Bush Hockey League (formerly Old Time Hockey) is an ice hockey video game for Windows and PlayStation 4. A version for Xbox One was released on 29 November 2017.[1] A version for the Nintendo Switch was released on 14 April 2022.[2] The game is developed and published by V7 Entertainment.

Bush Hockey League
Former logo and title Old Time Hockey.
Developer(s)V7 Entertainment
Publisher(s)V7 Entertainment
Platform(s)Windows
Xbox One
PlayStation 4
Nintendo Switch
Release
  • Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4
  • March 28, 2017
  • Xbox One
  • November 29, 2017
  • Nintendo Switch
  • April 14, 2022
Genre(s)Sport
Mode(s)Single-player

The game draws inspiration from the 1977 film Slap Shot, and makes multiple references to the film's characters and teams.[3]

Gameplay

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The game's setting is the 1970s in the fictional Bush Hockey League (BHL). Executive producer Mike Torillo stated that the game takes inspiration from the 1977 film Slap Shot.[3] Bush Hockey League has an exhibition mode, and a story mode. It features a variety of control schemes, including simplified two-button controls, and a "beer mode" which only requires one hand to control. The game contains 10 playable teams.[4] Game commentary is provided by Matt Baker.[5]

Reception

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Critical reception was mixed, with the game getting 56/100 on Metacritic.[6] Some reviewers panned the game, citing laggy gameplay, crashes, and glitches, and detracting from the overall experience.[9][10] At least two reviews praised the game for its style, and its ability to bring the spirit of the era to life.[11][12]

References

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  1. ^ Franzese, Tomas (22 November 2017). "Old Time Hockey Rebranded as Bush Hockey League; Coming to Xbox One Next Week". DualShockers. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  2. ^ Bowman, Chris (18 March 2022). "Bush Hockey League Comes to Switch on April 14th". GameSpace.com. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b Sarkar, Samit (12 December 2016). "This arcade hockey game is going back to the violent 1970s". Polygon. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  4. ^ "Old Time Hockey Gets PS4 & PC Release Date and Hilariously Violent Trailer". COGconnected. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  5. ^ Hickey Jr., Patrick (23 March 2017). "THW Exclusive: Inside 'Old Time Hockey'". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Old Time Hockey". Metacritic. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  7. ^ "Bush Hockey League". Metacritic. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
  8. ^ "Bush Hockey League". Metacritic. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
  9. ^ a b Bertz, Matt (29 March 2017). "Old Time Hockey Review - Crashing Into The Boards". Game Informer. Archived from the original on March 29, 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  10. ^ Carsillo, Ray (27 March 2017). "Old Time Hockey review". EGMNOW.com. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  11. ^ Anderson, Patrick (27 March 2017). "Old Time Hockey Review - The Good Old Hockey Game is Back". COGconnected. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  12. ^ Orme, Cody (2017-04-17). "Old Time Hockey Review - Hitz Meets Slapshot". CGMagazine. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
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