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Armchair Athletics: Ice Hockey

I expect my brother to punch me when I score, even when alone

In this segment I'm going to examine how a sport translates into a video game.  The first sport I'll be looking at: hockey.  Out of all the sports that have been turned into video games over the years hockey translates into the most enjoyable experience.  First, there are very few stoppages in play in hockey and that allows for continuous gameplay.  Second, the simplicity of the sport (pass the puck, shoot the puck) makes for a frantic, arcade-like experience that's easy to pick up.  Third, hockey is easily the most violent sport outside of boxing and MMA.  Checking into the boards, knocking opponents on their backs as they come up ice add to the appeal of the game.  And, of course, fighting is a big part of hockey.  Fighting creates a mini-game within hockey where players get to take a break from trying to light the lamp and try to light up their opponents face.

My earliest experience with hockey video games was part of my first experience with video games as a whole.  I was given NES as a christmas present in when I was three and among the first few games I had was Ice Hockey.  Ice Hockey is based on international play, so you get to choose your favorite country provided its the USA, USSR, Canada, Poland, Sweden or Czechoslovakia.  Though it lacks a fighting mini-game, a player can engage other players with his stick to either wrestle the puck away or instigate a fight by rapidly pressing the B button (you don't get to decide which).  Should a fight break out, all the players on the ice lunge into the fray until the ref takes one away and puts them into the penalty box (randomly). My favorite aspect of Ice Hockey is that you have to control your own goalie by using Up and Down while he's on screen.  Being forced to constantly multitask getting the puck back and at the same keeping the puck out of the net creates a sense of chaos that still makes me scream and tilt my NES controller side to side as if it will help.

Fast forward to present day.  As systems have become more advanced, so has hockey gameplay.  From everything to adjusting the lineups to deke-ing out defenders on your way to the net, hockey has evolved from basic its basic NES roots to Next-Gen caliber level of depth.  However, the fast-paced, back-and-forth onslaught of passes and slapshots still holds true.  Nowhere is this more exemplified than in NHL 10.  NHL 10 has different modes of play (career, season, online), updatable rosters, great graphics on and off the ice (best crowd animation in any sports game) and an easy to learn but hard to master control setup.

When it comes to consistently producing a solid video game that can attract players outside and inside a sports fandom,hockey simply outplays the rest.

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