EA sets the tone for the future of sports gaming.
The skill stick is the much-lauded feature added by EA this year (very likely stolen by 2K next year) that allows you to control your hockey stick with the right thumbstick similar to how you bat in MLB 2K6 or MVP NCAA Baseball 2006. It takes some getting used to, but after a handful of games, you won't remember how you played before. It's just that good. It's becomes intuitive once you understand how it works and really pulls you into the game. No longer will you waste a scoring opportunity because you couldn't remember, in that split second, whether Y or B controls the wrist shot.
The new puck physics also add a whole new level to the gameplay. The puck bounces over goalies' shoulders, spins and flips after being fired off the cross-bar, rebounded pucks give you a moment's opportunity to flip them between the net-minder's legs.
Speaking of net-minder's... The goalies in this game are incredible. They follow the puck with their eyes and make realistic moves to block, deflect, or cover the puck. Their animations are life-like with pads that move independently of the players' body. For the first time on the virtual ice, goalies will close their gloves on save. Graphics round out the pro column nicely. Most star players look like their real-life countertparts...or close enough. Textures and lighting excel during gameplay, but especially during frequent cut-scenes that never interfere with the flow of the game. My only point of contention here is the frame rate and occasional-to-frequent choppiness during cutscenes.
There are a few issues with the game, as stated earlier. Defense feels like a completely different game. Players don't feel as responsive and the Skill Stick suddenly disappears...or perhaps transforms in to the Shove Stick. Why they chose to abandon their innovation on the other side of the puck, I can't explain. For years, 2K sports has used the right stick on defense to swing your stick for poke-checks or just to muck up the offenses game plan. A simple face button here would have worked just fine for bodychecks.
The game plays pretty well apart from the defense. The only other problem is the difficulty associated with grabbing a face-off and pushing the puck where you want it to go. Too often a face-off is won, but the puck is pushed to the opposing team...which as my luck would have it, often results in a quick goal...in the third period...with 30 sec. on the clock.
There are a few questionable goals as well. The new puck physics and goalie moves, for all their esteem, also result in more "accidental" goals than are common for your typical 3 periods of NHL play.
But luckily, most of EA's errors with this game take place outside the rink. The menus, though attractive, are impossible to navigate with any confidence. In some cases, the B button will move you back a screen, sometimes pushing the left stick to the left will do the trick, and yet in other circumstances the START button is the way to go. Perhaps this was EA's way of adding puzzle mini-games to the title, but.....probably not.
The game also suffers from a lack of additional features. A bare-bones Season mode would have been nice for those of us who have no interest in the everyday goings on of an NHL franchise's General Manager. More online options would be welcomed by the hungry masses as well
One nice feature of the online system is the real-life sports ticker that runs at the bottom of menu screens. It allows you to choose for which sports you'd like constant updates. Care only about the NHL? No problem. Want to see if your wild card contending baseball team was able to keep its narrow lead? That's there too. Choose from NHL, MLB, NBA, NFL, NCAA Basketball and Football, and a host of football clubs from around the world.
This is truly a next-gen gaming experience. Innovation is king and in such a way that other problems are over-looked. Next year's game should only improve on this solid effort. The boys and girls at 2K have finally got some competition on the ice. If you're looking for an alternative to 2K's NHL 2K6 v.2, pick up NHL 07. You may need to learn a few new things...but you'll be happy you did.