Great party game, not the same thing once solo
Believe it or not, EA Sports has made an Arcade Hockey game now available on both consoles. It’s been a while since we’ve seen the appearance of a title of this sort since the NHL Hitz Series. EA Sports wanted to please the Hockey fans in giving them the chance to play unrealistic hockey with big hits and entertaining power-ups.
We’ve always complained about EA Sports for not going a step further to add the arcade modes to their Simulated versions. Now with the arrival of 3 on 3 NHL Arcade we can officially stop complaining. Now let’s talk about this new game!
After long months of waiting and reading released information about the game, I was finally able to play. The game let’s you create you teams off a database of 40 different NHL Superstars, pick 3 forwards and a net minder, and then lets you choose your team colour. The game offers three type of players: fast, strong, and all-around. This keeps everything simple, as it should be for an arcade game.
Once you've chosen your players, you decide your controls with two different control schemes, button mode and the skill stick. The Button mode is for gamers that aren’t into hardcore gaming. I you are familiar with NHL 09, the Skill stick delivers more control with your player and brings more into the game.
Now let’s get on the ice. Once you press start to play the game, the loading screen with the ice appears, but then it turns black and gives you a countdown to press X to start the game... Not the greatest way to start a game, in my opinion. Once this last step is done you see the players align to start the game, then the puck suddenly drops from the sky and it's time to shine.
Once you’ve started, you can't wait to deliver the first hit of the game! This is great fun, the hits are crazy, the powers-up are fun, and the goaltender are hittable. One thing that's sad about the goalies is that you can’t choose him once your opponent is left alone with him-- too bad, seems like a basic feature in today’s world.
This game is not intended for solo gaming; you'll stop playing after a day. But this is a good buy when you have friends around, when you can take part of an online game or join a local game. On the ps3 you can play 3 vs. 3, which is great. The game is simple, but EA must implant more content into it.
The Overtime
This game offers a unique way to play hockey with great power-ups to bring laughs and fun, although after a couple of games it gets repetitive. I feel much more should have been added into this title. There’s no season mode or tournament mode, and limits you too much. Hockey gamers will be disappointed. The fact that you can’t choose your favorite team, arenas, and that there are no unlockables makes this game very poor in content considering today's standards. The gameplay is solid though, and the power ups are unique and sometimes funny, especially once you get the chance to shrink the net minder. Hopefully the next version has a stronger presentation, since not much was implemented in this one.
Buy or not to buy
NHL Arcade is a party game, if you often have some friends over or play online on a daily basic this game is a great buy. But if your more independent, you rather want to save the $10 elsewhere.
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Ratings for 3 on 3 NHL Arcade
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Rating
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Description |
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4.0
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Presentation This Downloadable game has no presentation at all, which surprises you if you’re familiar with their Simulated Version. Here’s a list of what they have: no player introductions, no cut scenes, no end-game celebrations. nothing! |
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8.5
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Graphics Strong graphics! This is the same engine as NHL 09, so it’s a no brainer! Great looking game! |
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7.0
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Sound |
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7.0
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Gameplay Controls are easy to memorize if you are familiar with their simulated based game NHL 09. Although the trick goal is depressive, they only inserted one trick shot and in today’s gaming world, that's weak. So, yet again, the game limits you and then frustrates the buyer. |
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6.5
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Online Gaming The online gaming has one huge hole, and that’s the fact that you are not able to play with your friends on the same team, but on separate console. If you want to play 3 vs. 3 you need one console per team. |
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6.0
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Achievements / Trophies The Developers should of add more of them, you don’t feel satisfied when you realized that you’ve completed the list within two hours. |
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6.5
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Single Gameplay Overal |
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7.5
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Multiplayer Gameplay Overall |