3 on 3 NHL Arcade Q&A

Some more details on the upcoming 3 on 3 NHL Arcade have come out through an interview with producers David Littman and Matt Mahar. Some of the topics discussed include why the game was created and the decision to make it downloadable only, the player types, power-ups, and how it could be a bridge to the yearly sim NHL title. The game is set to release sometime in February for $10 through XBL and PSN.

The player types play into the overall feel of the game, and that’s super fast. We also wanted them to play into how the power-ups work. You actually get power-ups (Super Shot, Big Player, Freeze, Banana, Super Speed, Double Score, Small Goalie, Big Goalie) by hitting guys and knocking them down. So the super strong guys help you get power-ups, while the super fast guys and the all-around guys fit more into the fast pace of the game.

It is also interesting to find out through the interview that nearly 60% of NHL 09 owners play online. Just a couple years ago the lack of effort with online play was attributed to the relatively low numbers that played online. Through modes such as Online Team Play, EASHL, and Online Dynasty along with improved performance it has been proven that what they had to do was provide a premium experience for people to have the desire to head online.