EA Sports got it “right” with NHL 07 … well, the right thumbstick, that is. In fact, gamers may not want to “take a pass” on this title simply because of the improvements to the passing game elements, courtesy of the aforementioned right thumbstick.

Whoa, back up a bit and let’s take on the role, just a bit, of the analyst. We are talking current-generation console system here – the Xbox. Ok, while titles are still being created for this machine, the focus from Microsoft is on its next-gen console, the 360. So how much care was given to the Xbox title. Quite simply, a lot.

Most of what is here is almost what gamers saw with the release of NHL 06. The graphics and gameplay elements have transitioned to NHL 07 almost exactly as they were in last year’s release. But when it comes to the control scheme, the dev team added a touch of innovation that makes the game mechanics much more enjoyable, a little more of a challenge and a lot of fun once you get it all down.

The passing controls have been mapped to the right thumbstick. There … it is said, quickly and directly. This requires that you don’t wobble the thumbstick, but rather quickly flick it in the direction you wish to pass the puck. Could anything so simple be hard? Well, yes because now you are talking about precision passing. Leading a teammate just so, or dumping the puck to where you might think they are. If they are not, you look silly. But once you learn to anticipate AI-controlled movement from your teammates (prior to taking control of them), you will be a passing genius, guaranteed to thrill your owner or management, and bring fear into the hearts of your opponents.

NHL 07, for the Xbox, has many options its newer cousin does not have – like the ability to create a player and work up a franchise. You can create a customized avatar, select a name and then give him a nickname (nicknames are pre-recorded sound bytes from the announcing team, which means that whatever name you give your player won’t be mentioned, but the nickname will – so selecting the nickname of T-Rex and then going back and naming your player Tony Rextall makes it all work well), and then give him some attributes.

You can also create your own team, pull from a lengthy list of players (remembering you do have a salary cap), and create your own team from the ground up with some hockey superstars on the roster.

As a GM you have to manage the rosters, take care of player needs, and make certain the team chemistry works on the ice. You can insert a created team into a league and then hop right into the action.

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 opposition's mistakes.

But since the majority of the game is translated over from NHL 06, the biggest changes to the game have been in where the dev team tweaked the actual controls, including that passing stick. There was once a time when you played against another human opponent when the one-time shot would and could be the death of your chances to win. Not anymore. The one-timer is not that goalie bane, but rather the power and accuracy have been downgraded, challenging players to be more thoughtful in not only puck movement, but their shots as well. Couple that with solid physics that truly seems to emulate the actual game, and you have an iteration of the franchise that feels closer to what is seen on television, or in the arenas around the world.

Shooting is the right trigger and the left thumbstick for aiming (with the zones indicated by a marker on the net). Generally, the learning curve for the control scheme is relatively short.

Graphically, the game is solid. The camera can be shifted around and though the fans are not all that well rendered, the arenas do 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 likely have not heard of..

The game has a robust multiplayer mode.

The drawbacks to the title are very few and are mostly centered around the graphics engine and gameplay features being a carry-over from the NHL 06 title. But the focus for 07 has been tweaks to the control scheme and in that regard, NHL 07 scores well.

Gameplay: 8.3
Tweaks to the control schemes adds to the overall experience. The learning curve is not huge and the options package provides some nice diversity and entertainment.

Graphics: 8.0
Second verse, same as the first? In a way. The graphics look rather like the 06 title – which is not a bad thing.

Sound: 8.0
The music is solid, as are the in-game announcers. Don’t expect to be blown away by the sound, but do expect an aural experience that does its job to support the graphics.

Difficulty: Medium
You can set your own difficulty level, and those who have played one of the titles in this franchise know what they are in store for.

Concept: 8.2
Nice tweaks made to the control scheme.

Multiplayer: 8.0
While not much has changed from the 06 edition, ranked and unranked matches with some mini tournament options and same-machine mini games all add up to more fun.

Overall: 8.1
The game has a lot of rollovers from the NHL 06 title, but the developers have tweaked some of the controls in a very positive way. For those who do not own a recent iteration of EA Sports NHL franchise, this is a solid title to have. For those who do have NHL 06, the tweaks to the controls are well worth the price of admission to the next step in this what will be viewed as a storied franchise.