NHL 07 Preview

The words echo through the icy halls of immortality … “He shoots … he scores!”

Four words that mean glory on the icy playgrounds of the National Hockey League. Thanks to EA Sports latest entry in it’s NHL franchise, you can create a player and take to the rinks in pursuit of that elusive fame.

But first things first. If you are going to create a player, you will need a team to play on. How about the newest entry into the NHL – the Boise Blades. The home arena can be a replica of Arena Nurnberg, or maybe the Staples Center. (And no, there is not an NHL team in Boise, but through the creation process in this game, the Blades - once upon a time a team in the area - can skate again.)

There is certainly a lot to do with NHL 07, and with a very flexible difficulty setting and full on-line support, hockey gamers will be in for a great deal of fun.

As a GM you have to manage the rosters, take care of player needs, and watch that salary cap. You can insert a created team into a league and then hop right into the action. The game’s control scheme is a little different than its big cousin, the 360, and you will be using the right trigger for shots (no skill stick here).

Other game modes include EA Sports World Tournament, Season, Exhibition, EA Sports Free For All, and the Shoot Out Mini Camp. In the Free For All, the first player to score five goals wins. This is a multiplayer mode played with four gamepads on the same machine, played out in a half-rink with a goalie stopping all attempts. This is rather fun.   

Regardless of whether you indulge in the Dynasty mode or take on some of the world’s top national representatives, the game pretty much plays out as a cerebral and reflexive exercise. You have to see what is going on, anticipate and take advantage of your oppositions mistakes.

Graphically, the game is solid. The camera can be shifted around and while the fans are not all that well rendered, the on-ice physics are top-drawer and the effects look very nice. The spray of ice, the thud of the puck into pads or the boards all play out rather well. Adding to the ambience is the sound with the announcers doing a good job, a mix of rock tunes by some bands you like have not heard of, and the game sounds all deliver.

NHL 07 has a great creation mode, solid graphics and sound and quick-paced gameplay. Periods fly by – not so fast when you are nursing the lead, and much too fast when you are trailing by  goal or two – and the game controls have a small learning curve. Do not confuse the Xbox game with the 360 game – that is a disservice to both products. There are similarities but generally these two games are very different versions of the same great sport.

The Xbox title is sure to please gamers looking for both a solid single-player experience and a robust multiplayer one as well.