NHL arcade is one of those games you either love or hate. It?s a classic reminder of the sheer fun sports games can be before they strived for realism ? if you remember ?Big head modes? in older sports titles you understand where I?m coming from. The game itself is available (for a fee) to download on Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network.
The first sign of the shift in style is the opening logos. Many gamers will be familiar with the EA sports franchise, but a new ?freestyle? logo is used, with lots of color and mystery. Hockey has never been a particularly big sport (in gaming), as a result EA have yet to produce a ?street? version of the sport ? unlike rivals Football (Soccer and American football both have street spin-off?s) and Basketball. Hence the reason why the team that produced the highly praised game NHL 09, has created it.
The games graphics are fun and colorful, an obvious attempt to hide the sheer brutality that takes place inside the rink. Players are split into two teams - Red and Blue, before choosing players. Here they can choose from 40 professionals ? not that it makes any difference. You see, all the players look near identical. They are also split into classes, mainly Fast, All-rounder, Strong or Goalie. I?m just going to leave you to figure out what they mean.
You may have glanced at the above video and thought ?What?s he talking about ? brutality?? Well, there are no rules, no referees ? let the carnage commence! Players are actively encouraged to hit each other with their sticks, or push each other to the ground. This is sounding more like a street version every second?
Relax; nobody gets injured in this family friendly game. Instead players can earn power-ups after hurling their big headed rivals to the floor ? many of which are standard in this form of genre, A powerful shot, A larger player, scoring gives you 2 goals instead of one, all for a short time. Then again, there are the more inventive ideas ? such as a banana floating across the rink, or the comically short goalkeeper.
A game such as this relies heavily on its gameplay, and NHL Arcade is very enjoyable. It?s fast, addictive and fun. Players move smoothly, shooting is easy, and the tricks are fun to watch. There are two control schemes ? face buttons with allows the regular controls such as Shoot, pass, trick shot and spin. Or the ?trick stick? from NHL 09. This stick allows a variety of interesting trick to bamboozle your opponent?s defense.
The game comes with a ?Play now? option ? that simply allows the player to battle with the computer. The real fun with the game comes with online. If you have a couple of friends over, this game is perfect. A reminder of the realistic versions Be a Pro mode is strong here, as players control one player each and must work as a team. Unfortunately, this option is not available over PSN or XBL. Possibly due to time constraints ? none the less the game is still enjoyable, but leaving out this option may have effects on its play-time if you?re not a huge hockey fan, or get bored of the core mechanics.
In short, I recommend you check out this game, if only download the demo. It?s a great way to kill some time, particularly with some friends.
The first sign of the shift in style is the opening logos. Many gamers will be familiar with the EA sports franchise, but a new ?freestyle? logo is used, with lots of color and mystery. Hockey has never been a particularly big sport (in gaming), as a result EA have yet to produce a ?street? version of the sport ? unlike rivals Football (Soccer and American football both have street spin-off?s) and Basketball. Hence the reason why the team that produced the highly praised game NHL 09, has created it.
The games graphics are fun and colorful, an obvious attempt to hide the sheer brutality that takes place inside the rink. Players are split into two teams - Red and Blue, before choosing players. Here they can choose from 40 professionals ? not that it makes any difference. You see, all the players look near identical. They are also split into classes, mainly Fast, All-rounder, Strong or Goalie. I?m just going to leave you to figure out what they mean.
You may have glanced at the above video and thought ?What?s he talking about ? brutality?? Well, there are no rules, no referees ? let the carnage commence! Players are actively encouraged to hit each other with their sticks, or push each other to the ground. This is sounding more like a street version every second?
Relax; nobody gets injured in this family friendly game. Instead players can earn power-ups after hurling their big headed rivals to the floor ? many of which are standard in this form of genre, A powerful shot, A larger player, scoring gives you 2 goals instead of one, all for a short time. Then again, there are the more inventive ideas ? such as a banana floating across the rink, or the comically short goalkeeper.
A game such as this relies heavily on its gameplay, and NHL Arcade is very enjoyable. It?s fast, addictive and fun. Players move smoothly, shooting is easy, and the tricks are fun to watch. There are two control schemes ? face buttons with allows the regular controls such as Shoot, pass, trick shot and spin. Or the ?trick stick? from NHL 09. This stick allows a variety of interesting trick to bamboozle your opponent?s defense.
The game comes with a ?Play now? option ? that simply allows the player to battle with the computer. The real fun with the game comes with online. If you have a couple of friends over, this game is perfect. A reminder of the realistic versions Be a Pro mode is strong here, as players control one player each and must work as a team. Unfortunately, this option is not available over PSN or XBL. Possibly due to time constraints ? none the less the game is still enjoyable, but leaving out this option may have effects on its play-time if you?re not a huge hockey fan, or get bored of the core mechanics.
In short, I recommend you check out this game, if only download the demo. It?s a great way to kill some time, particularly with some friends.
