Ah, those crafty Canadians and their hockey (wait, I Am Canadian!), they always find a way to make a sports game better every year. Last year EA Sports didn’t’ release a hockey title for the next-generation console and let 2k Games take the center stage. Now, after a long grueling year of waiting, we get a true next-generation hockey title (as thousands of Canadians jump for joy). With new controls, game mechanics and of course crisp graphics, how will the game hold up as a sports and ‘next-generation’ title?

Like every year EA Games releases an NHL title into the video game market and goes head to head with 2k games’, NHL 2K series. Each title they’ve released has basically had the same maneuvers when looking at controls, A to pass and X to shoot, and so on. But what no one expected them to do something quite unique as this. Instead of plugging in the regular controls, they’ve reinvented the idea of taking control of your hockey stick. The new anticipated system is probably the only major innovative upgrade in 07, but it definitely isn’t the only next-generation tool used. The game looks beautiful as helmets never shine so brightly and players look so realistic to their real life counter partners it’s almost as if you were really playing as a professional hockey player. Other than graphics and the new mechanics, the game is pretty much the same as the older installments of the NHL franchise but it’s all up to how well these new mechanics work to make a good game.

Gameplay

Gameplay has done a massive 180 to create a more realistic and, I guess you can say a more enjoyable entertainment experience. Previous titles of EA’s NHL series were really easy, you could score seven goals within 2 periods of the game but now I’m having trouble even scoring 2 in one game. This is good to sports simulator fans because it’s more realistic and you get a better grip on a true hockey experience rather than a ‘fake’ game. Said before, the game features an all new control scheme. Rather than the traditional X to shoot and A to pass, the game features the right analog stick to control your hockey stick simply named, Skill Stick. Very similar to this years EA title, Fight Night Round 3, you will use the right analog stick to maneuver your shots and surprisingly it’s very easy. At first the new system does take awhile to adjust to but after a few games you’ll be able to master the basics behind shooting.

You simply move the right analog stick left or right to deke your character around and while doing this you can quickly switch to a wrist shot by positioning your thumb down and swinging it forward to shoot, this is one of the better techniques. Slap shots make sense both in the real and video game world, you swing back the stick which takes a wind up and then you swinging it forward and take your 100 mile hour slap shot. Those are pretty much what you’ll need to learn if you want to score, but there are always other moves like spinning your analog stick around you can spin your character in order to get around a player or just confuse the goalie. There isn’t that many different moves but the number that EA put in the game was enough as you might have a slip second to two seconds to think before you shoot. This new control scheme is very useful and helps distinguishes the use of both analog sticks. It worked extremely well on EA Games’ Fight Night Round 3 that was released earlier this year and it works exceptionally well on their first NHL next generation title. Of course this is a bit of a steep learning curve to regulars to the series, so EA does offer an option to switch the controls back to the original settings put in the previous titles, but it’s a better experience if you leave it as the default, it makes it feel like you really are in control of the hockey stick.

Timonen never shows any emotions.

What’s weird when using the right analog stick to shoot, you use the left one to both skate and aim at the same time. You think this would be hard to do, and it is a bit difficult when you have a split second to decide but it actually works well. It’s always nice to think about shooting a puck up high in the right pocket, and now you can do it with a two flicks of the wrist. Since they’re not using the button pads as actions (other than Y being start a fight), there isn’t much they can do to pass, they created a new system to allow you to shoot with your right analog stick but it didn’t look like they knew where to put the pass button, instead of one of buttons, they made it the right trigger, which actually feels very awkward for along time (as everything does have a point you get use to it).

Another new controllable feature in NHL 07 is during face-offs. In previous titles you would just press one button and you would hack and hack till you the ref drop’s the puck and see who gets it, now you have to time it right. The referee in the game can now bluff on when he’s going to drop the puck and you are only allowed to sweep a couple times and if you don’t time it right, the opponent team will win the face-off. This is another interesting new control setting, not needed but still fine, I do think the old slash at the puck system is more affective but this is more realistic. Other than that, the only other feature they put into a combination of buttons is pressing both the left bumper and the back button on the controller to pull the goalie. It isn’t that useful of a technique but it is there to serve you if you ever need to do a quick pull without pressing start and going through the menu. Controls in NHL 07 have drastically changed, they still have the original/classic setting but the new system is more enjoyable and more advanced to the player, this is the innovation we need in more next-generation titles.