2K recently dropped a new hockey game for mobile players, but don't get your hopes up for a return to the golden age of 2K hockey. NHL Supercard is a collectible card game featuring your favorite NHL players. It's similar in format to many free-to-play card games on the App Store, including 2K's own WWE Supercard.

I don't invest a lot of time (or any money) into these types of games, though I can see their appeal. To its credit, NHL Supercard does some interesting things with the license to bring hockey strategy to your mobile device.

Gameplay

First, games are abstracted down to one play per period, each worth a certain amount of goals. Each play is focused on a certain skill, including Focus, Stick Handling and Skating. Plays are named, like "Face-off" and "Scramble Defense."

Once the play is drawn, you need to assign a player or two to participate. This leads to another interesting aspect: you are not just using your best player every play. Each player participates once, so knowing when to use your superstar is key.

Your opponent selects cards as well, and from there it's essentially "War" with the goals going to the user with the highest total. Boost cards and players' skills will enhance your stats, but essentially having the highest skill numbers and a relatively balanced team are the keys to winning.

The plays are then animated in a way that puts the physical cards on the ice; the animations are short and well done, so they are not annoying.

Modes

There is a Quick Game ladder that features successive games as mentioned above. You can win new players and upgrades.

Then there is Season play, which seems to happen automatically after a certain amount of time. You only manage player energy with energy refills you unlock on a sporadic basis. This mode seems rather pointless to me because the team management options are rather minuscule.

Of course, there are all manner of systems to add and upgrade players; building your team is one of the more appealing aspects of this type of game and its ilk.

Final Thoughts

Basically, these types of games are a good way to waste time, and money, if you are inclined to purchase packs. However, NHL Supercard does add enough strategy and polish to make it worth at least a try for hockey fans.