Released on the 3rd November 2006 in Europe, NHL 2K7 is the latest instalment in this well known franchise, now released in all its glory on the Xbox 360.
While EA continue to dominate the market, 2K has solidly produced excellent sports titles, and this is their latest in the NHL series. An overlooked publisher, who have produced the much loved Top Spin 2, and the underrated NBA 2K7, you should - and indeed can - trust that this will not be a churned out and poor quality game.
Harking back to the days of the MegaDrive, the sport has come a long way in what you see and how you interact, and this is the best of the bunch on the market at the moment. But has it over elaborated? Can you take the pick up and play fun out of a game by trying to be too comprehensive?
Switch player… pass... shoot… score… we demand more as gamers, and has this delivered?.
As you would expect from the 360, it is the visuals that strike you first, especially running in Hi-Definition. Whilst not quite as initially stunning as other sports titles such as Fight Night round 3, it is clear a lot of time and attention has gone into making this game gleam graphically, and it is without question the best looking Ice Hockey game you will have seen to date.
While some parts may not initially give you that wow factor, it’s when you see the attention to detail in the close up shots, and the speed at which the players move around once the game is in full flow that you really appreciate what you are getting here. This is pushing the 360 to its limits, even if the players all look like aggressive thugs….. Realism has its price.
As we all know, the Xbox 360 can produce stunning visuals, as shown in most titles, but it’s the Gameplay that counts. So how does this fair?
I must admit I am not an avid Ice Hockey follower, either in real life or in the gaming world, so I came to this with no idea what to expect. After being initially impressed with the visuals, as most gamers do, I decided against reading the instruction book as usual, and threw myself into a quick match.
There was a large selection of teams to play with, and a great variety of options, so I picked a random team and started it up. The introductory pre-match scenes and team talk were well produced and helped build the tension before the game, and loading times were minimal.
Suddenly I was facing off. A quick check on the controls and I was away. In general the controls were easy to pick up, with “A” switching player, and the other buttons acting as various offensive and defensive shots depending on which you were doing. Especially pleasing is the variety of differ rent defensive styles. You have softer, puck stealing attempts with triggers, or full on “I’m gonna push you down and take this whether you like it or not” options, which, used correctly are good fun and effective.
This is true to the real sport in that it is a quick moving game. Offence can turn to defence and vice versa with a single stray or misplaced pass, and it is end-to-end stuff. In my first few games, the scores tended to be 3-3, 4-3, or 4-4, so while they are scoring against me, I am still knocking them in myself. It never becomes frantic though. You have a growing feeling of control as you progress through the game, and soon learn the little tricks and tactics that mean you are scoring but not conceding, and that was a satisfying experience, and a good learning curve. You soon realise that once you match the speed of the game, you have the opportunity to have full control over every pass and play.
However, this is one of the problems in a way. Having played for a while and felt like this was good pick up and play fun, and I was getting it, I decided to work through the training and challenge section. This served to demonstrate that you really can have full control. By clicking down on the right stick, you open up Pro control, which gives you further control over who you pass to by putting buttons over players heads, so a quick press of B will pass it to that player. A clever idea, but not one that you really get chance to use in the heat of the game.
A work through the challenge modes and the training sessions does serve to demonstrate that if you have the manual dexterity, you can master the game, but only if you have the speed and patience to master them.
Audio is comprehensive, with excellent commentary, which reacts immediately to the play. The crowd noise and atmosphere make you believe you are there.
Then there are the mini games. There are many mini games for multiplayer, all of which are simple and fun, and will improve your skills in the game.
The bottom line with this game is that if you are looking for a next-generation Ice hockey game, with great visuals, and all the licensed teams, and many extras, then this is for you. If you are looking for a sports game to have a play with your mates then there are other games in the genre that will ultimately be more appealing and more accessible.
Just like other sports simulators, if you love the sport, then this will be a heaven send to you, but if you are not into the Ice hockey scene, you may find this bewildering and it will sit on your shelf while you play your other games.
Overall, this is a well-presented title, with a lot of time and dedication given to it, but will appeal to a niche market. If this were a football simulator, it would be up there with FIFA, challenging to establish itself as the challenger to Pro Evolution Soccer. Loved by many, but not seen objectively as the main title. Shame though, as this is a great game.
Well made, deep and solid, but only one for fans of the sport.
Game Play 7
Graphics 9
Sound 9
Life Span 7
  
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