Gameplay
- NHL 07: I loved the fast pace and high scoring of NHL 06, but NHL 07 has a rather different feel to it this year. It is a little slower, the defense is better, the goalies are far tougher, and it is just plain tough to score. On the plus side, EA actually tried to innovate a little bit by having the right analog stick control your shots. Similar to Fight Night, you pull back and push forward on the stick in different ways to take different shots and it works pretty well. You also have precise aim over your shots now, and it is really satisfying when you wind up and take a shot and it goes exactly where you wanted it to. It takes a lot of effort to really get good at it all, though, and I think casual fans are going to be bored with it all long before they get good at it.
- NHL 2K7: At the default settings, NHL 2K7 is just as much of a hockey sim as ever, which is a good thing if you are a hardcore fan and not so much if you are just a casual hockey fan. Luckily for us casual fans, though, the 2K series offers a ton of different sliders so you can adjust every single aspect of the game to fit your play style. If you want a 15-0 cakewalk, you can do it. Or if you want a hardcore simulation, you can do it. There is also a new camera angle in place this year that gives you a better look at the action than ever before, which also really helps to enhance the gameplay.
- Winner: NHL 2K7
Features
- Both games have roughly the same features. NHL 2K7 stands out for a couple of reasons, though. It has the Skybox mode where you can play minigames and show off your collection of unlocked items, and the online mode is superior thanks to the ability to create online leagues. Also, 2K7 just moves a lot faster in the menus or when you are trying to simulate games in dynasty mode.
- Winner: NHL 2K7
Graphics
- NHL 2K7: NHL 2K7 is a very nice looking game with some of the smoothest animation you’ll find. As far as character models go, I think it is a dead heat between the two games.
- NHL 07: NHL 07 pulls out slightly ahead in this category thanks to some amazingly nice looking arenas and the ice itself looks better.
- Winner: NHL 07
Sound
- The sound is fairly equal in both games this year. The action on the ice sounds good in both games, and the licensed music used in the menus is equally annoying in both. It all really comes down to which set of announcers you like better or how much you like the cinemotion feature in 2K7. I could really go either way on this one.
- Winner: Draw
Value
- The value category is also fairly even. NHL 2K7 offers more minigames and goofy modes than NHL 07, but I’m not really sure how often you’ll be playing them. Both games will set you back $60 on the Xbox 360 this year, which is a bit ridiculous considering that the Xbox versions of NHL 07 and NHL 2K7 are $30 and $20 respectively. I’d say they are both a rather poor value this year on the 360.
- Winner: Neither
Bottom Line
This year’s matchup of the hockey videogame titans is probably as close as it has ever been. EA got tired of being slapped around by hardcore hockey fans for having a more arcade-style game, so they game out swinging in 07 with a solid sim that innovates with new controls. 2K, on the other hand, mostly followed the safe path and continued doing what they have done for the last several years that put them on top. So who wins? I am going to have to give it to NHL 2K7. At the default settings, both games are probably about equal, but the sliders push 2K7 to the top.
Winner: NHL 2K7
