Go back to the roots of old-school hockey in Old Time Hockey. Play in the fictional leagues, and skate and bash your way to the top. A more unique approach to the 1970’s style of hockey going back to its roots in small towns and small venues.
General Gameplay
As expected the game is hockey, but what makes it more interesting is that it has a more brutal approach to the game with more ice fights, blood and the brutality that made hockey what it was back in the day. The gameplay’s viewing perspective is top-down, similar to NHL 94, and the gameplay is geared toward the old-school style of hockey gameplay that you would see in the late 90’s on the game consoles. The game plays as though it was from the 90’s.
Audio
Old Time Hockey has commentary that you would hear in most sports games, detailing the action and accompanied by some “rink music” that you would hear at a hockey game. From the slap shots to the checks on the ice, everything sounds right for Old Time Hockey. The game has a mature rating, and one of the many reasons for the rating is the language used in the songs. Some of the songs in the game have some profane words which are not appropriate for younger gamers. The game is in 5.1 surround sound but also sounds well in the headset. There are some adjustments that are needed for headset use in the game’s audio, but these are just minor changes (mostly volume). As with any extended use of headphones for gaming, please take caution and take breaks in between gaming sessions played with headsets.
Visuals
The visuals really make the game stand out. It is a mixture of bright colors with an infusion of the kind of graphics that you would see in a Nintendo 64 game. Is that a bad thing? No, the graphics actually add a uniqueness to the way the game is presented. The game has an off-white shade to the ice, giving the appearance of a light sepia tone to the game’s background, which adds to the feel of hockey from the late 70’s. The game is visually sharp in how things are presented, but during our playtesting, we did have some trouble seeing some of the names and numbers on the jerseys. With some minor setting changes we were able to fix this, so if the game graphics seem off for you, simply do some setting adjustments in the game and/or your monitor (if it’s your preference to do so) and you should be fine. Old Time Hockey is an M-rated title, as there are times at which blood is on the ice after fights, and there are knock-downs during the match. Again, this is a game that is more geared toward an older audience, so this does add to the flavor of how hockey was back in the late 70’s (more on the violence in our family friendly section). During our playtesting we did notice that the game was harder to keep up with visually when the action was picking up on the screen, but this was a minor issue that didn’t hinder our enjoyment of the game.
Controls
In any sports game, the controls have to be spot on. From landing defensive checks to any skater, to one time shots on goal, the button pushing of buttons has to register accurately, and this is where some concern came up during our playtest. Based on your experience with sports games, this can make a difference. In our playtest, gamers in our gaming family that have played sports games were able to get used to the controls and not have any problems, however, gamers that are not used to playing sports games had to get used to the controls, and this is where it was a steep learning curve. With any title there is a learning curve with how the game is controlled and with most titles most gamers can get used to the controls very quickly, but we have noticed during our playtesting that the controls at times did not react immediately to controller inputs, with both passing and shooting for example. The game’s controls made these movements very hard, and at times it was as if the puck was not passing to the right person; also, shots on goal were hit-and-miss most of the time. This was for our gamers that were new to the series, so this will not be an issue for more seasoned hockey gamers who are used to the controls.
“Old Time Hockey is a trip down memory lane of the old school style of “bash-em-up” on the ice, and it does a decent job of it”
Delivery
If you are in the market for an old school hockey game that is brutal and “smash mouth” like how hockey was back in the mid to late 70’s, Old Time Hockey is the right game for your digital library. However, if you are fan of more modern hockey games, this may not be the game for you. One thing that Old Time Hockey got right is the feel of how hockey was played back in the mid to late 70’s; with a season mode as well as the old-school feel, this is a great game for those who do not want to play a more modern, NHL-licensed game, and who prefer a more unique game with a fantasy teams.
Family Friendly
This game is for is older gamers in your gaming family who are mature enough for the brutality of seeing blood and fights on the ice, or those in your gaming family who loved NHL 94 back on the SNES and Sega Genesis days. This game may not be for everyone in your gaming family. With some colorful language, blood and fights, this is a game for older gamers in your family. As a hockey game, it all depends on whether you are a fan of professional hockey or a general hockey fan. Old Time Hockey does have a lot of elements that you would see in other NHL titles out there, but it does not have the NHL feeling in its presentation, as you might expect in a more modern game. Also, at times we felt that the controls were either on-point or seemed off, but again this was more subjective to the person playing the game and whether they were more used to playing sports titles or not. Is the game is family friendly? Well, if you can see past the fighting on the ice (which is normal for hockey games – depending on the team, but that is another topicJ), some crushing blows and some of the slightly-colorful language, then it is a decent game for those sports fans who like hockey. We do feel that the game should not have been given an M rating, and that more of a T – For Teen rating would be appropriate, as some of the violence that you see in Old Time Hockey is very often the same as what you would see in more teen-rated games out there. Also, the game does have some language in the menu background, but if the gamers in your family have seen a PG-13 rated movie, then they’re probably accustomed to hearing far worse.
Closing
Old Time Hockey is a game that goes back to the sport’s roots; it is a fun game, but more so for the die-hard sports fans.
