Review: Chop Chop Hockey - Ninjas On Ice
by Felix Xiao
November 5, 2010
Overview
Gamerizon's Chop Chop series has shown that ninjas are talented in many fields besides using their swords to slice through enemies. The cuddly characters are now on the ice in full speed for some 3-on-3 arcade hockey.
Features
The game has single exhibition and tournament modes in which you play as one of 8 teams that have different attack, defense, and goalie stats. There are 4 stadiums in which the matches take place. You can customize the difficulty level for each game, as well as choose its length. Chop Chop Hockey is a universal app and will look great on any iOS device.The Good
Like the other Chop Chop games, this one is really easy to learn and get a good grip on. An interactive tutorial takes you through control basics with several other players on the screen to practice with. To move, you swipe your finger in the direction that you want to skate. Shooting and passing are achieved by swiping and tapping on the screen in the desired direction. There are 3 camera mode options that let you play from side, front, and on-ice views.
The cartoon-style graphics in the game are exemplary, especially when it comes to the designs of the 4 arenas. It's nice to be able to customize each game on so many levels. Each team has its own colors and gameplay runs smoothly. The sound effects fit perfectly, with noises for checking, scoring, and enthusiastic fans.
The Bad
Chop Chop Hockey's touch-based controls are different from those of most other sports games and make the game difficult to enjoy properly. The lack of a concrete system leads to random swiping madness as you try repeatedly to make shots. The controls are not always responsive, and you'll often pass the puck instead of shooting it and vice versa. It's literally impossible to take a skilled shot at the goal, so the game turns into skating around the ice hoping that your goalkeeper does well and that one of your random shots hits the back of the net.
Whereas scoring is insanely difficult, checking is much too easy. By getting within a small distance of an opponent, it sometimes feels like a magnet just pulls the puck towards you. In order to make your way down the ice with the puck, you have to make sure to completely avoid other players. Even with only 3 players per team roaming the ice, this proves to be difficult and you'll often remain scoreless in those 2-minute matches.
There's no doubt that the game is polished, but it lacks depth. The 2 play modes aren't nearly enough to allow the game to compete with other hockey games. Also, all of the Chop Chop games have gone free at some point a few weeks after release, so you'll probably be able to get the game for no cost in a month or so if you can wait it out.
