EA’s first attempt at Xbox 360 hockey is fully featured (a nice change from the other 360 sports games from EA), and even innovates with some new controls, but the pacing and overall feel has taken a hit this year that makes it hard to love, at least for a casual fan like myself. Hardcore hockey fans will enjoy it, but if you are looking for high scoring, hard hitting, fast paced hockey you are probably better off sticking with NHL 06.
Quick Hits
- Title: NHL 07
- Platform: Xbox 360
- Publisher: Electronic Arts
- Developer: EA Canada
- ESRB: “E” for Everyone
- Genre: NHL ice hockey
- Pros: nice graphics; skill stick; lots of features
- Cons: not as noob friendly as NHL 06; hits lack impact
Features and Modes
NHL 07 will keep you busy with a number of different modes. There is a standard quick play mode, dynasty, world tournament, shootout, and online play. The dynasty mode takes you through a ten-year career where you are in charge of everything from ticket prices, minor league teams, player development, and the action on the ice itself. It offers a wealth of options and will keep you playing for a long time. The world tournament is an 8 or 16 team tournament with national teams. Shootout mode pits your team against an opponent in a series of 1-on-1 attempts to score. Online play allows you to set up games with others on Xbox Live, but there aren’t any online leagues or seasons which is a bummer.
Gameplay
EA
The gameplay in NHL 07 features some of the first real innovations that hockey games have seen in a long time. The right analog stick now represents your hockey stick. You can deke left and right, wind up for a slapshot, or fire a wrister at the goal with suprising ease with just the right stick. These new controls are amazingly satisfying to use, but it takes quite a while to really learn how to use them effectively so scoring consistently is pretty tough. The goaltending is excellent this year, no doubt to make up for the precise controls offered by the skill stick, but I think it makes the game a lot less fun for casual hockey fans. You can go back to the classic controls, but the defense and goaltending doesn’t get any easier, which makes NHL 07 a bit of a pain to play. Another complaint I have is that the pace of the game seems to have slowed down a bit from last year. Checking also seems to lack the impact of years past. All of these changes make the game lean more towards a realistic sim than in years past, which is good for hardcore fans, but it alienates casual fans. Hardcore hockey fans will put in the effort and learn how to have fun with it, but casual fans will get bored pretty quickly.
Graphics and Sound
Graphically, NHL 07 is a great looking game. The players are incredibly detailed, the stadiums look amazingly sharp, and the animation and action on the ice is as smooth as it has ever been. This game simply looks great.
The sound is also very good. The announcing team of Gary Thorne and Bill Clement do an excellent job of calling the action and really add a lot to the overall experience. On the ice, the game sounds just like it should, although as I mentioned above, checking lacks the impact of years past, which is a bit disappointing.
Bottom Line
EA
Overall, NHL 07 is a very good game of hockey that hardcore fans will absolutely love. The new skill stick feature is completely innovative and gives you more precise control over your shots than any hockey game before it. When you score, it isn’t because of some canned animation or AI exploit, you are the one winding up the slapshot and putting it in the top right corner of the net. It takes a lot of practicing and effort to get used to the different pace and feel of NHL 07, however, which I think will turn off casual fans a bit. I’m a casual hockey fan, I loved NHL 06, but 07 doesn’t quite tickle me the same way and I think a lot of casual fans will feel the same. It is still a great game of hockey, but it isn’t terrible noob friendly and that hurts it a bit overall. Casual fans should rent it first, but it is probably worth a purchase for hardcore hockey fans.
