Hands-on: Rock the Rink

Yesterday, EA Sports gave us a sneak peek at its over-the-top Blitz-style hockey game titled Rock the Rink.

The game is an arcade hockey game that takes some liberties with the rules of hockey. The biggest being that each team only has three players and a goalie on the ice at once. And staying true to arcade style, the players are never sent to the penalty box for any infraction, since there are none.

Rock the Rink features nine fantasy teams with names that reflect their persona such as the Gangsters, the Rattlers, and the Demons. In addition to the fantasy team roster, the title sports all 28 NHL teams, which can be unlocked by playing through the game's various modes, which include arcade, NHL Challenge, and King of the Rink.

In any mode, the game is full of special moves that let you perform dramatic goal shots with descriptive names such as the corkscrew, tornado, and home run. Fights also occur at the drop of a hat, but players are given the choice of whether they want to stop the action, fight it out, or just keep playing.

The game's visuals are quite nice, even though the game is still missing some of its visual effects. All the players look detailed and sport nice motion-capture animations. The audio in Rock the Rink is also a big part of the game, with its crazy play-by-play announcers who belt out hilarious one-liners such as, "These are called face-offs 'cause the players are thinking drop the puck already so I can tear this guys face off!". The game also features music by Zebrahead and the Hanson Brothers, along with hockey songs including Stick Boy and Third Man In.

Rock the Rink is currently scheduled to release later this spring, and it looks like as though its well on its way to becoming a solid title.