 Review By: Nick Arvites |
Developer: | EA Sports |
| Publisher: | EA Sports | |
| Genre: | Sports | |
| ESRB: | Everyone | |
| # Of Players: | 1-2 | |
| Online Play: | Yes | |
| Accessories: | Xbox Live (online play) | |
| Buy Now: |   |
EA’s long running hockey franchise finally comes to the Xbox 360 with NHL 07. Long regarded as one of the traditional top sports franchises, the NHL franchise has been fading behind the competing NHL 2K series in the last few years. NHL 07 on the Xbox 360 looked like it could surpass the competition by introducing the Skill Stick. Much like a young team with one standout, NHL 07 was ultimately doomed to fail simply because it does not have enough depth and experience to stand up in the face of its competition or even its own predecessors.
The Skill Stick is one of the best innovations to enter into video game hockey. The right analog stick has been used for checking and deking for years. This year, NHL 07 maps shooting to the right stick. Performing moves on the stick performs different shots. For example, pulling it back and pushing forward attempts a slap-shot while just pushing forward attempts a wrist shot. While this may seem like it could be a bit much for the average player, the Skill Stick provides a sense of offensive control that actually makes shooting the puck much less random. The learning curve takes about two games, maybe less, to get the hang of using the stick. I’ve found that I can aim my shots better and generally score more by using the Skill Stick over previous games.
Yet, the rest of the controls do not seem to fit. Passing and other offensive actions are performed by the triggers and bumper buttons, leaving the face buttons unused on offense. Traditionally, the A button has been used to pass, and switching this to the trigger is quite awkward and just doesn’t feel right. Sports gaming vets may notice the lack of a turbo button. While I have mixed feelings with turbo buttons—especially since most people seem to never let off of them—not having it in a sport where players clearly do hit boosts in certain situations just doesn’t feel right. Players that excel in breakaway situations should have an option to burn past defenders. Going further, the skating does not feel right at all. Players seem like they’re flailing on the ice like they’re just learning to skate. Legs seem to move too quickly, and there is no fluidity to the skating process at all. Defensive controls work better than the offensive controls. Using the Skill Stick performs a body check, and using a bumper with the stick performs a poke check. Switching players is done by the right trigger. Again, the majority of the buttons on the controller are not used at all, and this can be a little jarring. There are no advanced controls, particularly grabbing the puck out of the air or even a simple wrap-around control.
Posted: 2006-11-19 14:56:00 PST