NHL Open Ice 2 on 2 Challenge (PC)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Stephen Poole
• Reviewed on: 09/17/1997
• Updated on: 05/02/2000
• Released on: 08/31/1997
• Originally published on GameSpot: NHL Open Ice 2 on 2 Challenge (PC) Review

Whatever else you say about NHL Open Ice 2 on 2 Challenge, one thing's for sure: You don't have to be a hockey fan to get a kick out of it. Come to think of it, hard-core hockey fans might be the ones who like it the least because NHL Open Ice bears about as much resemblance to real hockey as tee ball does to baseball. Yeah, it carries both the NHL and NHLPA licenses, and gameplay consists of big guys on skates trying to whack a flat, cylindrical object into a net guarded by someone wearing bulky pads, but those are about the only things this PC conversion of the popular video game has in common with the real McCoy. This is down-and-dirty arcade action, plain and simple - and it's pretty damn good arcade action at that.

Just as with NBA Jam and NBA Jam Extreme, the teams in NHL Open Ice consist of only two players and a goalie (four players are available from each team, however). You have complete control over one player, but you can make a computer-controlled teammate pass, shoot, or check. NHL Open Ice takes all the "extraneous" stuff - penalties, line changes, power plays, and so on - and chucks it right out the arena door, leaving you with only the basics: shooting, passing, and delivering earth-shattering body checks.

Each player has a turbo meter and a hot meter; the turbo meter starts shrinking the longer you hold the turbo button (naturally) for more speed or a brutal check, and the hot meter begins to fill up as you score goals, make assists or steals, or check an opponent. Fill up that hot meter, and you've got unlimited turbo power until the other team scores - not to mention a fiery puck and a flaming net whenever you score.

There's a slew of options and power-up codes that do all sorts of stuff, from giving you baby-sized players with huge heads or huge players with tiny heads, to providing increased speed, faster checking, and quicker turbo recharge. Thankfully, all the power-ups and options, except one (a way to play as Gordie Howe), are either listed in the manual or are available from game menus, so you don't have to scour the Net looking for them.

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