Ice Hockey is a 1988 sports title developed and published by Nintendo. Its main release was on the Famicom Disk System and NES but was later playable on both Wii and Wii U via the Virtual Console platform.
While Ice Hockey was popular upon release, time has been kind to it. Its Wii re-release meant that critics could reevaluate it through a modern lens, with many feeling the game’s fun factor holds up to this day.
Ice Hockey Premise
©Screenshot from Ice Hockey.
The gameplay of Nintendo’s Ice Hockey is as simple as you might expect. Players can play against either the computer or a friend in Vs. mode, in 5v5 chaos that resembles the real sport. The game offers three different character types for players, each striking a balance between speed and strength. In-game, the objective of every match is simple: score more goals than your opponent.
Much like real ice hockey, the game features fighting, with multiple players from each team joining in. After each fight, one player from the losing team is placed in the penalty box temporarily.
Beyond this, Ice Hockey doesn’t have too much to offer, with the lack of variety in the game modes really limiting the experience.
Ice Hockey Main Characters
©Screenshot from Ice Hockey.
As a sports game, Ice Hockey doesn’t feature any main characters. The game isn’t licensed by the NHL either, so unfortunately you won’t find any of the famous ice hockey players from that era. It instead uses a series of international teams, with a few on offer to play as during gameplay.
- United States
- Japan (Famicom Disk System only)
- Sweden (NES only)
- Czechoslovakia
- Canada
- Poland
- Soviet Union
Ice Hockey Titles in the Series
©Screenshot from Ice Hockey.
Nintendo’s attempt at ice hockey was a one-and-done situation. The company never followed it up with a sequel, leaving 1988’s Ice Hockey as the only game in the series.
Any need for further titles in the series was soon made redundant anyway. The 1991 release of NHL Hockey gave players an officially licensed version of the sport to play, with the NHL series continuing to this day.
- Ice Hockey (1988)
Ice Hockey Cheat Codes
©Screenshot from Ice Hockey.
Ice Hockey only has two cheats available out of the box, and you’ll need two controllers to make them work.
The first of these is the Speedy Puck cheat. This speeds up the game massively as the puck rapidly moves around the rink. To use this cheat, start a new game and select speed, teams, and time. Then, hold A+B on both controllers at the same time, and hit Start on the second controller.
Next up is the No Goalies cheat code. To activate this, hold A+B on both controllers while at the title screen, then press Start on the first controller. This will make it so that goalies no longer exist in the game, making every game extremely high-scoring.
Ice Hockey Game Genie Codes
If the previous couple of cheats aren’t enough for you, there’s another option available. If you play the NES version of the game on an emulator, you can use Game Genie codes to open up the gameplay possibilities via cheats. These should be entered in the Cheats section of your emulator.
| Cheat Code | Cheat Code Effect |
|---|---|
| OZSLSGSU AYSLVGKA SZUUKGSP | Makes all players much faster. |
| ETVETTEY EVEETTEY | Allows both players to select the same team. |
| SXOXVLAX SXUZXLAX SZEZELAX | Freezes the goalie on the opposing team. |
| OEAKSV | Adds glowing flags. |
| SAAEPO | Removes all music and sound effects. |
| ZOPEAI | Makes it so that only two-player games are allowed. |
| SEOAKSOU | Makes players only go to the top and bottom of the rink. |
| IASEXY | Makes all players stay at the bottom of the rink. |
| IEOKEY | Adds shy players. |
| YANEUGYE | Allows you to start a match with 15 minutes instead of seven. |
| TPNEUGYE | Allows you to start a match with 30 minutes instead of seven. |
| IZNEUGYE | Allows you to start a match with 45 minutes instead of seven. |
| GLNEUGYE | Allows you to start a match with 60 minutes instead of seven. |
| OPNEUGYE | Allows you to start a match with 99 minutes instead of seven. |
| GUKGXTLO | Makes the timer count down at normal real-time speed. |
| TZVOASYX | Makes it so that when the computer or player two scores, it counts toward player one’s score instead. |
Ice Hockey Cheat Code FAQ
©Screenshot from Ice Hockey.
Does Ice Hockey Have Achievements?
No. Despite the re-releases on both the Wii and Wii U, no achievements were ever added to the game by Nintendo.
Do Ice Hockey Cheats Work on Any Platform?
The two base game cheats should be fine to work on any version of the game, whether you’re playing on an emulator, a NES, or one of the more recent re-releases.
However, the Game Genie cheats only work on two specific versions. The first is the emulated version, which most still playing the game in the modern day will be playing. The second is the original NES version. To use these, you must own a NES Game Genie cartridge, and this can be quite hard to come by in this day and age.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Screenshot from Ice Hockey..