Nerds That Geek Game Review: 'Old Time Hockey'

5/22/2017

Written by Zeke Perez Jr.

V7 Entertainment’s Old Time Hockey rocketed to the top of my list of most anticipated sports video games of 2017, as I craved a fun, laid-back, arcade style hockey video game like those I played as a kid in the 90s. After taking some time to explore the game, I can say it didn’t disappoint.

First Impressions

Immediately after booting up the game, its humor began to shine through. It’s hard not to chuckle when ‘Yankee Doodle’ is the first song I heard. That tune is joined by other silly music like ‘The Can Can’, ‘The Addams Family Theme Song’, and the vulgar and delightful ‘Old Time Hockey’ by The Donnybrooks. The soundtrack pairs extremely well with the colors and sights, which are very cheesy, very cartoony, and very 70’s (in a good way!).

Diving into an exhibition game, the loading screens told me exactly what I had gotten myself into. The ‘Don’t Be a Clown’ tutorial popped up, claiming that good hockey players show respect for others, but you’re not a good hockey player so ‘play dirty, trash talk and rub it in, get some penalties’. It also stated, not at all tongue-in-cheek, that the Bush Hockey League is ‘not some pansy league like the Steel League whose commissioner is Harry Buttman’. You can tell even before puck drops that this game will be much more violent, hilarious, and nonsensical than your average modern hockey game. Shots fired, NHL and Gary Bettman!

Wild 70’s vibes continue throughout. The old-school TV look permeates the presentation, with vintage fonts and colors resonating on the pause screen, scoreboards, and in-game player identification. Everything else is dripping with nostalgia too, from the tint of the ice to old-style equipment like goals and pads.

Controls

Old Time Hockey has a varied control system. For those seeking arcade-style play, it has a selection of control options that are easy to pick up and use, including ‘Retro’, ‘Two Button’ and ‘Beer Mode’, which requires only one hand. After going head-to-head with a friend, I found the variety to be extremely useful. The options add several layers to the game. Some are better than others (Beer Mode, for instance, is a great concept but in practice takes a little getting used to), but the variety allows for individuals to tailor the play-style to what they like best.

The ‘Advanced’ controls play just like those in modern EA Sports NHL games, using the right stick and various buttons for many of the same functions. Many movements and actions, such as dumping the puck and skating backwards, must first be unlocked through a ‘Story Mode’ tutorial to be used, so it does take a few games before you have your full arsenal. Some advanced controls that aren’t seen in EA titles are dedicated buttons for slashing and hooking, as stick violence is warmly welcomed.

Above the slashes and hooks, the best parts of the game are the hits and the fights. Hip checks are to OTH what one-timer goals were to NHL ’94: staples of the game that feel powerful when pulled off. The fights are something else too. Goalie fights, stick fights, ground-and-pound punches after a KO, all out team brawls...everything the 90s-kid version of myself ever wanted when playing hockey games. It’s incredibly satisfying to go through a chain of four or five fights mid-game. Big thanks to OTH for bringing that to life.

Game Modes and Gameplay

OTH is somewhat barebones when it comes to game modes, offering up only ‘Exhibition’ and ‘Story Mode’. The ‘Story Mode’ itself isn’t especially deep either, but it is fun. You take over the Schuylkill Hinto Brews, a struggling mishmash of a team on the verge of failure. Starting out with essentially no stats and with very few controls, it almost feels like you’re Gordon Bombay taking over the hapless District 5 hockey team and trying to turn them into the Ducks that they are deep down inside. And just as Coach Bombay felt, this is frustrating at first but rewarding in the long run.

The story in ‘Story Mode’ is told solely through newspaper headlines, loading screens, and menu text. Aside from that, the games you play are only differentiated from a normal exhibition game by the required and optional tasks you complete in each. You don’t have any say on how to improve the Hinto Brews other than by playing the games. In future iterations, it might be nice to see player trades, team relocations, budgeting, and things of that nature. Nevertheless, the story is hilarious and full of hijinks and great one-liners.

Final Thoughts

Upon release, folks had issues with glitches and errors. Personally, I ran into a problem where I couldn’t progress through certain story mode objectives because required stats weren’t tracking correctly, leaving me to play the same game over and over until I was fuming and red in the face, thinking that maybe I was doing something wrong. But much credit is owed to the V7 team, who recognized some of the initial flaws with the game and have worked nonstop to issue a slew of patches to ensure everything is running smoothly.

While it is lacking a bit of replay value and some of the zaniness that made NHL Hitz such a fun game to play, Old Time Hockey finds its own lane and establishes itself as a vicious, silly arcade hockey title. This iteration of OTH truly deserves your support, and I can see future versions blossoming from the foundation laid here. It’s available now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and is worth the affordable $11.99 asking price, especially if you’ve got some buddies that can help you get a little more value out of exhibition games.

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