The articlegameplay, story, development, reception
Gameplay
Players have the option of playing three periods in one, two, or three minutes in length. To begin the game, a center, a winger, a defenceman, and a goalie are picked for each team. Prior to each period, substituting the players or simply leaving them in the game is an option. There is an option for a mercy rule that will end the game as soon as the team reaches the limit of goal differential.
As an example, if the mercy rule is set to five, as soon as a team leads the game by five goals, that team automatically wins. It can also be set to one goal, similar to overtime. Another nuance to the game is the option to make players who lose fights leave the game. The game is also meant to mainly be a hard-hitting, arcade-style game with wildly exaggerated player movements and actions.
Reception
The game received "favorable" reviews on all platforms except the Game Boy Advance version, which received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. GamePro said of the game, "If you take hockey seriously, no need to apply here. But if you're looking for rowdy, raucous action backed by unusual staying power and that familiar Midway gameplay, you'll savor the smell of what Hitz is cooking."
