Any game that starts out with Hole’s “Celebrity Skin” playing is gonna be a winner. The soundtrack to NHL Rock the Rink does rock! Hole carries the only real “star” power, but all 13 tracks sound fresh and match the hard-hitting gameplay nicely. The in-game sound is great, and has everything from skate sounds to the crack of a good slap shot. Another nice touch in the sound category would have to be the wisecracking announcer, whose hilarious comments are topped only by the snide crowd commentary. Atmosphere galore.

EA never fails in the graphics department, and Rock the Rink is no exception. Characters look good in motion, and solid frame-rate lets you feel the speed of the game and the pain of each body blow. The puck can sometimes be a little hard to follow, but that’s true of real hockey, anyway.

Imagine hockey with a twist, mostly the part where EA threw out all the rules and decided to combine its wrestling and hockey franchise in one game. Imagine Tekken on ice, with sticks and uniforms... Rock the Rink uses the NHL franchise, but doesn’t limit itself to being a hockey game. Where other “Extreme Sports” games have gone wrong, Rock the Rink succeeds by playing great, looking great and being different. The 3-on-3 action in this game strips away the traditional rules and conventions of hockey, leaving only one element intact: Get the puck in the net. The NHL official teams are all there, but have to be unlocked in competition using fictitious teams composed of characters and hoodlums. Arcade Mode is fast and furious competition, and unlocks a few of the many options Rock the Rink has to offer. Getting into NHL Challenge Mode means opening up not only the official NHL teams, but also being able to win upgrades to skates, gear, and sticks. Even with three levels of difficulty, the Easy Championship is no slouch, and you’ll need to master all the tricks and moves available to upgrade your team.

The moves and tactics in Rock the Rink will feel pretty foreign to traditional sports gamers. It’s the WCW fans who will get it first, because the button combos and special moves feel more like wrestling than hockey. Instead of out-skating your opponent, it’s often easier to just lay him out on the ice and skate past him. There are multiple three-man lineups combining power and finesse, but ultimately it all boils down to who can throw their muscle around and pull outrageous combos to win each match. With traditional wrestling moves and acrobatic stunt shots, EA brings a unique feel to a title that could have been like any other sports game out there. Once Arcade and NHL Mode get dull, there’s King of the Rink Mode to master, allowing you to throw in against a field of competitors and play against as many as seven other teams. This cool multiplayer option has different objectives, and could have stood as a game on its own. After unlocking all 28 teams in NHL Mode and winning all three championships, there are still special options you can unlock by completing challenges in each mode. Am I conveying the idea that Rock the Rink won’t get old soon? Good, ‘cause there’s a lot of hockey in here!

The standard difficulty settings, from Easy to Hard, let you enjoy the game at your own level. Each 3-man line includes a combination of bruisers and “Gretzkys;” while most teams have this preset, Rock the Rink includes the ability to create a custom team. This way, someone who wants a more delicate game can craft their line(s) to brain over brawn. Also, it’s possible to customize A.I. so that a losing team gains some “oomph” for the comeback.

NHL Rock the Rink doesn’t skimp on combos, and there are plenty of ways to move the puck around while avoiding being demolished by your opponent. The basics of offense are to pass quickly and use strength or skill to score. Skill means using the preset play combos in the game, including a quick-shoot and pass-pass-shoot option. For the one-man-army types out there, Rock the Rink has some crazy shot combos that look like murderous figure skaters on crank. It’s possible to skate all the way down the ice, dodging and laying a body on the other guy, and then do a 36” vertical jump-shot, slamming the puck home to massive applause. Though this is guaranteed to make your average NHL purist blow chunks, it doesn’t make for boring hockey! And, the part of hockey we all live for is preserved as well. Fighting doesn’t just happen. There are a slew of special moves each player has for knocking the other guy down, and when the bell rings, it’s time to rumble. EA even included a wrestling-type championship belt that can be won and held for status by your team.

The control is tight, with simple consistent button settings to pass and shoot. Shoulder buttons manage the dodging and checking, and it’s never hard to follow the action during a mad rush down the ice. On the basis of checking, fighting, and scoring, each team can earn a special bonus period with new moves and shots. Without penalties, these bonus times nicely simulate what happens in real hockey when a team is short one or two players. I wouldn’t say EA has created a hockey game that hockey fans won’t like, but if you’re looking for the Madden 2000 of hockey, this isn’t it. Rock the Rink is a great party game, and gives hockey a twist that will appeal to any sports fan. I personally haven’t been too enthused with hockey games in the past, but NHL Rock the Rink does everything right, and gives the NHL franchise enough of a facelift to make Stone Cold Steve Austin jealous. He’s my goalie, by the way...