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Phil Spencer from Microsoft thoughts to say about console tribalism, and it made me think about the ridiculous back and forth about NHL94 SNES and Gens bickering that goes on day in and day out on stream chats, forum posts, Discord, and Facebook.

Both of the mainstream versions(gens/snes) have passionate players attached to them, and thus we have this amazing community of individuals who continue to celebrate BOTH versions of the game.

I personally play both, and have about a 60/40 preference of Gens over SNES.  That being said, despite owning a SNES and not a Genesis, I didn't play the SNES version as a kid(I had a PC and played NHL Hockey on DOS).  Because of the console tribalism, and the popularity of the Genesis as a great sports game platform, I started there.  People I spoke with made it seem like SNES was somehow trash(spoiler, it isn't), and after taking horrible advice, wasted a couple of years not enjoying this great hockey game, instead focusing entirely on Genesis.

I'm not telling people that they need to start playing the "other" version, but perhaps we can stop crapping all over something that obviously so many of us enjoy, just because it's different.  Also, if you do take a moment and try the other version, it won't kill you.  It's not a bad game, it's just different than the one you played, because it was developed by an entirely different company, released on a different timetable.

For all you Genesis players, here' are some good reasons why the SNES version can be enjoyable :

1) The passing tends to be more accurate in no line change games.

2) There is no weight bug, so the big guys are harder to knock down.  This would seem to mirror reality.

3) Goalie control is initiated instantly by a dedicated button, instead of the the delay on Genesis.

4) You can force control a defenseman of choice if you turn on the feature, in addition to the closest skater, giving you more flexibility in your defensive strategy. 

5) It's a lot easier to score with dekes against CPU controlled goalies.

6) The goalie a team has isn't particularly important, so you won't get shut down offensively just because you face Belfour or Roy on CPU control.

7) Controller select is a nice feature when wanting to swap home/away ice in a local two player game.(yes I know RA allows you to swap this out on the fly on Gens)

8) There seems to be a wider skill gap between the bottom tier and top tier skaters, so if you're a line change guy, you can really feel the pain of trying to complete passes and scoring in the garbage tiers.

9) Gens players tend to pick up SNES and have some success much quicker than the other way around, as the game has fewer paper/rock/scissor approaches to goal scoring, and less things to worry about like the weight bug.  Also, the gap between good players and really good players isn't as far apart as in Genesis, so it won't take long to put up a fight.

For the SNES players, here are some reasons why Genesis may be a good diversion for you

1) Genesis is a deeper game strategically. There are more bread and butter/common ways of scoring besides dekes/wraparounds/one timers/crease cuts.  Examples such as the slapshot, the pass shot, the EA special(quick shot mishandled by the goalie then put back), floaters, and goal crashing.   Not all of these things are easy to do, but when mastered greatly improve the offensive chances of highly skilled players.  This means that the top Genesis players tend to separate from the rest of the pack due to said mastery.  The weight bug is what it is, but it does offer a different level of strategy to master with in the game.  Balancing lighter/faster players with bigger options for CB checking is all something to consider when building your lineups to counter your opponents' lines.  In addition, this means that you're not in a situation where it can be very difficult to overcome the size advantages of guys like Eric Lindros, if you don't have a big guy to counter with in the SNES version.  Again, if you haven't figured how to manage this, you'll be on your heels in your own zone, or hearing your opponent's organ music playing, however, if you know about how to manage this, it gives you a leg up on the completion. 

2) There are differences in the goalies, and there are only two elite ones, Roy and Belfour.  That means you can't bring weak sauce slappers to these guys and expect to score.   Likewise there are some real sieves at their tier, like Hrudey and Vernon at their tier, and of course, our all time favorite sieves, Don Beupre and Guy Hebert.

3) The gameplay is fluid, the sprite work is amazing, and the overall feel of the skating is very well done in the game.

5) Goaltender Interference penalties are not nearly as common, so drawing penalties through intentional contact initiated by the tendie isn't common.

6) Intentionally knocking off your own net from the marsh pegs on Genesis with your tendie really isn't a thing.  There are players in SNES who use this tactic to get a whistle on a breakaway, and are reasonably successful at it.  Because most tournaments use the "It's in the game" approach, this isn't banned, and can be an issue.

 

In any event, I hope we can stop taking a verbal dump on a version of the game loved by so many.  You don't have to like both.  They're both great for their own reasons, but if you don't like one let it go.

 

Here is the tweet regarding Phil Spencer's comments on the tribal mentality with console owners.

https://twitter.com/verge/status/1331248466870333446?s=20

Edited by Edge of '94 Midwest
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2 hours ago, Edge of '94 Midwest said:

You don't have to like both.  They're both great for their own reasons, but if you don't like one let it go.

Speaking as a decorated veteran of the Great Console War, of the early 90's, it would have been a cold day in hell, during the conflict, when I would have agreed with this statement. The dedicated 12 year old, I was, would have called you a "retarded-spaz," (you were allowed to, back then), for not recognizing the superiority of the SNES. 

But, now, in my more mature years, I fully endorse this message of peace. :dal_skater_hand_grab:

I urge everyone of my brothers and sisters to do the same, we fought our war, but that war is over now... I, like my fellow Soldiers of SNES once took pride in knowing we came out of the conflict, the clear victors, there are some, I know, who still do. But, I say to them, did we win? I mean, in the long run? Sure the SNES hardware had the clear advantage in colors and sprites, as well as more flexible hardware that was able to expand with newer tech included in game cartridges, but the Genesis was black, and that was good too. 

Let us all, together, end this petty rivalry, once and for all. :thumbs_up:

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2 hours ago, Edge of '94 Midwest said:

I'm not telling people that they need to start playing the "other" version, but perhaps we can stop crapping all over something that obviously so many of us enjoy, just because it's different. 

That is a great, well thought out post.  Thanks for that. :)

In the quote above, I do think for 99.9% of people, it is all in good fun, poking fun at the other system.  As a community, I know I appreciate the SNES guys. (Hell, Halifax is SNES, and he is one of the pillars here!)

I do prefer GENs, but you guessed it, that is what I was introduced to 25 years ago, or whatever it is now.  Had it been SNES, well that would be my fave, no doubt.

I have played SNES a bit.  But for a couple hours, versus thousands of hours on GENS.  But I do think GENs is a "deeper" game. (I am not saying "better".)

Reason 1: The Weight Bug/CB checking
So a flaw in the source code makes it a richer and more demanding game.  That is ironic that something broken enhances it; at a high level, anyway. 
Reason 2: Pass shots
Pass shots happen more in GEN's, and in more varieties, which are also high level skills that make it richer. From what I gather, anyway.

On a side note, I suck at CB checking and pass shots, so the skill requirement effectively weeds me out. No doubt if I played SNES, I would be challenging for the top spot. (Joke.)

Anyway, great post, Edge of '94 Midwest. :)

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To be fair, I started it.

The fact that I, Clock J. Wise, AKA Jesusplaysnhl94, AKA Jesus, AKA Jebus, AKA  Hāso͞os', AKA David Lo Pan, AKA Frank Dux, AKA Chester Copperpot, AKA Tom Servo, AKA The OG; now play SNES, shows how much we've grown together.

C9J7Ppz.png

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1 hour ago, clockwise said:

 

The fact that I, Clock J. Wise, AKA Jesusplaysnhl94, AKA Jesus, AKA Jebus, AKA  Hāso͞os', AKA David Lo Pan, AKA Frank Dux, AKA Chester Copperpot, AKA Tom Servo, AKA The OG; now play SNES, shows how much we've grown together.

 

Aka...

The legendary 'Big Lebowski' spin-off movie is finally happening - Business  Insider

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  • 3 weeks later...

As a card carrying Nintendo fanboy, I admittedly argued with the Sega kids about how much they sucked for obvious reasons.
[we owned a SNES and could not afford to get a Genesis too, so obviously they sucked]
But once my brother bought a used Genesis off a buddy, I had to secretly acknowledge that both consoles had their merits and would bounce back and forth between F-Zero and NHLPA '93.

Also, since you mentioned it,

On 11/25/2020 at 2:55 PM, Sauce said:

Aka...

you knew this was coming.
The Dude Yeah Well You Know Thats Just Like Your Opinion Man GIF - TheDude  YeahWellYouKnowThatsJustLikeYourOpinionMan - Disc… | The big lebowski,  Dude, Jeff bridges

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