Great hockey games for Android devices

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are going strong but my team, the New York Rangers, came up short this year. Hockey is a great sport. It is fast and furious and I am amazed how the players can do what they do. I really got into watching hockey in college and even cut work to play in some pickup games. I even scored a goal!

My hockey prowess today is only the electronic kind. There are a great number of hockey-related games for Android. Below are some of the ones I have been playing recently.

Big Win Hockey (Free)

Big Win Hockey is a fairly new game on the market. You build a team of players from a pack of hockey cards you collect. You initially get six players, one uniform and three impact shots. You can edit your team name, players name, etc. Once you have set up your team, you get to see how well they do against others online. The game does a good job walking you through the process.

The game is built around creating the best team possible. It is very much a strategy game. Once the team is set, the game is played. You can either watch or skip the game and you earn coins and tokens based on your results. These can then be used to purchase more cards to improve your team. The game is free but you can also purchase game bucks (to buy premium cards) via an in-app purchase. There are daily trophies, friends trophies and quick game options.

Air Hockey Speed (Free)

Air Hockey Speed is a simple air hockey game on the Papaya social network. This is a free game with ads, which can be a bit annoying, but theres an ad-free version available. You can play one- or two-player games and both work well. The game does have a number of interesting options. You can purchase (with papayas) a bigger paddle, a super bouncy paddle, and a drunk model for you and/or your opponent.

There are 30 levels of play, which have to be played in order, each with increasing difficulty. The game also has crowd sounds, vibrations when you hit the puck, and you can chose best of 9-17 goals per game.

Hockey Fight Lite (Free)

What is a hockey game without a fight or two? Well Hockey Fight, is simply that: hockey players fighting. There is a free version (ad supported) and a pro version available. The game has a nice tutorial to walk you through the process. Each fighter has four types of punches they can use and a few blocks. You goal is simple: knock the other guy out first. During the fight you can monitor your process with health bars on the screen.

The game has tournament and quick fight options. There are a large number of different players (fighters) you can choose from; most will need to be unlocked though. You can even be a referee! There are five profile slots and a lot of game options that can be modified. You can purchase more respect that can be used to upgrade your player, and your fighting accomplishments can be shared via Facebook and Twitter.

Hockey Nations 2011 THD ($4.99)

Hockey Nation 2011 THD provides a great hockey game experience on Android tablets. There is a demo version of the game available, though it is very limited. You can play exhibition or playoff games, shoot-outs and practice, or partake in a full tournament. You control your players via on-screen virtual joysticks.

The game has some nice options to it. You can change the camera angle, sound and music effects and highlight the puck. Within games you can select difficulty levels, icing, offsides, penalties, length of match and even if there are fights. You can also set some general strategies for offense, defense and power plays. There are a challenging number of in game achievements you can work towards.

Platinum Air Hockey (Free)

Platinum Air Hockey is a great air hockey game optimized for Android tablets. Overall it is a simple game. You can play single player or against an opponent. The free version is ad-supported but with the pro version, there are no ads, you can get additional themes, and play against your friends via Wi-Fi. You can also set the difficulty settings and points in the game.

This electronic air hockey game really gives you the look and feel of playing the real thing. Single-player mode is fun but with the game being optimized for the larger screen of a tablet, playing against a friend locally is best.

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