NHL 07 - Review
Added September 26th, 2006 by Kisan Parikh
Introduction:
Following the launch of the Xbox 360, NHL 06 was missing from the list of EA Sports titles ported over to the Xbox 360. After almost a year, EA finally drops the puck on the Xbox 360 with their NHL 07. Making its next-gen debut, NHL 07 looks to redefine hockey videogames with their innovative control scheme.
Gameplay:
With this new control scheme, EA has essentially changed the way you play. Remember the old A to pass, X for wrist shot, and B for slap shot? Well, you can forget about that. This year, the control scheme is based entirely on your control sticks and triggers. As in years past, your movement around the ice is controlled by the left thumbstick. However, this year, the right thumbstick is not reserved for special moves. Now, it essentially controls your player’s stick. Move it right and your player slides the puck over to his right. You shoot the puck in a variety of ways using the right stick. Simply pushing the stick up lets a snapshot or a quick shot off. Pulling back and then pushing up, in a manner similar to swinging in Tiger Woods, releases a slapshot. To perform a wrist shot or backhand you can tap the stick left or right and then follow through. All you have to do to aim is position the left stick where you want the puck to go.
All of this may seem a bit complicated right now, but once you get into a few games everything will fall into place. The new controls do not only affect the way you play, but it changes what happens during games. Now, you are in complete control of what goes on in the game. You no longer have to rely on passing the puck back and forth across the ice to get that one-timer goal. This has been the bread and butter of hockey gamers for years, but that doesn’t work anymore. You have to work on moving the puck to teammates using the R button, and then making a few slick moves with the right stick to get the puck past defenders and goalies.
The game feels more natural to real life hockey for another reason. The only way to make the new control scheme happen was to implement an improved physics system. The puck no longer feels glued to players, as it hops around, bounces off players, and ricochets off the post. For this reason, NHL 07 isn’t as full of crisp tic-tac-toe passing as years past. While it still happens, the game is more realistic due to the fact that passes can be a bit off and pucks can bounce wrong from time to time.
So far, we have only focused on the offensive side of NHL 07, because that is where the most drastic change has been seen. Defense has only undergone slight modifications. Hitting is still executed by moving the right thumbstick towards the opponent. Big hits occur when the timing is perfect; otherwise the defensemen will simply impede the forward’s progress. Poke checking and shot blocking make their return, with the only differences being that they are relocated on the controller.
For a game with a completely revamped control scheme, NHL 07 fares extremely well, but that is not to say it is not without faults. While the AI seems smarter, especially the goalies, your teammates can sometime be an annoyance. The major fault being that your players do not always skate to the most logical area of the ice. This is seen mainly on face-offs where defensemen randomly bypass the puck after a clean win, thus forfeiting a shot opportunity. Keep in mind that these situations are not too abundant, but they are frustrating when they do occur.
The main mode of play in NHL 07 is the Dynasty Mode. Dynasty is pretty cut and dry with the standard options you have come to expect. New additions are minor league teams to help prospects come along. However, this only works if your players have 2-way contracts which allow them to play on either team. Additionally, the game implements several new player development and tracking features. Teams can improve using training, which allows you to assign points to strength, shooting, skating, and hand eye. You can track your team’s needs using the team reports. These allow you to view a hot or cold rating for your offense, defense, powerplay, penalty kill, and goalie. Additionally, you will have to manage and balance lines in a new way this year. Chemistry is based upon your players’ type, which can be modified in coaching options. Of course, making Sidney Crosby a grinder will not have the same results as a Steve Ott grinder, so you will have to keep each player’s strengths in mind. Overall, Dynasty mode is a great way to get into the game, but it really isn’t incredibly deep.
Graphics:
NHL 07 is a beautiful game to look at. Especially in cut-scenes and shootouts, the game is filled with details. The ice has a new rivet with every stride and the crowd is fully animated and three dimensional. Everything you expect to see at the rink is shown in NHL 07. Sticks show wear on the blade and players even have sock tape to secure their pads. The rinks were carefully modeled to match their real life counterparts. I feel as though I am looking around the American Airlines Center during the opening cuts-scenes of Stars’ home games. The players themselves look great as well. Big name players are easily recognizable and differences in size are depicted fairly well. Animations are plentiful due to the number of possible movements with the new controls. This year, more than any year before, EA has captured the movements of hockey in a realistic manner. The way players skate, take shots, and collide all seem natural and fluid.
Audio:
The sound of NHL 07 is another area where the game shines. In game sounds were recorded clearly. Players, coaches, and especially the crowd can be heard yelling throughout the game. Players collide with a satisfying thud and slapshots sound as powerful as they are. Then there is the heart sinking ‘tink’ of the puck off the crossbar. Commentary is well done, with the announcers providing sufficient insight to the game. After a few hours of playing, however, you will have heard the same expressions repeated over and over again, which may become annoying.
Controls:
The controls, as I have already mentioned, are the most innovative and exciting aspect of NHL 07. Now hockey feels much more natural and free flowing due to the dual stick gameplay. You have to develop some skills to dominate this game, instead of simply mashing at face buttons. Learning the new controls will feel awkward at first, but the tutorial video and shootout mode should help you become acclimated to the new layout. The future of hockey games looks bright as EA can now allow for more intricate maneuvers in the coming years.
Replay:
While not the deepest game, NHL 07 offers several ways to play. You have the Dynasty Mode as well as Dodge Shootouts, World Tournaments, and Online. Shootout mode is one of the most addicting things I have ever played. Not only does it help you learn the new controls, but it is incredibly fun to play, especially against friends. World Tournament is a fairly standard tourney that allows you to select an international team to play with. Online play is fairly cut and dry, but it is tons of fun to take on human opponents. I just wish they had allowed for online shootouts, and I cannot see a reason for this omission.
Summary:
NHL 07 takes hockey videogames in an entirely new direction. After years of only minor changes, EA has changed everything for the better. The new dual analog based gameplay feels more natural than using the face buttons, and I hope to see EA expand on it in the coming years. For hockey fans, NHL 07 is a must buy with its exciting gameplay, gorgeous visuals, and superb sound.
Following the launch of the Xbox 360, NHL 06 was missing from the list of EA Sports titles ported over to the Xbox 360. After almost a year, EA finally drops the puck on the Xbox 360 with their NHL 07. Making its next-gen debut, NHL 07 looks to redefine hockey videogames with their innovative control scheme.
Gameplay:
With this new control scheme, EA has essentially changed the way you play. Remember the old A to pass, X for wrist shot, and B for slap shot? Well, you can forget about that. This year, the control scheme is based entirely on your control sticks and triggers. As in years past, your movement around the ice is controlled by the left thumbstick. However, this year, the right thumbstick is not reserved for special moves. Now, it essentially controls your player’s stick. Move it right and your player slides the puck over to his right. You shoot the puck in a variety of ways using the right stick. Simply pushing the stick up lets a snapshot or a quick shot off. Pulling back and then pushing up, in a manner similar to swinging in Tiger Woods, releases a slapshot. To perform a wrist shot or backhand you can tap the stick left or right and then follow through. All you have to do to aim is position the left stick where you want the puck to go.
All of this may seem a bit complicated right now, but once you get into a few games everything will fall into place. The new controls do not only affect the way you play, but it changes what happens during games. Now, you are in complete control of what goes on in the game. You no longer have to rely on passing the puck back and forth across the ice to get that one-timer goal. This has been the bread and butter of hockey gamers for years, but that doesn’t work anymore. You have to work on moving the puck to teammates using the R button, and then making a few slick moves with the right stick to get the puck past defenders and goalies.
The game feels more natural to real life hockey for another reason. The only way to make the new control scheme happen was to implement an improved physics system. The puck no longer feels glued to players, as it hops around, bounces off players, and ricochets off the post. For this reason, NHL 07 isn’t as full of crisp tic-tac-toe passing as years past. While it still happens, the game is more realistic due to the fact that passes can be a bit off and pucks can bounce wrong from time to time.
So far, we have only focused on the offensive side of NHL 07, because that is where the most drastic change has been seen. Defense has only undergone slight modifications. Hitting is still executed by moving the right thumbstick towards the opponent. Big hits occur when the timing is perfect; otherwise the defensemen will simply impede the forward’s progress. Poke checking and shot blocking make their return, with the only differences being that they are relocated on the controller.
For a game with a completely revamped control scheme, NHL 07 fares extremely well, but that is not to say it is not without faults. While the AI seems smarter, especially the goalies, your teammates can sometime be an annoyance. The major fault being that your players do not always skate to the most logical area of the ice. This is seen mainly on face-offs where defensemen randomly bypass the puck after a clean win, thus forfeiting a shot opportunity. Keep in mind that these situations are not too abundant, but they are frustrating when they do occur.
The main mode of play in NHL 07 is the Dynasty Mode. Dynasty is pretty cut and dry with the standard options you have come to expect. New additions are minor league teams to help prospects come along. However, this only works if your players have 2-way contracts which allow them to play on either team. Additionally, the game implements several new player development and tracking features. Teams can improve using training, which allows you to assign points to strength, shooting, skating, and hand eye. You can track your team’s needs using the team reports. These allow you to view a hot or cold rating for your offense, defense, powerplay, penalty kill, and goalie. Additionally, you will have to manage and balance lines in a new way this year. Chemistry is based upon your players’ type, which can be modified in coaching options. Of course, making Sidney Crosby a grinder will not have the same results as a Steve Ott grinder, so you will have to keep each player’s strengths in mind. Overall, Dynasty mode is a great way to get into the game, but it really isn’t incredibly deep.
Graphics:
NHL 07 is a beautiful game to look at. Especially in cut-scenes and shootouts, the game is filled with details. The ice has a new rivet with every stride and the crowd is fully animated and three dimensional. Everything you expect to see at the rink is shown in NHL 07. Sticks show wear on the blade and players even have sock tape to secure their pads. The rinks were carefully modeled to match their real life counterparts. I feel as though I am looking around the American Airlines Center during the opening cuts-scenes of Stars’ home games. The players themselves look great as well. Big name players are easily recognizable and differences in size are depicted fairly well. Animations are plentiful due to the number of possible movements with the new controls. This year, more than any year before, EA has captured the movements of hockey in a realistic manner. The way players skate, take shots, and collide all seem natural and fluid.
Audio:
The sound of NHL 07 is another area where the game shines. In game sounds were recorded clearly. Players, coaches, and especially the crowd can be heard yelling throughout the game. Players collide with a satisfying thud and slapshots sound as powerful as they are. Then there is the heart sinking ‘tink’ of the puck off the crossbar. Commentary is well done, with the announcers providing sufficient insight to the game. After a few hours of playing, however, you will have heard the same expressions repeated over and over again, which may become annoying.
Controls:
The controls, as I have already mentioned, are the most innovative and exciting aspect of NHL 07. Now hockey feels much more natural and free flowing due to the dual stick gameplay. You have to develop some skills to dominate this game, instead of simply mashing at face buttons. Learning the new controls will feel awkward at first, but the tutorial video and shootout mode should help you become acclimated to the new layout. The future of hockey games looks bright as EA can now allow for more intricate maneuvers in the coming years.
Replay:
While not the deepest game, NHL 07 offers several ways to play. You have the Dynasty Mode as well as Dodge Shootouts, World Tournaments, and Online. Shootout mode is one of the most addicting things I have ever played. Not only does it help you learn the new controls, but it is incredibly fun to play, especially against friends. World Tournament is a fairly standard tourney that allows you to select an international team to play with. Online play is fairly cut and dry, but it is tons of fun to take on human opponents. I just wish they had allowed for online shootouts, and I cannot see a reason for this omission.
Summary:
NHL 07 takes hockey videogames in an entirely new direction. After years of only minor changes, EA has changed everything for the better. The new dual analog based gameplay feels more natural than using the face buttons, and I hope to see EA expand on it in the coming years. For hockey fans, NHL 07 is a must buy with its exciting gameplay, gorgeous visuals, and superb sound.
