Customer Reviews

NHL 07

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

As an avid hockey fan who wanted to finally get a chance to play with Sidney Crosby, I had been awaiting this game for a while now. While you will see a lot of the reviews harp on the negative, I'll try to keep it as even as possible with pros and cons, because lets face it, everything is going to have negatives regardless.

For starters, as is usual with the NHL games from EA, the rosters are updated.....with last years draft class. So for those of you who want to play with a Crosby/Malkin line, sorry, you're gonna have to wait til next year. It's a little frustrating that it works this way, but this is how the rosters have been for years with the release of the games.

The gameplay is virtually identical to its predecessors with a few major tweaks. Mostly this being the control scheme. Essentially what EA was going for was to set the controls so that you use both sticks to play (left stick move, right stick pass/poke check) and that leaves shoulder buttons for shooting, speed boosts and so on so forth. While I do know a lot of people who like this scheme, I found it to be too awkward and clumsy. Maybe it was just because I have become so accustomed to the classic controls from years past. Either way, I switched it back to an identical scheme as NHL 06. The other major control change from 06, there is no more special shots with star players. I was a little disappointed by this. Even though they never gave you a higher chance of scoring, those shots were just fun to try. Other than those two things though, nothing has changed here.

For the people complaining about the audio and the commentary, it's no different than it has been in years past. Very little has changed with the commentary. There are a few new statements here and there and even some conditional ones during the intro to a game (one guy said some things about the '92 Stanley Cup between the Penguins and Blackhawks). As for the music, I've never been a fan of EA's music choice, but that's me. It's primaraly made up of bands that are just under the radar of mainstream and are usually rock/emo in genre. A few songs are decent but thankfully the ability to turn them off is still in the options menu.

The AI in this game is a bit better than previous years. All characters fit into one of six different player types that will ideally make them react in ways more realistic to their real selves. For anyone who is a big fan of hockey, you're bound to find a few players that seem to be catagorized wrong, but hey, EA is trying something new and I at least give them credit for that. Goaltending is still a mixed bag. It really doesn't matter what the goalies ratings are as it seems any shot has a chance to go in. For fun, I created a 99 rating goalie and played against a 85 rating goalie. No sooner than I'd score they would tie it up on higher difficulties. Unless you play really strong defense, there will always be a goal scored against you regardless.

For the game modes, back is the Season, Dynasty, Playoff, Shootout, Free-for-All and online set ups. Pretty much all the same except for a few things in Season and Dynasty mode. This year you have the option of not just playing a season in the NHL, but also the minors and some foreign leagues as well. Certaintly not as exciting, but it is new none the less. Also when managing salaries and rosters, you now have the ability to send players to the minors in order to clear some cap room for signing a new star player. While you can really spend a lot of time doing this and getting really in depth, it can take a long time to get a real idea of what exactly is going on and how it will affect your cap in the end.

Overall, it is a decent game. If you have an issue with the controls, you can change them. If you have a problem with the audio, music or commentary, you can turn the off. From what I've noticed most of the complaints are only about the base settings of the game and people haven't bothered to tweak the settings so they can enjoy the game more. That's why options menues are there. So if the base setup doesn't work for you, change it. Once you find a comfortable mix of options, the game is still fun, just as it has been in years past. While I wish they would have left some things in from NHL 06, the game still remains entertaining. While it may be a step back, if you are a hockey fan at least give it a try. Rent it first if the changes made make you kind of weary, but just make sure to change the options if they do and not just lash out about how bad the game is, because when it all boils down, it's still a good game.

One of the worst made hockey games I have ever seen. Anyone who watches hockey knows that the Sabres have incredible speed, but I find that even with Afinogenov I cannot win a race to any lose puck. Forget about chances at breakaways because the A.I. defense is incredibly fast. On the other hand, your defense is slow and cant check anyone. It is almost impossible to hit anyone or pokecheck the puck, so the most you can accomplish on defense is to let them take tons of shots and pray the goalie doesn't let in more than 5.

The new offensive controls are very nice, but winning every game 10-8 is not what a hockey game should deliver to a person looking for some shread of defense. A.I. system is lousy; your team is very slow no matter what while players like Chara can skate circles around those like Afinogenov or Kariya. Do not spend $50 on this game.

Well, the controller set up is just plain awful. Three games played and I just wasn't feeling that new layout so I went back to the old set-up and then this game really becomes fun. One simple fact is that there is too much scoring in this game, even if almost every goal that you score is really cool.

I disagree with many of the reviews about this game because I still think it is a pretty good game. The graphics are pretty good aside from the coaches. The players and uniforms are all well down and game flows smoothly and doesn't look cheesy.

However, I can't deny the fact that goaltenders have a lack of sucess and are just skaters with masks; pulling the goalies for an extra attacker doesn't mean sacrificing much defense so I wish that the developers would make goalies on your team and the CPU's team somewhat better.

With that being said, this is my second game in this series and I think there is a good amount of options. You can play mini-games like shootouts, play a quick game, or a season. My favorite is dynasty mode, which I play the most because it allows you to experience how its like to be gm or coach and make trades, edit lines, or work the free agent pool. You can also play the games unlike coach modes in some other games.

Another thing I was impressed with is that you can play for NHL or some leagues around the world. And the important thing is that I was happy with the game and will be a repeat customer when they create next year's version.

The graphics and overall look of the game is pretty good, but the controls are really confusing. They should have left the controls the same as the other ones before. All in all I liked 06 better because it felt more smooth.

I played this game and found it very fun. The controls, in my opinion, are just fine. The analog passing is pretty cool and I didn't have trouble adjusting to it. The only complaint I have is the lack of classic NHL logos; I wanted to create the Hartford Whalers but couldn't because their logo wasn't there. Just something I didn't like, I'm sure that won't bother most people. But yeah, overall I found the game enjoyable and personally I found the new controls more natural than any hockey game I have ever played previously.

Let me start off by saying that I can understand some of the negative views on this game. Sure, it looks and sounds like NHL 06, but if it weren't for the odd control scheme, one would think it was a tad like NHL 2004. Where this isn't a huge upgrade to last years game, it is better.

By no means am I saying that it's an NHL 2004 clone--that it's not. However, like NHL 2004, the defenses swallow-up the puck carriers and clog the neutral zone. There is just not as much room to skate this year (like NHL 2004) as compared to last years game. So, you can't skate end-to-end with any player on your team--you need to pass and dump the puck, too. The goalies are much better than last year (sometimes) as they don't flop all over the ice like they did in NHL 06. Goalies can, though, still overplay the puck at times. Goalies also tend to not know how to play their angles properly and, even if they see the shot completely, they react late on many shots resulting in some rather soft goals far too often--they can stop an elite player on a breakaway, but then allow some no-namer score on them with a floater from a bad angle.

EA Sports changed the controls to where nothing you do is like past releases. However, you can change and adjust the control settings to your liking. Other settings include the usual on how much defense, blocked shots, shot power, shot accuracy, etc. Turn down (all the way) the intensity, shot power, shot accuracy, hitting power, game speed, passing speeds--offense sliders; turn up the shot blocking, pass blocking, poke checking--defensive sliders; and you get a very realistic game. Shots and passes actually do get blocked and go wide (especially backhanded one-timers), more realistic stats, etc.

Note: EA toned down the one-timers quite a bit. If your player doesn't have good shot accuracy, most of his one-timers and slapshots will go wide of the net.

On a bad note: Along with the soft goals that go in far too often, there are also some bad checking animations. Far too many high sticking and elbowing penalties are called (and the replays confirm the infractions with precision). Another bad thing is game's music. EA Sports has never really had great song and band selection, and this years hockey release is no different. With the exception of maybe a few choice-cuts, the music is very bad (but it can be turned off). The play-by-play/color commentary is identical as last seasons game--it's still Jim Hugheson and Craig Simpson (Not Gary Thorne and Bill Clement like on the Xbox360 version). Another bad thing is the rosters. Superstars are on their new teams (mostly), but the average players are on their old teams retro to before last seasons NHL trading dead line. Lucky for us, though, you can take your Psx2 and NHL 07 online and download roster updates (which includes more recent trades, free agent signings, and new players).

The game may look and sound like last years title, but it plays like NHL 06 with some NHL 2004 mixed in (meaning in terms of defense). I was skeptical on purchasing this title because of all the bad reviews, but I can honestly say that those reviews are not entirely accurate. I can see where some will be upset with a few things--such as the figure skating game play with players doing triple-axles everywhere. However, many (not all, though) of the small things can easily fixed by adjusting the gameplay settings (sliders), learn how to play defense (stay in position, block shots, and get in passing lanes to help compensate for the inconsistant goalies), and most importantly--play the game like you see in on TV or at the rink. There are some things like the figure skating and horrible goalies which you simply can't control--and that kills the game play.

This game isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as others make it to be. The huge upgraded gameplay went to the next-gen system releases, but EA Sports did make a better hockey experience from last season. Those things that made NHL 06 not too realistic are pretty much fixed this year. I'm a die-hard hockey fan and a die-hard hockey gamer--I look for realistic/sim type games. NHL 07 has some of a sim feel, but there are some things you simply cannot control--and that's not a true sim. EA Sports NHL series hasen't been perfect. However, with this years release, it's slowly getting there. I just wish the goalies weren't so inconsistant and the figure skating was kept to the Olympics. If you eliminate these two serious problems, then this game would be nearly perfect.

I reviewed NHL 06 last year and gave it a favorable review. While I chose to purchase NHL 2K6 in its place, I still thought the EA version was legit.

So fast forward to September 2006. 2K Sports delays the release of NHL 2K7 while EA's website seems to tout a bunch of new features, including a very deep Franchise mode which allows someone to do a bunch of new and realistic features (such as claiming people off waivers, two-way contracts, and the like.) As it turns out, these features are only available for the XBox 360 version.

Playing this game is inconsistent, at best. Passes are about half and half for reaching their target. To your advantage, some rather odd shots go in most of the time. However, your goalie will probably be scored upon if the computer takes one shot from center ice, and you usually have to pelt their goalie pretty hard to win. The controls are almost exclusively done using the R and L buttons, which takes a while to get the hang of.

The roster management features and franchise features are are as inconsistent as the gameplay. On one hand, you can earn your way up to the top and buy upgrades based on performance, something 2K Sports is missing out on. However, the functions of other features are a bit odd.
For example, dressing someone from the minors automatically assigns someone else to the minor team without you choosing who you're going to reassign or scratch. You can only offer up to 3 year deals during contract negotiations and usually overpay for whomever is signed considering today's hockey economic realities.

The design of the game is literally just the same as it was the year before. The create-a-player options are the same as they were the year before, and nothing noteworthy has changed in regards to the presentation of the game.
While I feel the EA version has better graphics than the 2K version, the 2K version has better detail for equipment, especially for goaltenders. Its nice to see each goalie wear name-brand equipment, it just happens to be the same equipment they more 3 to 5 years ago, depending on the goalie.

The redeeming factor of the game was that they included the teams from the Elite Leagues in Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Czech Republic. You can trade players between leagues when you set the game up, which is nice considering how many NHL prospects are still in Europe so you can update the rosters a bit, but considering that most of the best players in the system are in Russia, I don't think either EA or the NHL could make that possible.

The bottom line: As bad as the bugs are in the game, I still recommend the 2K Sports version over the EA version based on the gameplay and franchise modes. Having far more experience in releasing hockey titles, plus not to mention the higher price tag, I expected more out of the EA franchise. Granted, it wasn't a pile of garbage in comparison to some other hockey games I've played, but if EA could have put some of the time into this game that they did for their game for XBox 360, I would have gladly paid more for the game.

P.S. The soundtrack is too soft for hockey. EA should put more metal bands in the soundtrack than the nu-emo-indie-garage rock that's on here.

Chances are if you've played any of the previous EA NHL games over the past couple years, you've pretty much already played NHL 07. EA's long running (and attempted to make exclusive, much like they did the NFL license with Madden, and failed to do so thank God) arcade hockey bash follows the same formula that the games of the past have. The emphasis here isn't on realism, but an arcade style hockey type that relies little on defense. This is of little to no surprise for longtime hockey gamers, as the overall experience winds up being average at best. What really hurts NHL 07 though is that in this day and age, on the PS2 especially, the graphics look a little dated. Not to mention that there are various roster inaccuracies, and the online play is clunky at best. There are some new features that are claimed to be implemented into the gameplay, but it's nothing that hasn't already been seen before in the superior NHL 2K series. If you generally like EA's NHL series, then you know what your getting here and probably enjoy this as well. However, if you want a more realistic hockey sim that has much better gameplay, check out the superior (and cheaper) NHL 2K7.

The graphics and gameplay are identical to NHL 06. Controls have changed in the way that I find it impossible to play. What a waste of money, what a rip off. Hopefully it has some trade in value. NHL 2K7 is coming out Oct. 7.