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11 February 2009
Allow me to cut right to the chase... if you own a PS3 or an XBOX 360, go download 3 on 3 NHL Arcade.Â
That's it. That is my message to you. The game is that fun, and that good.
Okay, now here's why...
NHL Arcade is brought to you by the same folks at EA who brought you NHL 09. They took the fun "essence" from NHL 09, and kicked out the set plays, the sim elements, the line changes, the coaching. Worried? Don't be. Because although the game is very "arcadey",the skill stick controls, moves, passing, dives, hits, and excitement DID make the trip to NHL Arcade. Â
The crisp, intuitive controls, the smashing hits..its all there, and -while being a bit exaggerated, it's still a mega-blast to play.
So how do you play? The first thing you need to learn once you take your first faceoff is that big hits equate to momentary power-ups that slide along the ice near that collission. Those power-ups are fair game for any player that skates over them. What are these power ups? Well, one of them gives you "rocket skates"- allowing you to skate about 3x faster. There's mini goalie (which penalizes the opposing goalie if you are lucky enough to get this power up... that goalie will be about 8 inches tall in the net.) There's supersized goalie- which makes your own goalie 2x as big as he is normally. There's a frozen-in-ice icon that causes one of the opposing skaters to be frozen in the ice for about a minute, essentially giving you a powerplay. There's also "lazer shot" which increases that players' shot speed/velocity/power for a short time.  Sure, these powerups sound silly, but the are very fun and end up adding an unprecedented layer of strategy to the game. For example, when your goalie gets shrunk to 8 inches tall by an opposing player skating over that power-up, you immediately do all you can to crush the opposing puck-handler and secure that puck with good defense. Also, when you see an opposing player with the "big player" power up, you do all you can to make sure the puck doesn't get to him while you are on defense...because once it does, he can't be knocked over. It's just another layer of strategy that adds depth to what is essentially a fast-action acrade game.
As for the players themselves, there's a good cross section of the NHL in terms of stars such as Roenick, Crosby, Malkin, Luongo, Chara, Ovechkin, Pronger, and Heatley..as well as many more. There's only two "teams" in the game (Simply called "Red" & "Blue") and you mix & match the players you want on your team before the game. The players are rated "All Around", "Fast", & "Strong". (For example, Chris Pronger is labeled "strong" and can deliver some crushing hits, but can't handle the puck anywhere near the way Malkin & Crosby can.)
Also, let me warn you ahead of time, the game is addictive, fast, & furious. I've spent too many hours with it already, to be honest. In some ways, it reminds me of the modern equivalent of "ICE HOCKEY" for NES..mixed with "Blades of Steel"...and cross-bred with NHL 09. That's a good thing.
If there's one thing I don't like about the game, it would have to be the limited "team" options. I would have liked some NHL "flair" in selectable uniforms (instead of the same red & blue "all-star" jerseys every game. I guess it makes sense because the teams you pick are a hodgepodge of players from around the league, but graphically..those same red team vs. blue team games get a bit boring to look at from the visuals end, as well as the same rink. Also, online play is only one on one, so unlike big brother NHL 09, this game does not allow the massive multiplayer team mayhem of having more than two palyers playing the various player roles. I think many players who download this game will be very interested to see if EA comes out with any downloadable bonus content for it (uniforms, rinks, etc.) I know I'm hoping for some. Also...hockey fight fans, be advised, there aren't any. There's hard hits, some of which will send your player over the boards and out of play, but no fights.
One other curious omission is the lack of instant replay. A game this action heavy and with such exciting goal-scoring and awesome moves simply cries out for some form of instant replay. Alas, there's none.
But, at the end of the day, this game is still clearly the best $9 I have ever spent on downloadable arcade sports content, and I look forward to taking on my friends. I'm also quite sure that our site's co-founder, Craig Gonzalez, will load up his team with 3 "strong" rated goons when I face him and play his usual brand of caveman hockey. That's okay...we'll see what Sid Crosby has to say about that. ;)
Why are you still reading? Go download.
Review by Scott Hemphill
Consolesports.net
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