NHL 07

Every year people all over the world wait impatiently for the new season of their favorite sports to begin. For me it's hockey. I don't like the natural season it brings (winter), but nothing beats going to Joe Louis Arena to watch the Wings deep-fry the Kings. (That sounds like a restaurant menu gone horribly wrong, doesn’t it?)

Along with the new hockey season comes the newest batch of hockey games. With NHL Hitz nowhere in sight, NHL 07 and NHL 2K7 are our only major options. EA found that they could repeat history and make history with Madden 07, a game that has already won the hearts of millions. NHL 07 is EA's latest hockey endeavor – can they do the same and make history for Canada's biggest sport?

America's Favorite Pass Time

NHL 07's introduction of a new, more precise passing system is not as innovative as it is fun. Like every other EA franchise, the right analog stick has been given a more prominent role. Referred to as a "skill stick revolution," the new concept means you can pass the puck by using the right stick.

Initially, this feature left me with mixed feelings. I liked the idea but wasn't too sure about the execution. I could've sworn that I had passed the puck in one direction (top left corner), yet the puck would end up being shot in the opposite direction.

Several hours later it became apparent that I was not being as precise as the game required. Should you tap the wrong direction just before making a pass, the puck is not likely to end up where you wish to place it. Add in environmental factors (opponents that get in the way, teammates not being where they should be, etc.) and the new passing system can seem a little off.

I encourage you to thoroughly practice the new passing system, because once you do the game enters that seamless zone of action EA is known for creating. You'll start to pass the puck (to the right person) almost the instant you desire without even thinking about what you're doing. That's when a sports game really nails it: when you can focus on the task (getting the puck into the net) and ignore the variables (control functionality, layout, etc.).

Dynasty Warriors

NHL 07 gets a few upgrades within the returning Dynasty mode. By now you've likely heard about where the game directs its attention: team chemistry. Ideally, players who work well together will play better and score more goals. If not more goals, then at least they'd be able to block the puck more forcefully. My only issue with this sort of thing is that I'm the one who should be controlling every player. Sometimes my AI-controlled teammates help me out, but for the most part I'm the one doing the work – which is how it should be. If the AI is doing it for you, where's the challenge? Where's the fun?

NHL 07 also takes a slapshot at putting chemistry between the team, the manager, and the owner. As the manager you'll have decide how much you like your team, and how a better one can be formed. Are the existing players satisfactory? Or are the real-world choices not cutting it? As manager, you decide who goes and who stays. You'll also decide who to acquire from the players that are available. Anyone can be turned into a free agent, or set free entirely. If you go in there and just start clicking, the results won't be pretty. Save your game before making any irrational decisions.

As a player on the ice, your goal is to win the game. Keeping the puck away from your net is just as important, but at the end of the night, it won't be your defensive plays that win points with the owner. The only thing he cares about is who won.

Win enough games and his trust will grow. The interesting thing is that the player is in control of both the players and the manager. You have to balance both to keep both happy, serving the boss or subordinates as you switch control between them.

This makes for a fun and lengthy take on the old (and game-industry standard) season mode, which is still present. I like the upgrade system, where an increase in owner trust enables you to change your team's future. Under the five-star upgrade system, players may enhance the following:

Front Office

• Assistant GM

• Legal

• Public Relations

• Rookie Scouting

• NHL Pressure

On Ice Staff

Head, Strategic, Goalie, Skating, and Power Skating Coaches

Off Ice Staff

• Medical

• Teamwork

• Gym (adds to your team's strength and endurance)

• Team Travel

• Team Functions

Players make those choices via Dynasty Central, a place for managing your team in between each game. Handle coaching, check stats, examine the rules, and receive fictitious "e-mail" updates telling you who's hot and who's not. E-mail will also inform you of injuries, trades, and other news pertaining to the league.

Maximus Penaltius

NHL 07 gives the player the option to reduce or increase penalties. I always feel that sports titles should give us the choice, and it's great to see this game following suit.

What isn't too great is the penalty system and how it's employed. I completely agree with the calls made to goalies. If I take control of the goalie and foolishly move too far from my net, why shouldn’t I be penalized? What I did was a stupid mistake that violated the rules. I might not have meant to go that far, but I still did it.

On the other hand, calls made to the rest of the team – including my opponents – are rather ridiculous. High sticking is very common. I ask myself the same thing every time it happens: how? I go for the puck and magically high stick the guy? In real life I have the choice to high stick, or not to high stick. It could occur accidentally, but for the most part these players have good control over what they're doing. In this game, there is no gameplay element that enables me to high stick every time. It's randomly decided by the AI based on how I'm trying to steal the puck.

You could argue that there's no way around this, and for years I would have agreed. But now that EA has introduced a feature in Madden that requires the quarterback to see where he's passing, why couldn't the same be applied to the hockey referees? Suppose the game gave us the option to intentionally commit illegal actions. In its current state, NHL 07 would automatically send us to the penalty box. But if they designed the refs to "see" what we are doing, then they would have to be looking directly at us to know that we committed the violation. If their eyes didn't see it, it'd be like it didn't even happen and the evil player would get away with the crime – just like in real hockey.

Hopefully this is where the series is headed, as it would make the penalties much more realistic, and give each player superior control in committing violations, avoiding them, or just trying to avoid getting caught. Now that superior passing has been brought to the game, there’s no reason not to make everything else superior.

Gameplay: 8.5
While not the most advanced hockey game, NHL 07 wins a Stanley Cup for providing some of the best sports action available. The game moves at a great pace, both in terms of how the players control and in how the frame rate keeps up with the excitement. The upgraded Dynasty mode ensures that players will have weeks of fun ahead of them. Multiplayer is as strong as ever, and the new stick passing makes that area of the game a bit more dynamic.

Graphics: 7.0
The animations are very good, especially during gameplay. Players will notice a lot of detail in the way the players move and act while passing, shooting, after getting pounded in the face, etc. Every action leads to a unique animation.

The in-between-play animations, however, are not as impressive. Penalties, wins, losses – the expressions and gestures only differ between the event. Penalties result in the same angry look, wins result in the same cheer, etc. When awards are handed out before a game, the animations seem to be the same every time – the type of award and the player receiving it do not change this.

Furthermore, when viewing replays, there are times when players will magically disappear and reappear. It’d make sense if they were obstructing our view, but that’s not the reason they disappear. I could have my camera to one side of them and their image will still be lost.

Sound: 6.9
A decent rock soundtrack crippled by repetition. Most of the songs are repetitive by nature, and there aren’t nearly enough of them to keep the rotation from losing its luster. The commentary is pretty stale, with all too frequent reminders that the player has gone off sides. Accurate, yes. Entertaining? No.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Learning how to pass might hold some players back an hour two. One you know the ropes, the challenge ahead will not seem that immense.

Concept: 7.0
The stick passing is great. But while it’s new to hockey, it’s not new to the sports genre. Neither is anything else this game offers, at least not in a way that significantly impacts the gameplay.

Multiplayer: 8.0
The NHL series has had memorable multiplayer gameplay from the beginning. Free-For-All and shootout modes give you and your buds another venue to quench your hockey thirst, while the standard exhibition games are a blast and will keep hardcore gamers enthralled until the next great hockey title arrives.

Overall: 8.0
NHL 07 isn’t quite what it could’ve been. But as a lower-priced ($30) hockey release for a six-year-old system, the game is certainly worth considering, especially if you don’t have NHL 06. Diehard fans will see this as more of the same, while players who have casually followed the series will be impressed by its wealth of options. The Dynasty mode is still a blast, even though it isn’t entirely new. And the core gameplay mechanics cannot be beat. The new stick passing gives players so much more control over the puck. I’d like to see a similar idea applied to the shooting, but as it stands that function works very well. Whether you’re faking or going for straight for the goal, NHL 07 is accurate and fun.