- NA release: 5th April 1999
- PAL: release: September 1999
- JP release: N/A
- Developer: Konami
- Publisher: Konami
- N64 Magazine Score: 69%
Another ice hockey game, and this one is rather drab. Everything seems very washed out, and the “ice” looks like a strange mottled grey carpet rather than ice. This dull feeling extends to the gameplay, which is rather slow and clunky.
Turning is also a nightmare, many times my controlled character would just refuse to do so, other times they’d stop in the ice. I checked if this was an emulator issue, but an IGN review mentioned similar issues. I also found that the time a goalkeeper can have the puck before it causes a penalty is far too short, and will happen every time he has the ball, even if he’s in the process of standing up before he can pass.
Poor
Most of the time, it’s easier to simply charge goalwards like a loon with a cry of “Coming through!”, leaving your team-mates wondering when you last took your lithium suppliment.
James Price, N64 Magazine #27
Remake or Remaster?
There are better Ice Hockey games to focus on.
Official Ways to get the game
There’s no official way to play NHL Blades of Steel ’99
N64 Games by Date
1997: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
1998: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
1999: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2000: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec