In my journeys through the various retro video game expos, tournaments and events I host, I meet a lot of interesting people who worked on the games we grew up loving.
From folks that imagined the games, coded it line-by-line, actors in the games who did the motions scene-by-scene (sometimes in broom closets because the budget was so small, just ask the Mortal Kombat guys), and countless others.
One of those people is Patrick Hickey Jr., who is a professor and the Assistant Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn. On top of that, he is a video game reporter, having contributed to many outlets, including creating his own, reviewfix.com.
He’s also a massive Islanders fan.
His latest project is a very interesting one. He decided to pick 36 titles from the past, each with their own place in video game history big and small, and interview the developer of the games. Some of the games are titans and remembered fondly. Others were major flops and partly to blame at one point for the demise of the gaming industry.
The book is called “The Minds Behind The Games” and is available for purchase.
Some sports titles also appear in the book.
Here, Pat breaks down his research and interviews for three particular chapters: NHLPA 93, NBA Jam and Mutant League Football:
NHLPA 93: Fighting For Fun Before “If It’s In The Game, It’s In The Game”
This was an important chapter for me because it was the most important game of my childhood. Sure, Mario, Sonic and Donkey Kong were cool, but I was a huge fan of the NHL and this was the game I played the most with my dad as a kid. I needed it for the book. I had to have it.
Mobygames.com is an excellent resource and one not many know about. It has information on thousands of games, including credits on many retro games. It was here I found Michael Brook’s name. He was the producer of the game. From there I found his Facebook profile (making sure it was indeed him by cross-referencing photos and peeking at his friends list – I swear I can be the host of MTV’s ”Catfish” after writing this book) and sent him a pitch. Soon enough, we were on the phone talking about the game.
The best part about talking to Mike was that in order to understand NHLPA 93, you need to know about the development cycles of the original NHL Hockey and NHL 94, so that chapter is really about three great games and not just one.
[Ocal: The King of NHL 94 II Is Crowned]
It blew my mind how the NHL had no interest (at the time) in having their players market themselves via video games. In order to do that, the games needed the NHLPA license, which the original NHL Hockey doesn’t. It was only after the NHL dropped the license because of fighting in the game that the NHLPA was able to play an integral part in the next game, NHLPA 93. By the time NHL 94 came along, both were on board, but fighting had to be removed from the game. As a result, all three games are markedly different from one another. It’s just an example of the politics of the gaming industry that no one gets to see.
NBA Jam: The Birth of Boomshakalaka
I also met Mark Turmell via Facebook and it was easy because every developer I spoke to had him on their friends list. Upon visiting his page, you’re drenched in photos of his family. And it’s anything but a facade. He’s an awesome guy. After he agreed to be a part of the book, we talked for months about everything but video games. He sent me videos of his family on vacation and gave me parenting advice. But with weeks before my manuscript was due, I still had no answers. With just a few days to go, I found out all about this monumental basketball arcade game.
It made a billion dollars in the arcades in the first year, a quarter at a time. No small feat. The NBA also originally denied Midway’s application for the license. This would have been a great game regardless, but without the NBA being a part, it could have been forgotten.
Turmell is a perfectionist and his attention to detail showed immensely when he discussed how he was constantly tweaking the AI in order for the computer to always stay in the game. Playing NBA Jam 25 years later and it’s easy to see him as a master of his craft.
My favorite stories from Mark are about Shaquille O’Neal taking the game on the road with him during the NBA season. They’d take the game into their hotel rooms and even make wagers. I’d kill to be a fly on the wall for a Scott Skiles/Shaq NBA Jam bout.
Mutant League Football: The Gruesome Sports-Hybrid That Could
This is one of the most unique sports games of all-time and one that EA never really understood. And at the same time, they wouldn’t give up the license for Michael Mendheim to continue his work. He had to change the name to Mutant Football League. If you’ve played it on the PS4 or XBox One, it’s like NFL Blitz made love to The Walking Dead. It’s amazing. But 25 years before, he did the same thing, just on a different console. For all intents and purposes, Mutant League Football is just as fun as the first Madden games and has a lot more personality.
All of this is because of Mike. He’s a fighter. When Sam Nelson became producer, the two didn’t get along at first. They went to go play golf and Mike hit his ball near a cliff. He told Nelson that he could get rid of his problem with a push if he really wanted. It was a joke, but it’s proof that Mike was focused on delivering the game he envisioned, Chicago Bears football meets old-school horror flicks.