Hit the Ice


Hit the Ice is a hockey video game originally released by Taito to arcades in 1990. Featuring a cartoonish representation of the sport, Hit the Ice features games with three players on each team. Unlike standard hockey, there are very few rules, as players are encouraged to trip, elbow and kick opponents.
Taito released ports of Hit the Ice for the TurboGrafx-16, Mega Drive, Game Boy and Super NES. An NES version was developed but not released.

Gameplay

Hit the Ice is based on the game of ice hockey, the aim of the game being to outscore your opponent by shooting the puck into the opponent's net more often than the opponent over three periods of play.
The game is unique because instead of having six players per team, the game only has three. In the arcade version there are only two teams and players can be chosen for each position.
During games, there are very few rules. Players have special moves, most of which are illegal moves in actual ice hockey. Fights are common, though a player losing a fight is not penalized. Instead, he becomes sluggish for a short period. If the player loses several fights in one period, he leaves the game with an injury.
Every player is capable of a "super shot", which must be charged beforehand. If allowed to charge and shoot, the shot will hit the goaltender with such force that he is knocked back into the net along with the puck, counting as a goal. If a team is far enough behind, his team may receive a power-up in the form of a "super drink", making the stick of the player who consumes it flash with energy and turning every shot into a super shot for a short time.

Players