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After Further Review: NHL Hitz Pro (PlayStation 2/Xbox/Gamecube, 2003)

As Icetober nears its end, The Ref makes the call on NHL Hitz Pro #AfterFurtherReview:

After the releases of NFL Blitz 2003 and NHL Hitz 2003, Midway decided to change things up with their flagship arcade sports game series for the sixth console generation. While the earlier games had been fairly well-received, the decision was made to push Blitz and Hitz a bit closer to being simulations– but not so close that the pick-up-and-play arcade feel would be lost. Since Hitzdevelopers…

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From The Ref's Office: October 18th, 2016

From The Ref’s Office: October 18th, 2016

Just a quick update as I am teaching in the morning:

I am thrilled to share that I did indeed purchase a Dreamcast while at RetroWorld Expo this past weekend. It was my main goal– I sold off some non-sports games from my collection and most of my NES manuals to get there, but I’m glad I did it. It was important for this project that I have a Dreamcast, because of its significance in the sports…

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After Further Review: NHL Rock the Rink (PlayStation, 2000)

The Ref makes the call on NHL Rock the Rink for the PlayStation, #AfterFurtherReview:

NHL Rock the Rink is an arcade-style hockey game that flew under the radar of many PlayStation owners in the early months of the year 2000. There was already an NHL game– NHL 2000— that EA Sports had released in late September of 1999 that was a really solid entry in the long-running series. There was also the issue of the game’s release timing, as it launched in late February of 2000, which…

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From the Ref's Office: October 14th, 2016

From the Ref’s Office: October 14th, 2016

The weekend is finally here– and this is no ordinary weekend. It’s time for RetroWorld Expo, and I’m looking forward to being there. I’ve been looking forward to seeing my friends from Retroware, as well as getting the chance to meet some of my favorite video creators (including Pat The NES Punk, The Game Chasers, The Gaming Historian, Gamester81, Pixel Dan, and more).

I have my fingers crossed…

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In The Booth: FOX NHL Championship 2000 (PlayStation, 1999)

The Ref is #InTheBooth with FOX NHL Championship 2000 for the PlayStation:

The PlayStation– thanks to the CD-ROM format– really helped to push presentation in sports video games forward. More storage space on compact discs allowed for full-motion video, CD-quality music, and significant amounts of commentary. Ideas for TV-style presentations that were birthed during the 16-bit era were refined and expanded upon during the PlayStation generation.

FOX NHL Championship…

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The Film Room: NHL Open Ice (Arcade/PlayStation)

The Ref laces up his skates to take on NHL Open Ice in this edition of #TheFilmRoom:

After writing a bit about NHL Open Ice within this month’s 1st And 10 piece, I took some time to jump in front of the camera to talk about the game a bit more… but to also play a period, so that those of you who hadn’t heard of the game or hadn’t seen it in motion could get a feel for the kind of game that it is.

It’s worth…

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Convention Announcement: RetroWorld Expo 2016

The Ref is going to be at @RetroWorldExpo in Wallingford, CT on October 15th and 16th:

RetroWorld Expo is a convention that revolves primarily around retro video games. It features guests and panels, arcade and console games to play, musical acts, vendors and shops selling video games, and more. This year’s event takes place over two days, October 15th and 16th, at the Toyota Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, CT.

Last…

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October 1st and 10: Favorite Hockey Video Games

The Ref's #1stAnd10 list for October covers his 10 favorite hockey video games:

It’s almost the start of a new month, and that means it’s time for a new 1st and 10 piece. With the NHL preseason underway, it made sense to make this month’s list about hockey. There is no shortage of hockey video games to consider, including in arcades and on consoles. Since I can only include ten games on this list, it was tough to make the final cut… but, just like in the pros, not everyone…

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The Film Room: Midway and the Nintendo 64 In honor of the Nintendo 64's 20th anniversary earlier this week, I sat down in front of the camera and talked a little bit about Midway's arcade sports game presence on the console.

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Ref Retrospectives: Sony PlayStation and SEGA Dreamcast

The Ref looks back on the PlayStation & the Dreamcast in this first #RefRetrospectives:

September 9th marks the release anniversaries of two important video game consoles here in the United States: The Sony PlayStation and the SEGA Dreamcast. The two consoles are among my favorites of all time, with both sports games and other games that make them memorable for me.

September 9th, 1995 was the launch date of the PlayStation. Among its launch titles was a port of NBA JAM Tournament…

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Scouting Report: Jerry Rice and Nitus' Dog Football (Wii)

The Ref gives his #ScoutingReport on Jerry Rice & Nitus' Dog Football for the Wii:

So… here’s an oddity for football season. Jerry Rice and Nitus’ Dog Football was released in August of 2011 for the Nintendo Wii. It’s not quite NFL Blitz gone to the dogs, but Dog Football does draw some inspiration from Blitz and one other Midway coin-op. More on that as we go.

The basic idea in Dog Footballis that each team has a human quarterback and a set of six dogs on offense, and seven…

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September 1st and 10: Favorite Football Video Games

A new month means a new #1stAnd10! This month: The Ref's favorite football video games:

Football season is almost upon us, and there’s a cornucopia of football video games for fans to choose from as we get ready to ring in another NFL campaign. There’s no better time than now to list ten of my favorite games. There’s no particular order to this list, so number one isn’t necessarily Number One. With that said… it’s time to blow the whistle and get this 1st and 10 list underway!

1. M…

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Ref's Roll Call: SNES Sports Game Recommendations

For the SNES' 25th anniversary, The Ref makes a few sports game recommendations:

This month marks the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System here in the United States. The console has a lot of great games that cover several different genres, from platformers to action games to RPGs. In terms of sports video games, however, the Super NES isn’t held in as high regard as its 16-bit competitor– the SEGA Genesis. Many EA Sportsgames, for example,…

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What did I think of John Elway's Quarterback #AfterFurtherReview? https://retroreferee.com/2016/08/19/after-further-review-john-elways-quarterback-nes-1987/

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After Further Review: John Elway's Quarterback (NES, 1987)

#AfterFurtherReview, The Ref makes his call on John Elway's Quarterback for the NES:

The Nintendo Entertainment System has a few football games in its library that are based on arcade games. Tecmo Bowl, released for the NES in 1989, is arguably the strongest game in this category. Like Ninja Gaiden, Tecmo Bowl deviates some from its coin-op cousin and delivers a fantastic at-home experience as a result. Cyberball, a futuristic game of robotic football, was converted to the NES by

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In The Booth: ESPN NFL Primetime 2002 (PS2/XBOX)

The Ref goes #InTheBooth and looks at the presentation of ESPN NFL Primetime 2002:

When you think of ESPN video games, chances are that you don’t remember the series of sports games from Konami from 2000-2002. That’s understandable, as these games released during the sixth generation of video game consoles, really weren’t that remarkable. The games were generally average in quality, with ESPN MLS Extra Time 2002 being the best of the lot with a Metacritic score of 77. What was…

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Football is a rough game for the officials, too.