Customer Reviews

NHL 2K7

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Every once in a while, a game comes out that shows it's competition just how things should be done. NHL 2K7 takes a real game of hockey and puts it in control of your Psx2. Putting this game against EA's NHL 07, NHL 2K7 takes the Cup.

Graphics and audio goes to EA's NHL 07. The players in NHL 2K7 look very good. However, NHL 07 has much better player models and everything just looks that much better in EA's game. The sounds of the game in NHL 2K7 are good, but NHL 07 is way ahead in that department, too (i.e--the announcer in NHL 2K7 does more, but sounds poorly done and rushed). Looks and sound--NHL 07.

Game play completely goes to NHL 2K7. This game is such a great sim game of hockey. Animation, stats, goals, etc. are dead-on. Compared to NHL 07, EA's game is rather choppy in animation and after seeing players like Joe Thornton constantly perform triple-axle after triple-axle, shoot a backhander and score no matter where he is every time he's one the ice just makes you want to put NHL 07 away and never touch it again. NHL 2K7 has the realistic game play a sim gamer wants. One the downside to NHL 2K7, the fighting engine looks pretty bad (NHL 07 has the best fist-a-cuffs), but is still fun to drop the gloves. Another thing to add is the better goalies in the 2K7 game--they simply do not give up those horrible goals that the EA Sports goaltenders constantly do--I actually shut-out the Flyers with the Rangers in my third game in NHL 2K7 (try doing that in NHL 07--shut-outs are impossible in EA's game!). Game play--NHL 2K7.

Options in NHL 2K7 are a bit better, too. Actually being able to practice is a good way to learn how to play the game and create chemistry for your lines during dynasty mode. The games music is pretty good--better than the horrible tunes in NHL 07. One the bad side of dynasty mode in the 2K7 game is that there doesn't seem to be a salary cap implemented. Options--NHL 2K7.

Head-to-head, NHL 2K7 loses out in looks and sounds. However, it's the game play that matters the most and because of that, NHL 2K7 is this years hockey game to own. There is simply no mistaking it--NHL 2K7 beats NHL 07 in nearly every aspect of the game--and it costs less, too. If you want a real hockey sim, get NHL 2K7. There is no excuse--you can't go wrong with this game.

Here's my breakdown comparison:
Graphics: NHL 07--9.0, NHL 2K7--7.0
Rink Ambience: NHL 07--10, NHL 2K7--8.0
Menu Music: NHL 07--4.0, NHL 2K7--7.0
Options: NHL 07--8.0, NHL 2K7--9.0
Animation: NHL 07--7.5, NHL 2K7--9.5
Game play: NHL 07--6.5, NHL 2K7--9.0
Overall: NHL 07--7.5, NHL 2K7--8.25

First off I would love to ask the developers why this game was delayed a month!? I have been loyal to 2K since their first hockey offering and I waited patiently until this year. I went out and bought NHL 07, was promptly disappointed, sold that game and waited for this. What a waste.

NHL 2K7 is virtually unchanged since last year barring some minor menus alterations and updated rosters. I cannot find anything that could make a month delay understandable. This game could have easily come out in June. Whats worse about the delay is that the game appears to be unfinished or at least poorly tested.

The gameplay of 2K7 is almost identical to 2K6 and it is the best part of the game. Although on higher levels the game deteriorates into a hitting bonanza and what is up with penalties!?!? One of the great things about 2K hockey was the slide bars to slowly adjust the game in all aspects but for some reason I could not get the penalties right. Either I would get 20 penalties a game on one setting or none at all on slightly lower scales. I still am struggling to get the bars even so you get nice parity.

Fighting still stinks. It's a joke really and shouldn't even be here if that is all they can do with it. Hockey players don't turn around in the middle of a fight. EA's fighting system was much more interesting.

The on the fly coaching is great. I loved this feature and it is still here which is a plus. However the other strategy features aren't always responsive. For instance the pressure meters or the face off setups don't always resond to your input. just a frustrating thing.

The biggest gripe I have with this game is just the simple menu navigation. Is it entirely neccessary to have 8,000 menu's to navigate but when you traverse them all you still can't find what you want. The text and color schemes wear on the eyes and become hard to read after a while. Menus take a while getting used to as well.

Plus in Franchise mode I have noticed some major annoying features. One, changing your teams playing strategy requires you to adjust it during each game. I am sure there is a save function somewhere in all those menus but I haven't found it. In the Franchise screnes there is no way to save your strategy setups and I find myself having to do it before each game. Also everytime a player is hurt or removed from your roster the computer resets your lines to the asinine defaults. I have the Auto-fill and auto-coach features off but the game is programmed to mandate that all lines must be full so if a player is removed it will reset. What an annoyance when you completely change all of your lines from 5on5 to PP and PK lines, etc then have them all reset and have to set them over again. A simple save lines function would be very easy and super nice.

Some other glaring omissions. No salary cap? EA had the cap in play and it was nice to keep up with the NHL but here there is only the budget which can easily be manipulated. The deke's have pretty much been removed from the game making gameplay a little more bland, and lastly the feature of allowing teams to offer bonus incentives to players in their contract is useless. Incentives never seem to have any impact on whether a player will sign with you or not.

The franchise mode in 2K7 is fairly neat with it's minor league team however much of all the bells and whistles are quickly identified as cotton candy features. What does this mean? Well for the most part most of the franchise feautres have no bearing on anything other than distracting you into thinking you are managing your team. But the reality is your coaching staff, contract offers, minor league team, etc really don't do anything. You can take the worst coaches, never have your players practice, ignore the chemistry meters, etc and the game isn't really any different. Also the game rarely rewards you with much when you do participate in these things. EA's franchise mode is far more in depth and complete compared to this.

Sadly though even though I don't care for this game gameplay wise it still is better than EA's. NHL 07 had the worst gameplay I have ever seen in a hockey game so I am stuck with 2K7 this year.

Next year I hope these developers actually put some meat in this shell of a decent hockey game. Sadly seeing as how this game hasn't changed at all for the past 4 years I doubt it.

Last year I bought NHL 2006 by EA,and I thought it was good but then it was ridiculous scoring 20+ goals a game.This year my dad bought me NHL 2k7 and it is so much better,here are the reasons

1.Graphics:Flow very smoothly
2.Sound:The broadcast team of Bob Cole and Harry Neale are a lot better than those guys from Nhl 2006.
3.Player Faces:Not only do the big stars look like themselves,but so do the lesser players.
4.Gameplay:You don't score 150 goals in this game
5.Franchise and Season Modes:Editing lines in this game is much easier,plus it shows you their chemistry.
The only problem with this game is that they didn't include the new Sabre Jerseys
GO SABRES,From a true Hockey Fan

This is a fun game that is spoiled by only a few minor in-game problems and one major glitch. I am only writing this to let people know about possible glitches in the game that detract from gameplay and to comment on aspects of the game that I have really noticed to be good or bad.

before i mentioned the negative, i will say that the settings are extensive and offer a lot of customization towards the game you play, so if you like a lot of fights and hits, you can change the slides to make the game more physical; or if one type of penalty is aggravating the snot out of you, you can pretty much turn it off (lower the frequency its called).

Now the negative. The aforementioned fights.. well.. they are quite lame. They just don't feel like a hockey fight, especially since every fight ends up the same way.. you both fall down. It gets monotonous.

Though the major bad item, the one that made me write this review; is freezing glitches. The game (for me) freezes up numerous times after my games and prevents me from saving my season. Keep that in mind if you are thinking of buying this game. There are other freezing glitches in the game as well, but you'd have to browse 2KSports forums on their website to get a feel for how prevalent they are throughout the game.

I cannot compare this game to NHL 07 though if I cannot find a way to avoid the freezing glitches; I will get my hockey fix with that title.

i bought this the day it was released. i've purchased the nhl 2k games for the past 5 years or so, and i'd say this is the best version so far. i bought the ea hockey game this year about a month ago, i thought it was awful. nhl 07 is a lot more of an arcade style than simulation. when i play sports games, i want simulations. nhl 2k7 has once again made the best hockey game.

the graphics aren't the best, but they are still good. if you liked the graphics of the game last year, you'll like them this year. if you hated them last year, you'll hate them this year. there is pretty much no difference in graphics this year. i'd say about 20-25 percent of the league's players are represented really well, the rest are hit or miss. superstars look like their real-life counterparts, and that's all that really matters to me. i don't care if the faces of average players aren't dead-on. also, the characters aren't cartoonish looking like in ea's nhl 07. on top of that, the animations in this year's 2k hockey are fantastic. the movements are very lifelike, and some of the goalie saves are incredible.

the sound is really good. the commentary is much better than ea's hockey game. if you're a fan of the ea announcers, then you might think 2k7's are boring. however, i prefer announcers who don't sound like they should be talking for a monster truck rally. the announcing is how you would hear it on tv, and that's what i like. the crowd sounds great with team-specific chants, and the sound effects are perfect.

the presentation is very well done. cutscenes are great, and the replays are phenomenal. instead of getting one replay of a goal like in nhl 07, 2k7 will show a replay from 3 or 4 different angles as the announcers comment specifically on how the goal was scored. if the puck went off the goalie's glove and into the goal, they'll talk about that at the same time the replay is being shown. also, cutscenes will tell stats of players while the announcers talk about them, and replays are shown of important parts of the game that may have happened 10 minutes earlier. the presentation is once again very similar to a television broadcast. i can't say enough about how the presentation of 2k7 kills nhl 07's.

finally, the most important aspect, gameplay. i hated ea's nhl 07's gameplay. the deke button was awful, there was virtually no defense, and it was way too easy to score (even on the highest difficulty with the shot sliders turned all the way down). 2k7 is the opposite of all the ea negatives. to deke, you use the right joystick and push it in the direction you want to deke. the defenses for both teams will set up to play whatever attack the offense has chosen. there aren't many breakaways in 2k7 like in nhl 07. games are much lower scoring than ea's offering. with 10 minute periods, the average goals scored in a game is about 5 or 6 (between both teams).

in conclusion, ea has a hockey game that is an arcade style, more fun for a party atmosphere. nhl 2k7 is a simulation of the sport and much more accurate as to how the game is played. if you prefer an arcade style game with cartoonish looking characters and average presentation, go for ea's nhl 07. but, if you want a simulation with phenomenal presentation and realistic looking characters/animations, pick up nhl 2k7. oh yeah, 2k7 is only $20.

overall rating (for the ps2):

nhl 07- 4/10

nhl 2k7- 9/10

I was a huge fan of nhl 2k5 but did not play nhl 2k6, so I was not sure what to expect this year...

One thing I can safely say is, franchise mode is amazing yet again...
Practices, chemistry, line changes, trades, scouting, drafts etc. The franchise mode is the best bar none.

My main complaint with this game is that the ingame graphics are pretty weak and the controls do not feel tight or crisp at all. I will however admit that the AI is quite descent, the goaltending is realistic and the commentary is actually descent...

Overall, anyone looking for a great franchise mode must buy this game, but if you want an arcade-esque hockey game where the score of each game is 7-6, keep looking...

This is a game any hockey fan will love to play over and over. A great Christmas gift the hockey fan in your family.

This game isn't much different from the 2K6 game, except for different menu appearances and the players are different. Like the 2K6 game, this game rocks in many ways. Cool graphics, good commentary, and cool sound effects. The only complaints I have are that the players' pictures are way too small, and the numbers on the scoreboard can be very hard to read, because they're so small. The best way to view the scores is to pause the game and look there.

I highly recommend this game for hockey fans.

Another year, and another duel between EA and 2K, and once again, 2K comes out on top. NHL 2K7 is still the best hockey game around, and with a year of the post-lockout NHL under it's belt, NHL 2K7 offers a nice amount of tweaks and changes that set it apart from last year's game on the PS2, albeit not by much. While it can't hold a candle to it's next-gen console bretheren in terms of visuals and gameplay enhancements, there's still a lot to admire here. For starters, there's some new camera angle enhancements that look really good, while pretty much every feature from last year's game is included as well. Graphically, yeah you guessed it, the game looks like it did last year, and that's not a bad thing either. The opposing defense is stingy and does the job right, which is what I've come to expect from the series. Not to mention that the game includes a dynamite soundtrack from Sub Pop records, that features some rocking music that fits in well with the atmosphere of hard hitting hockey. If you still own a PS2, and you dug last year's game more than EA's, then chances are you'll dig 2K7 too. Plus at the very modest price, you can't really go wrong.

I've been playing EA's NHL series since NHL 93. In those years I've been continously frustrated with EA's annual releases, which usually involved better graphics, more character animations and little else. The goalies were always easy to score on in certain ways, and getting past the defense was a breeze. In the end it became mindless banter with little feeling of reward when a goal is scored.

I was recently surprised to discover that another company is also making sports games and naturally having a love for hockey I ordered NHL 2K7. After playing around in the customisable Practice Modes for a few minutes, I immediately knew I would never be touching EA's NHL series again...

The pure accuracy, fun and feeling NHL2K7 gave me just from breaking out with a few passes and taking a shot or two on goals, to delivering a realistic bodycheck was wonderful and it felt real.

The sounds are awesome and give you that 'hockey game feeling'. When you hit the goalies pads with a slapshot, that umistakable thump drives you to have another try. The commentary is free flowing and seems very natural, what's also nice is the way the replays are commented on in detail.

The team strategy options are endless that even the most hardened Playstation coaches would scratch their heads over the tactic fine tuning. The 8 on-the-fly coaching calls add another dimension to your tactics. The 'screen the goalie' or 'release forward for breakaway' calls are two of my favourite.

Whats especially well done is the default 'Parametric' camera angle, which lets you stay very close down to the action, and know most of the time where your team mates are.

The game settings are endless, so if you feel something is not working the way it should, you can change its frequency or disable it. Settings from changing the frequency of an elbowing penalty, to the frequency of the glass breaking from a slapshot can be modified with a slider.

I consider myself to be a decent player at this game, but for those of you who want a serious challenge, play the Hall of Famer difficulty level. The AI is in your face, aggressive and frustrating, exactly how a hockey game at its best should be. I played this difficulty level and promptly after a few games went down a level.

On the downside I can't think of much. From far away the people sitting in the stands look a bit funny, but the graphics are right up there with EA's NHL and in my opinion look better during gameplay because of the closeness the Parametric camera angle can stay with the action without sacrificing strategy.

If you like mindless childs play and like to score one way every time, buy EA Sports NHL. If you want a real hockey game that presents a real different challenge every time you lace up, I would only recommend this game.