In the last ten years or so, ice hockey games have become a lot more realistic, and that has alienated a lot of players from parts of the world where the sport is not popular who do not fully understand the intricacies of the game. With 3 on 3 NHL Arcade, EA has decided to make a game that’s all about fast action, big scores and bigger hits, and it’s quite fun, just not for as long as it should be.

3 on 3 NHL Arcade resembles the pond hockey mini-game that used to be included with the main NHL games – it’s a bit of a bummer that you have to pay for something that used to be free, but that’s become a fact of life in the HD generation. It’s a much less serious game of hockey; there’s no referee, no rule book, and the players look like giant bobbleheads on skates. Basic graphics are roughly on the same level as NHL 09, though the sound effects are executed with that dopey “xtreme attitude” we’ve come to associate with EA Sports Freestyle, and are guaranteed to have you shaking your head in shame.


Each team has three players plus a goalie and players select their men from a list of 40 NHL superstars. Sadly, players are unable to pick an actual team from the current list of 30 NHL teams, and are instead limited to a generic red or blue team. This seems like a strange design decision, given that the game bears the official NHL license. Among the players included in the game are hockey wunderkind Sidney Crosby, veteran enforcer Chris Pronger, and league MVP Alexander Overchkin. Not all of the picks will make sense to hockey fans, however.

On the ice, the name of your player doesn’t really matter, as there are no skill ratings or unique abilities. Players are lumped into one of three categories; strong, fast or all-round, which only really affects their size when it comes to body checking. What will change your players’ abilities however, is the variety of power-ups which appear on the ice throughout a match. It’s the usual selection of arcade sports powers; super speed, super strength, giant size boosts, points multipliers and so on, but it does make for a bit of fun.

Players have two choices of how to control the action in 3 on 3 NHL Arcade; the simulation-style skill stick controls featured in NHL 09, or the three button control style of 16-bit favourite NHL 94. The latter style is far more suited to the arcade style of gameplay of 3 on 3, allowing for rapid shots without the big wind-up required by the simulation controls. You won’t notice it so much when playing against the AI, but it’s a significant difference when playing against human opponents.


With only one play mode, 3 on 3 NHL Arcade’s long term value is very limited. There are a few different modifiers for your matches, like playing based on time or to a set score, but nothing beyond that. The AI offers very little challenge, and apart from unlocking achievements or trophies (which are extremely easy to get), there’s really no reason to play the game alone. Playing against humans is quite fun, and the game has surprisingly good network code, with little in the way of lag experienced during play-testing.

3 on 3 NHL Arcade provides a fun game of hockey, but it doesn’t seem like EA has put enough into the product to justify the price, even if it is only 800 points. It’s an arcade game through and through, but it doesn’t seem to have the same level of detail presented in other arcade sports titles, and its presentation is totally obnoxious. Truth be told, you can experience all the good that 3 on 3 NHL Arcade has to offer in the demo, unless you’re after some easy achievement points or trophies.