NHL07 I Went to a fight, and a Hockey game broke out

Mike Bantick
Tuesday, 31 October 2006 02:39

Your IT - Entertainment

NHL07 - EA Canada - X360, PS2, XBOX

Australians’ views of some North American past-times can be somewhat dismissive,
 in so far as a sport loving society goes.  Still, Electronic Arts in their wisdom have unleashed the latest batch of sporting franchises upon us. The National Hockey League is slamming the boards.

I never played NHL06, but I imagine that staring at some wonderfully rendered empty ice hockey stadiums, might not have held the challenge a puck jockey was after.  A NHL Player strike can make the season awfully boring to the everyday fan.

In NHL07 however the players are back, and especially in the XBOX360 version they are looking splendid.

An all-new control system is introduced with this version. Basically the left thumbstick manages your skates, whilst the right is your stick.  This gives an intuitive feel to player control, albeit with a slight lag.

In a similar vein to watching this sport on television, there were times when I had absolutely no idea what was going on, were the puck was, or even where my controlled player was.  Luckily, a selection of camera angles, other than the default is available.  For me, this improved the game experience no end.

The lame ‘initiate fight button’ feature, is offset by the many modes in which NHL07 can be enjoyed.  From a quick game, to the full Dynasty mode, including salary cap and myriad of coaching options.

Confusing as it may be, I challenge any Aussie not to be raising their fists and cheering the first time they slam a puck into the back of the net.