Bubble Hockey
Sports Games: Bubble Hockey
I’ve waited long enough. So here goes, my favorite sports game of them all, bubble hockey.
The game was the very first coin operated foray of Innovative Concepts in Entertainment, and they named it “Chexx.” Logistically speaking, bubble hockey (also known as dome hockey, or the greatest game ever) is very similar to foosball. Players are controlled via bars and the object is to score goals. There are some key differences; as opposed to foosball, where a bar controls a line of players, bubble hockey guys are controlled individually and move about and spin in a slot cut into the “ice.” While this removes the possibility of an exciting hockey fight, it also removes the more pesky penalties such as off-sides and icing. It also allows you to pull of some pretty complex and thrilling moves, what with the ability to rotate your players 360 degrees.
An iconic feature of the game is the large plastic dome that covers the game. This serves several purposes. One is that it provides a structure for the nifty electronic scoreboard to hang from, and the other is that it prevents cheating and the loss or theft of the puck and players. You see, a big factor of the game was its pointed approach. Whereas foosball has a parlor and garage game legacy, bubble hockey was aimed squarely for the arcades, where no one wanted to take any chances with what kids might to an unprotected machine. › Continue reading