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It's a sign of the quality of a game when the fun factor is so high that it transcends
time and causes painful dents in your hands. Legendary games like Super Mario Brothers,
Double Dragon, and Contra are shining examples of 8-bit greatness, but in the sports category,
there are a select few that will make for great video gaming action. Sitting on top
of the highest mountain in classic sports gaming is the skate-and-shooter Blades of
Steel, a Konami creation that has made for fond memories for a lot of gamers. From the
time the puck drops to the moment you realize that you have to score at least eight goals
to win, this game will hook you in and never let go. Of course, the reasons why may vary.
This is as extreme as a hockey game gets, as you'll be rewarded for winning fights.
That's right, throw as many bombs as you can at a challenger and once he falls, he gets
carried off to the penalty box, and you are free to carry the puck. No stoppage in play,
no BS. Here's the catch, however. Instigate a fight in front of your own net, and your
opponent will be awarded a penalty shot. Whether or not this tickles the fancy of hockey enthusiasts
out there is irrelevant. This definitely wasn't made for hockey fans, it was made for gamers
in an age of platformers and games where high score was king. This is also evident in the
strange uniforms the players wear. Ok, maybe Toronto has the right idea with all blue colors,
but damn, Edmonton. Lime green? Upon further research, I found out that the colors were
meant to reflect what each city's NFL and CFL teams wore at the time. The crowds are
raucous and loud, cheering on each fight as much as they will a goal for the home team.
Adding to the atmosphere is the jumbotron graphics that appear during every second intermission,
complete with onomatopoeia and the game's universal mascot, a bear with a sweater on.
Kind of a mix between Brutus Buckeye and an anthropomorphic white bear. As I said before,
goals come tumbling out of this game, and as a result, you will be letting in quite
a few. The reason: you have to control one of your skaters and your goaltender at the
same time, and this makes for a lot of frustration and easy goals. Fortunately, scoring goals
for your team is just as easy. No offside, so make sure you keep the puck in their zone
and slap away. Eight teams are available for play, four out of the original six teams plus
Los Angeles, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Minnesota, with no real difference between any of the
teams. Hard to find in video games in 1988 were voice samplings, and Konami did very
well to add these in when necessary. You'll hear them from the beginning of the contest,
to the outbreak of a fight, to the crash and burn of a skater getting knocked on his wallet.
It's all very well done for the time, and adds extra flair to the high-flying action
of this game. Blades of Steel may have been your very first video game. It may be a game
that slipped through the cracks. But if you're ready for a fast-paced, action-packed 8 bit
experience, Blades of Steel is as good as any.