BLADES OF STEEL ICE HOCKEY Company Konami Nintendo Released 1988 1986 Players 1-2 Players 1-2 Players Levels of Difficulty 3 5 Better Graphics Blades of Steel Blades of Steel Better Music Ice Hockey Ice Hockey Fun Factor Blades of Steel Blades of Steel Save Option Password No Number of Teams 8 Cities 6 Countries Fighting Yes No Player Selection No Yes Tournament Yes No ShootOut Yes Yes OT No Yes Voices Yes No
Both Blades of Steel and Ice Hockey are classic video games, not just classic NES games. The two games are very similar. Once difference is that Ice Hockey is only 4on4, unlike real hockey and Blades of Steel, which is 5on5. One great thing about Ice Hockey is the player selection. You can choose the slow guys with the sweet slap shot, the tiny dude who can skate fast, or the medium who no one ever seemed to pick. In BOS, you have a greater selection of teams to choose from, and you pick from US and Canadian cities (which strangley resembles NHL teams...), instead of countries. BOS has three skill levels and Ice Hockey has 5 “Speed” levels which makes it more difficult. Both games have awesome music, especially on BOS right when the game starts. BOS also has the cool voice that says “It’s a pass!” 2,329 times a games. BOS is a more of a simulation type game, where Ice Hockey is more of the exaggerated arcade version of hockey. Both have cool intermission shows, on BOS you can play a Gradius demo and on Ice Hockey you can watch the zambonies fly around the rink. Both games also possess a shoot-out. Ice Hockey has the traditional breakaway shoot-out, where BOS has a shoot-out that is similar to a PK shoot-out in soccer. Another thing that Ice Hockey has is OT. If the shoot-out ends in a tie, you go to OT with no goalies. However, BOS grabs the upperhand in the end, but only because you can play a tournament on it. Besides this, these two games are a dead heat. Both are great games and a must have for your NES collection.
Bottom Line: Blades of Steel
