Great addition to EA's NHL series! New stick control lives up to the hype!
Gameplay - I'm impressed. The new stick control is at least as good as I hoped. As an NHL newbie, I'm finding it intuitive to learn. I'm somewhat less than impressed with passing, however. I also like the realistic way goalies behave, at least, copared to previous versions. I find it's really easy to pass way off into the middle of nowhere if I'm not paying attention. This might get better as I get more experienced though.
Graphics - I would have given this a 9.5 if I could. Players look extremely realistic. The closeup of Kiprusoff looks like Kiprusoff. The closeup of Staal looks like Staal. Not only are the player graphics impressive, but so are the stadiums. Fans actually look like fans! The ice shines, and slowly dulls as the period goes on. Not only that, it's easy to find the puck when it drops below the board-line thanks to a tiny arrow. And HD... OH HD! I can't say enough about how good this game looks in widescreen HD!
Sound - I don't have surround yet, but what I've heard in 2.0 is really good. Commentary is believable, as are the sounds from the ice. The music is also extremely good. I haven't found it yet, but I'd really like to hear my own imported music in the menus and during replays. If the feature exists, it's difficult to find.
Value - The online play will may not satisfy die hard hockey fans, as it's pretty basic. It doesn't compare to the 2K series. Since I only plan to play against/with my friends online, I won't be missing this feature. EA had better add it to NHL 08, however. Thanks to a pretty standard Dynasty mode, this should give NHL 07 a long life on my "now playing" list.
Overall - This is a great place to start playing EA's NHL series. The new stick will level the playing field a bit with more experienced players, and is intuitive for new players. HD Grapics are amazing, with matching sound (at least in 2.0). New stick control lives up to the hype!