Air Hockey represents a noble attempt to aggrandize an oft-unappreciated arcade sport that involves two paddles and a boatload of tenacity. Air Hockey puts the eponymous pastime on a global scale by pitting the player against flimsy ethnic stereotypes from the world over. It's to be expected that air hockey, elevated to this lofty eminence, would incorporate nigh-supernatural moves that are unknown to amateur players. Air Hockey from Mitsui Comtek does this in the form of a short list of trick shots; however, the execution of these special moves is severely flawed, as is a great deal of the game's core gameplay.
Before each bout of air hockey, your opponent will introduce him- or herself in a manner loosely representative of his or her geographical region. For example, your first opponent, a full-lipped Brazilian bombshell named Bianca, greets you with a hearty "Hola," apparently unaware that Portuguese is the official language of her country. Yuki, one of the better fighters in the game, seems highly preoccupied with honor in combat. It's hard to tell, but she may actually be Klingon. Whatever the case, all these contestants play at relatively the same level of difficulty. Air Hockey has a steep learning curve, but it's smooth sailing after your first win. The only real gradation in difficulty stems from the more experienced players' increased use of special shots.
You and your opponent are given three special shots per round: a "trick shot," a "power shot," and an "invisible shot." These different maneuvers are effectively the same, and all of them are unblockable--at least when performed by the player. You are, therefore, given what is essentially a handicap at the beginning of each bout. Since special shots can be triggered anywhere with the same result (a goal), there's really no strategy involved in their use. The only advantage to their inclusion in the game is the limited visual thrill they provide.
Despite this gimmicky system, Air Hockey could be a very serviceable experience. However, the game's riddled with bugs. We tested it on the LG VX4400, and although its frame rate was surprisingly solid and its sprites were detailed, the puck frequently disappeared, and goals were often scored without the appropriate visuals. Even worse, your paddle will temporarily cease to move beyond certain, invisible borders. This makes sense when your opponent hits a button (one of several that sometimes appear in the center of the table) to freeze your puck--but not otherwise.
Air Hockey's limited soundtrack is a strange mix of progressive trance and calypso music. It's very soothing for the first few repeats, after which point it becomes pretty irritating. As each challenge consists of two, 50-second bouts, you'll have to endure far too much repetition.
Air Hockey would have been perfect for mobile if its execution weren't so fundamentally flawed. Though the concept behind the game is a good one, the buggy nature of Air Hockey means that you should skip it in favor of something else.
