an even better experience. To a lot of folks, it did…especially if you’re a hockey fan. One timer shots were introduced in this game, which is where a player shoots the puck directly off of a pass. Another nice touch for hockey fans is that team-specific organ songs were added for the start of periods and after goals are scored. Another big plus is that NHL ’94 added an ability to save user and player records. Aside from all of those additions, and the others that I haven’t listed, NHL ’94 tweaked the action on the ice to near perfection. The end result isn’t just a fantastic hockey game, it’s a fantastic video game, regardless of genre. There’s a reason that if you search for “Top Games of All-Time” lists, that NHL ’94 often finds its way onto it – it’s an amazing game that manages to be deep enough for hardcore hockey fans to love, while simultaneously being simple enough for non-hockey fans to enjoy as well. If you’ve never played NHL ’94, I highly recommend giving it a try. It really does live up to the hype.

Review added: 11/02/2019

NHL Hockey

Also known as: EA Hockey (Europe), Pro Hockey (Japan)

Developer: Park Place Productions

This is where my favorite sports franchise began. Since NHLPA Hockey '93 gets a lot of the headlines for all of its improvements, and NHL ’94 gets even more headlines for further improving on an already great formula, a lot of folks either forget or don't know how good the original game was. Sure, the sequel improved on everything, but the foundation that NHL Hockey formed to help make NHLPA Hockey '93 as great as it was can be found here. NHL Hockey includes nearly everything that you would want in a hockey game, including the ability to hit a well-timed check to lay out a member of the opposing team just as they’re about to shoot the puck towards your goal. It’ll put a smile on your face to see them sprawled out on the ice as you take control of the puck and scurry over to their net for your own chance to score. It's just a shame that NHL Hockey will seem to forever live in the shadow of the games that came after it, because it’s a solid game in its own right.

Review added: 08/06/2019

NHLPA Hockey

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Park Place Productions

I've always enjoyed hockey games, dating back to when I first played Hat Trick on the Commodore 64 as a young’un, but NHLPA Hockey '93 was different. It tweaked all of the gameplay from NHL Hockey to near perfection, while adding in licenses for the NHL players as well, giving you a fully-licensed sports game that played wonderfully. Not only was it a fantastic game to play, but it also kept track of statistics should you pursue to play a season. So, if you’re a stats nerd, you could see which players led the league that season in scores, assists, etc. If you’re not a stats nerd, then it gave you a goal to shoot for – this guy on my team is two goals away from leading the league? Let’s try to pass him the puck so he can wind up number one. Oh, and you could fight, too. Nothing made this game seem more cool than when two hockey players hurled their gloves to the ice and engaged in fisticuffs while their teammates gathered 'round to cheer on in approval. NHL ’94 usually gets all of the praise and attention, but NHLPA Hockey ’93 did it first…and while NHL ’94 may be a better overall game due to additional tweaks and improvements, it didn’t have the impact that NHLPA Hockey ’93 did upon its release.

Review added: 11/02/2019