Friday, January 27, 2006

Shhhing!


In the comments on my last post, fellow Merrimackian John Koontz brings up a debate that has raged since 'a night with the guys' meant Hires root beer, Cool Ranch Doritos (before they were 'cooler ranch'), persisent NES play, and the ritualistic abuse of younger brothers: just what is the announcer saying in Blades of Steel? 'With the pass?' 'Press the pass?' 'It's a pass'?

A trip over to Gamefaqs didn't answer the question. A quick googling wasn't enough to get the job done either. Wikipedia says it's 'hits the pass', but not definitively enough for me to buy it. Anybody? Anybody want the crown of "King Videogame Hockey Geek"?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I always thought it was "Press for pass" until you guys started saying I was wrong. It still haunts me. A google for "press for pass" & blades of steel didn't turn up anything. So I guess I'm the first loser.

Don't these questions need to be answered? Don't they? For the children.

goose said...

A-rod, just downloaded an emulator and BoS rom and played for a while. Near as I can figure it is "Hits the Pass", though "With the Pass" is also a strong contender. While sources are unconfirmed I can say I'm leaning toward the former.

Johnny said...

Its "Hits the Pass" I am supported by Wikipedia.

This game also features distinct voice technology, which was rare at this time in NES history. Most notably, the voice says "Blades of Steel" during the beginning of the game, "FACEOFF!" before each faceoff, "FIGHT!" when a fight breaks out, and "Hits the pass" whenever the player successfully passes the puck. The arcade version, having better speech software and more memory available to use, offered a much greater variety of sound bites and commentary.

Bow to my Geek.

Mike Garvey said...

I vote for "with the pass", and will always lament the fact that the sabres weren't on that game.

Also, the rhythm of the whistlers in the crowd was always the same. I had that pattern going through my mind for days after an evening of extended play.

Alex said...

Won't someone please think about the children?!?!?

Johnny - I mentioned the Wikipedia entry in my post. I'm still not completely convinced. After all, Wikipedia is written by schmucks like us.

goose said...

I played the rom again over and over to find the exact quote and I can say that I am 99% sure it is "Hits the Pass" due to one fact. The announcer only says it AFTER your teammate receives your pass (unless there is some sort of audio delay on my emulator which is possible, hence the 1% doubt I have) If your pass is intercepted by the defense or off target he doesn't say it. Thus, if it was "with the pass" it would logically make sense that he would say it when you release the pass and not when and if your teammate receives it. Therefore, I'm sticking to "Hits the Pass"