Add in power-ups like tiny goalie and rocket skates, and you have a perfect formula for endless hours of entertainment.

There are far too many variables to come to a consensus agreement on the greatest hockey video games, but the debate is worth having.

In regards to enjoyment, playability, and reception, these are my top 10 hockey video games of all time.

Penalties, while rarely called, were settled with a classic game of rock-paper-scissors.

It happened so rarely that it was typically an accident when it did.

Still, for its time, this was as good as it got for playing as your favorite NHL superstars.

If theres a better set of songs ever compiled in any sports video game, Ive yet to find it.

Thirteen years later and Im not at all ashamed to admit that many of the featured songs still frequent my headphones on a regular basis.

Shortly after the release, Heatley was involved in an unfortunate driving accident that killed teammate Dan Snyder.

EA backtracked again amidst the controversy and put Joe Sakic on the cover, but not before many Heatley copies made it into circulation.

Having the ability to build your player from the ground up and play his career start to finish gave you the opportunity to live out the childhood fantasy of playing for your favorite team.

Online play was a complete free-for-all and hardly resembled real hockey, as it was essentially a contest to see who exploited the defects better.

Ill admit that my glitch goal prowess was unrivaled and I seldom scored a legitimate goal.

The toe-pull snipe from just inside the blue line became so frequent that friends started calling it my bread and butter.

The ONLY exception to that came when 2K decided to add mini-games to its repertoire.

The free-for-all style that 2K created was oodles of fun and somewhat made up for its shortcomings compared to EAs games.

That alone should give you a decent idea of what Midway was trying to capture in NHL Hitz.

You could create a player with a shark head, skate around as a lizard, or make a 9-foot tall clown.

Furthermore, you could unlock hockey arenas on the moon or on the beach.

Apparently, Hitzs cult following made a push to bring the franchise back and someone created and released an updated version in 2013.

It doesnt contain the boisterous features like the original, but Id never pass up an opportunity for nostalgia.

Three-on-three played on a tiny rink made for high-paced, high-scoring tilts.

Best Hockey Games For Mac