NHL 3 on 3 Arcade is a great game, once you can get past the flaws.
NHL 3 on 3 Arcade is a great game if you are bored, or just want a "different" game to play. It has decent graphics and fun gameplay. It has a good selection of players, and reminds me a lot of NHL Hitz, for the old Xbox, PS2 and Game Cube. It is great if you are having friends over and need something cheap but entertaining, and little kids should enjoy the head-over-boards gameplay. The learning curve is easy, especially if you have played NHL 09 or NHL 10, so NHL Arcade is a good pick up and play type game. I was able to buy this game when it was $4.99 on the playstation network last summer, so it was a great game for the price.
The Bad:
This game has flaws. Mainly the online. I find it is very difficult to find a match online. If you are able to find a match, then this game can have a bit of replay value if the online would work. Unfortunately, thats not the case. It takes forever for a match to load, and in that time your potential opponent has most likely quit the match. Another online flaw is the ability to play with more than one person from a single console. This can often lead to your goalie being knocked down right before the shot, and other cheap plays. This would be tolerable in unranked matches, but this happens all too frequently in ranked matches. I would stay away from the online feature for this game.
The Bottom Line:
This is a good game if you are just wanting to get some friends together to play some no rules, smash-mouth, in your face hockey. It also comes at a decent price. However, if you have a bad connection the online is terrible, thus the game doesn't have much replay value. However, if you have young children this game will keep them entertained for a while.