'NHL 07' moves hockey out of arcade

Game Informer Magazine

 

It's awesome that a year ago hockey fans had nothing at all to celebrate, and now hockey is back and better than ever.

 

Video-game hockey is also going through its own set of changes, not the least of which is the move to the next-generation consoles. But unlike other sports games that have fared badly their first time on the Xbox 360, "NHL 07" is already looking to be more than just a token offering. The development team has made wholesale changes to the franchise that aren't just fixes of past problems, but are instead clear leaps forward for video-game hockey.

 

To replicate how a player handles a hockey stick in real life, the "NHL 07" for Xbox 360 maps a number of controls to the right analog stick. No longer are dekes automatic, set pieces. Instead you have the freedom to move the twig to your liking and create your own bit of magic. Since both sticks are totally analog, you can easily transition between skating speeds with the left analog or determine how powerful you want your shot to be. Flick the right analog forward for a quick wrist shot or drawing it back for a blast from the blue line. You can even use this new control system to pull off fake shots, shield the puck from defenders or pop someone with a big check.

 

In our hands-on time with the next-gen version of the game, the increased freedom and fluidity took a little while to get used to, but we soon took advantage of it. In fact, we never touched a face button, which made our play and decision-making faster, as you don't have to reposition your thumbs across the controller or worry about getting your buttons mixed up. Other functions like passes, hooks, poke checks and backward skating (or strafing on offense) are controlled by the bumper buttons and triggers. You can revert to the classic controls, but after playing this new way you won't want to.

 

By itself, the evolution of the right analog is a single step forward. But combined with the game's all-new animation, physics and AI systems, this doesn't feel like any hockey title you've played before. Now the puck moves independently of players and their sticks, meaning that putting the puck into open space (like a through pass in soccer) or having it bobble off your stick is more likely to happen in the game like it does in real life. The puck no longer magnetically sticks to your blade, and players don't slide into pre-determined positions. Naturally, with pucks now going any which way, this makes things harder for goalies. However, EA has also raised their level of play, offering numerous secondary moves and giving them the smarts to track not only where the puck is and where it's going to be.

 

While other sports games have been searching for and implementing new ideas to beat the year-to-year vicious cycle, hockey has been one sport that has more or less stuck by its arcade leanings. "NHL 07" represents an attempt to move video game hockey from being a simplistic likeness of the sport to an actual simulation of the real deal.

 

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/business/...gy/15088213.htm

 

Playing an entire game without pushing a single button.... this is going to be awesome.

Sweet.

that sounds incredible.

NHL 06 was way too arcade. Especially the checks. You could barely touch a dude and his body would break the glass. By the looks of it, this game will be better. And I'll be getting my copy.

NHL 06 was way too arcade. Especially the checks. You could barely touch a dude and his body would break the glass. By the looks of it, this game will be better. And I'll be getting my copy.

 

You gotta tweak the sliders. Go to some of the NHL 06 fan sites and people posted custom sliders you can use, and the game becomes incredibly realistic. But yes, this game will probably be the best game since NHL 94 on the Sega Genesis :notworthy .

Speaking of '07 games, does anyone know if there will be an MVP Baseball 2007?

Speaking of '07 games, does anyone know if there will be an MVP Baseball 2007?

 

There will not be another EA Sports MLB game for the next 7 years. There might be a college baseball MVP, but that's it.

There hasn't been a good EA Sports hockey game since '02. That game was incredible.

 

Last year's was terribly unrealistic. But I never used the sliders. The goalies were awful. I would win games something like 8-6 on difficult mode on the quickest period times.

Speaking of '07 games, does anyone know if there will be an MVP Baseball 2007?

 

There will not be another EA Sports MLB game for the next 7 years. There might be a college baseball MVP, but that's it.

And the first copy of that sucked.

There hasn't been a good EA Sports hockey game since '02. That game was incredible.

 

 

 

i remember spending countless hours playing that game, it was insane how great it was. last one i bought was nhl 04 which sucked, ill probably try this one though.

Speaking of '07 games, does anyone know if there will be an MVP Baseball 2007?

 

There will not be another EA Sports MLB game for the next 7 years. There might be a college baseball MVP, but that's it.

And the first copy of that sucked.

Disagree. I thought the gameplay on it was awesome. Sure it might have been cooler had it been an MLB licensed, but it's still hella fun to play.

 

Anyway this will probably be the first NHL game I'll buy since 2003, which was wildly disappointing.

Speaking of '07 games, does anyone know if there will be an MVP Baseball 2007?

 

There will not be another EA Sports MLB game for the next 7 years. There might be a college baseball MVP, but that's it.

although if 2k keeps it up with releasing average baseball game after average baseball game people are going to be screaming for mvp to come back to the next generation of systems...mlb 2k6 has its perks, but when you see julio franco playing 2nd base and leading off...lets just say there are a few glitches that need to be fixed that EA would never let slide

Speaking of '07 games, does anyone know if there will be an MVP Baseball 2007?

 

There will not be another EA Sports MLB game for the next 7 years. There might be a college baseball MVP, but that's it.

although if 2k keeps it up with releasing average baseball game after average baseball game people are going to be screaming for mvp to come back to the next generation of systems...mlb 2k6 has its perks, but when you see julio franco playing 2nd base and leading off...lets just say there are a few glitches that need to be fixed that EA would never let slide

MVP 2005 was awesome. The minor league feature is one of the coolest things ever put into a baseball game. But 2K's gameplay is a lot better than EA's. If 2K would put the minor league feature into their 2007 game, it will be totally awesome.

I've been reading about both games, NHL 07 and NHL2k7 and they both sound great for 360, gonna have to wait for reviews to see which is better.

Speaking of '07 games, does anyone know if there will be an MVP Baseball 2007?

 

There will not be another EA Sports MLB game for the next 7 years. There might be a college baseball MVP, but that's it.

And the first copy of that sucked.

It was the exact same as MVP 2005, just with different teams, rosters, stadiums, etc...