NHL 2K7

"A deep, entertaining hockey game."

After playing NHL 06, and being horribly disgusted with it, I decided to try a new Hockey series. After playing NHL 2K7, I am ready to buy another installment in the series when I deem it time to do so.

Visuals: 8.5/10

The quality of the visuals is a bit inconsistent, but ultimately good overall. After a period of skating, you can see the ice has been seriously carved up, and the individual skate lines are easily discerned from each other. During skating, lines made by players skating hard are more obvious that those who are taking it easy. The arenas are good, but not remarkable. The fans are fully rendered, though usually out of sight unless shown reacting to a call or goal. However, the fan and player body models are still pulled off equally well. My only serious complaint would be that the player face models are a bit off – when taking the faceoffs, players have a goofy looking smile, as if they were kids taking ceremonial faceoffs with their heroes, as opposed to NHL professionals trying to beat the opposing center.

Sound: 7/10

The '2KBeats' selection for background music is filled with lame modern "rock" songs that don't really fit with the game. However, you can add in your own music and disable the developers' choices, so I can't fault them. The game announcing is dull and pretty poor, so I usually disable it, leaving me with some light background music that sounds better, and also allows me to hear the spot-on sounds of the game. The only thing that doesn't sound realistic is the hitting, as no one truly gets checked against the boards, negating the unique sound of such an event.

Controls: 6/10

The basic controls in NHL 2K7 are simplistic enough to understand and execute, but performing more advanced commands (such as line changes during live action) require button combinations that are too complex for the speed of the game.

Gameplay: 9.25/10

NHL 2K7's gameplay is both deep and well executed. The game includes your standard modes, and some interesting additions. NHL 2K7 also features plenty of extras, a laundry list of customization options and attributes; all of which are of good quality. And, like any Sports game, the replay value is really on the player. However, the quality of the gameplay, and the changing schedules in Franchise mode, do not detract from the replay value.

Initially, I found the on-ice gameplay to be a very easy, as I could easily pile up six, seven, ten, or even fifteen goals. However, after adjusting the numerous sliders (thing as basic as goalie ability, or as complex as three different dimensions of fatigue) and options, I found a comfortable medium where I was challenged properly – scoring was now difficult, but not impossible, and was markedly easier using top tier forwards like Alex Ovechkin than third pair Defensemen. However, I do have to admit that I'm probably not done tweaking the settings yet (there are still far too many shots taken per game – total upwards of 100 for both teams are the rule, not the exception), and that there are still some flaws. NHL 2K7 does provide the best version of on-ice play I've encountered yet, though – far better than EA Sports'.

The Franchise mode is excellent. You are tasked with the job of General Manager of your chosen franchise (or one of your creation), and must hire a coaching staff, players, and balance your budget. I'd have liked to have a mode where you acted as the owner where finances play a greater roll, but Franchise mode's depth will hold my attention for a long time. During the season, you can play or simulate games, manage your lines, manage practice schedules, deal with injuries, and do virtually anything a General Manager would do. Above and beyond most other sports games, you can also take calls from the team owner, which have various results, such as increasing or decreasing stats, altering budget levels, and a myriad of other effects (you can avoid answering these calls if this feature annoys you). However, the developers' best work is done in the off season. When negotiating contracts, you can decide whether to front-load, back-load, or average the pay spreads, give signing bonuses, and offer incentives for a myriad of milestones. Players react intelligently to your contracts – Tie Domi isn't going to care if you offer him $5M for getting 50 goals, because he knows he'll never get that money. During the international scouting for the NHL entry draft, your options are far deeper than any other Hockey game I've played: You go region by region (North America, Western Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Scandinavia) scouting players using a limited supply of hours, which are consumed by travel and player workouts. As with all rookie drafts, there is a degree of inherent uncertainty, which can be mitigated to an extent by the skill of the scout you've hired. Overall, franchise mode's depth should satisfy any hockey fan.

2K sports' assessment of talent, and the growth rates of players, are very accurate given the time frame they used (this year, Sidney Crosby is clearly better than than top 10 forward he is in NHL 2K7). You won't see the erratic improvements and declines that are common other games. Furthermore, there are dozens of attributes, as basic as speed or as specific as nerve and poise (two different values). The depth of it all makes the overall attribute somewhat unimportant, allowing you to find players who excel at checking, puck control, passing, shooting, leadership, and the like.

There are numerous extras and unlockables in NHL 2K7. In addition to the standard old jerseys and NHL teams, you can also unlock All-Decade teams (for the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s), historic national teams (Including the 1980 USA team and the 1980 USSR team), logos for old teams (such as the Quebec City Nordiques or Winnipeg Jets). The game features a create-a-team mode, which was a bit limited, and it also has create-a-player. However, it does feature an air hockey, shuffle board, and trivia game (the trivia game is a bit thin, however, featuring questions about the NHL 2K series rather than purely hockey itself). You can also play on non-standard rinks, such as Pond Hickey and Mini-Rink Hockey. Sadly, the European Rinks (my personal choice) aren't in this game.

Overall, NHL 2K7 provides Hockey fans with a very good experience that is much closer to the NHL than other Hockey series. The depth and quality of the gameplay make for a very satisfying Hockey experience that any NHL can enjoy.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/21/07, Updated 02/22/07