NHL 07 – XB – Review

EA Sports
got it “right” with NHL 07 … well, the right thumbstick, that is. In fact,
gamers may not want to “take a pass” on this title simply because of the
improvements to the passing game elements, courtesy of the aforementioned right
thumbstick.

Whoa, back
up a bit and let’s take on the role, just a bit, of the analyst. We are talking
current-generation console system here – the Xbox. Ok, while titles are still
being created for this machine, the focus from Microsoft is on its next-gen
console, the 360. So how much care was given to the Xbox title. Quite simply, a
lot.

Most of what
is here is almost what gamers saw with the release of NHL 06. The graphics and
gameplay elements have transitioned to NHL 07 almost exactly as they were in
last year’s release. But when it comes to the control scheme, the dev team added
a touch of innovation that makes the game mechanics much more enjoyable, a
little more of a challenge and a lot of fun once you get it all down.

The passing
controls have been mapped to the right thumbstick. There … it is said, quickly
and directly. This requires that you don’t wobble the thumbstick, but rather
quickly flick it in the direction you wish to pass the puck. Could anything so
simple be hard? Well, yes because now you are talking about precision passing.
Leading a teammate just so, or dumping the puck to where you might think they
are. If they are not, you look silly. But once you learn to anticipate
AI-controlled movement from your teammates (prior to taking control of them),
you will be a passing genius, guaranteed to thrill your owner or management, and
bring fear into the hearts of your opponents.

NHL 07, for
the Xbox, has many options its newer cousin does not have – like the ability to
create a player and work up a franchise. You can create a customized avatar,
select a name and then give him a nickname (nicknames are pre-recorded sound
bytes from the announcing team, which means that whatever name you give your
player won’t be mentioned, but the nickname will – so selecting the nickname of
T-Rex and then going back and naming your player Tony Rextall makes it all work
well), and then give him some attributes.

You can also
create your own team, pull from a lengthy list of players (remembering you do
have a salary cap), and create your own team from the ground up with some hockey
superstars on the roster.

As a GM you
have to manage the rosters, take care of player needs, and make certain the team
chemistry works on the ice. You can insert a created team into a league and then
hop right into the action.

Other game
modes include EA Sports World Tournament, Season, Exhibition, EA Sports Free For
All, and the Shoot Out Mini Camp. In the Free For All, the first player to score
five goals wins. This is a multiplayer mode played with four gamepads on the
same machine, played out in a half-rink with a goalie stopping all attempts.
This is rather fun. 

Regardless
of whether you indulge in the Dynasty mode or take on some of the world’s top
national representatives, the game pretty much plays out as a cerebral and
reflexive exercise. You have to see what is going on, anticipate and take
advantage of your opposition’s mistakes.

But since
the majority of the game is translated over from NHL 06, the biggest changes to
the game have been in where the dev team tweaked the actual controls, including
that passing stick. There was once a time when you played against another human
opponent when the one-time shot would and could be the death of your chances to
win. Not anymore. The one-timer is not that goalie bane, but rather the power
and accuracy have been downgraded, challenging players to be more thoughtful in
not only puck movement, but their shots as well. Couple that with solid physics
that truly seems to emulate the actual game, and you have an iteration of the
franchise that feels closer to what is seen on television, or in the arenas
around the world.

Shooting is
the right trigger and the left thumbstick for aiming (with the zones indicated
by a marker on the net). Generally, the learning curve for the control scheme is
relatively short.

Graphically,
the game is solid. The camera can be shifted around and though the fans are not
all that well rendered, the arenas do look very nice. The spray of ice, the thud
of the puck into pads or the boards all play out rather well. Adding to the
ambience is the sound with the announcers doing a good job, a mix of rock tunes
by some bands you likely have not heard of..

The game has
a robust multiplayer mode.

The
drawbacks to the title are very few and are mostly centered around the graphics
engine and gameplay features being a carry-over from the NHL 06 title. But the
focus for 07 has been tweaks to the control scheme and in that regard, NHL 07
scores well.

Review Scoring Details for NHL 07

Gameplay:
8.3
Tweaks to the
control schemes adds to the overall experience. The learning curve is not huge
and the options package provides some nice diversity and entertainment.

Graphics:
8.0
Second verse,
same as the first? In a way. The graphics look rather like the 06 title – which
is not a bad thing.

Sound:
8.0
The music is
solid, as are the in-game announcers. Don’t expect to be blown away by the
sound, but do expect an aural experience that does its job to support the
graphics.

Difficulty: Medium
You can set your
own difficulty level, and those who have played one of the titles in this
franchise know what they are in store for.

Concept:
8.2
Nice tweaks made
to the control scheme.

Multiplayer: 8.0
While not much
has changed from the 06 edition, ranked and unranked matches with some mini
tournament options and same-machine mini games all add up to more fun.

Overall:
8.1
The game has a
lot of rollovers from the NHL 06 title, but the developers have tweaked some of
the controls in a very positive way. For those who do not own a recent iteration
of EA Sports NHL franchise, this is a solid title to have. For those who do have
NHL 06, the tweaks to the controls are well worth the price of admission to the
next step in this what will be viewed as a storied franchise.