Old Time Hockey is being updated at an unprecedented rate

At the time it was reviewed Old Time Hockey was too frustrating of a gameplay experience and too lacking in content to even come near recommending. Two weeks and 10 patches later (yes, really) and the game is starting to come together as something that should get a second look considering its reasonable $12 price tag.

To the credit of the independent development team at V7 Entertainment, the feedback they received from reviewers and consumers has been heard and is being acted upon. Most notably the mandatory objectives for games in Story Mode have been removed and the advanced control scheme is no longer locked away in the mode, but other options have been opened up and adjustments made to gameplay and presentation as well. What hasn’t been dealt with – certainly more difficult to improve than those things – is the AI which is awful on defense and at goalie. It stands to reason the AI will see an upgrade at some point down the line.

Besides attempting to make the game better for those who’ve bought it and more appealing for anyone who may consider picking up an arcade-style hockey game on PC or PS4, more motivation for doing so is surely tied to delivering a more complete product for future releases on Xbox One and and Nintendo Switch. It remains to be seen whether it’ll be enough for Old Time Hockey to overcome its early struggles but it’s worth recognizing the effort to do so.