NHL 07

""One step forward, two steps back" - The NHL 07 Story"

Personally, I have played each and every EA NHL Game since '93. Each of them has it's own ups and downs, and many have more ups than they do downs. But in the case of NHL 07, you have your ups, your downs, and more downs. The overall game is okay, but there are too many little aspects that cause the game to get lower ratings than EA should be producing, since the great games (In my opinion) that NHL 2001-2004 should get. Many of those games are classics in my opinion, I love going back and playing them sometimes. Here are the reasons why NHL 07 is good, and bad, and worse:

Graphics
8.5/10
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Above average, and a considerable amount better than 2001-2004. The ice looks good, and it is very dynamic with skating lines on the fresh ice. The little .FMV sequences that are played after each whistle and goal look very credible. Not as good as they could be, but better than previous years (Although, learn now, I have never played NHL 06).

Controls
9/10
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You won't like the controls the first couple of hours you play the game. But as soon as you get used to them, they are great. Some deduction for the manual shot aim on one-timers, as it is considerably harder to get a good shot aim from a quick face-off. Otherwise, they are okay. You can not use the D-pad to control your skaters, as they are used for accepting fights (D-Down), Changing Lines (D-Up), Changing Defensive and Offensive Strategies (D-Left and D-Right). These can not be changed, you use the Left Analog Stick. The right Analog Stick is for aiming shots, aiming passes (both for offense), and a great way to control your stick for poke checking, etc. (Defense). I love the poke check on the Right Analog Stick.

Sound
5/10
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The soundtrack in this game is the worst in any NHL game I've ever played. Every single vocal is incredibly annoying, and the instruments sound like crap. Very, very annoying soundtrack. The sound on the ice is great, as stick-to-stick passes sound perfect, just as shots, skating, and goaltender saves. They all sound great, which spares the sound to a barely passing grade.

Gameplay
3/10
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Skating can sometimes get annoying, just as deking and shooting. You can try to win a face-off in the offensive zone, and try for a slap-shot, but you will find yourself shooting in the same direction you won the face-off on, 85% of the time. The computer AI is horrible, as there are at least 4 plays I can do to crash the net, and deke the goaltender out of his equipment, with simple moves such as cutting across the net. Many goals scored are garbage goals, which run up the scoreboard. Many games have upwards of 15 goals each, with results such as 8-7. In some games, you will find yourself destroying your opponent, with scores within 4-0 to 11-0. And some games are impossible to win, as well. If you have a scoring leader, you will always have a player just behind you, no matter how many points you score, leading to ridiculous point numbers many many players are getting. This has always been an EA NHL series problem, though.

Pros
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-Many goals you can score are really nice.
-The game can be difficult for better players.
-On line play is okay, as long as your opponents are decent.

Cons
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-Penalty minutes run full time, 2-5 minutes real time, no matter what length your periods are. 2 Minute penalties end up to be 6 (or 8?) minutes long in a 5 minute period.
-Shot totals are low while goal totals are high in too many games.
-Horrid, Horrid! AI

Overall
6/10
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If the AI was better, this game would be decent. But, sadly, it fails to lack any form of AI. It's terrible.

Rent/Buy?
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It's a buy, if you ask me. It's still the most recent game, and I'm not a big fan of the other hockey games.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 01/10/07