Back in 1993 I picked up my first hockey stick, scored my first slap
shot, received my first five minutes in the Sin Bin for fighting and won
my first Stanley Cup. None of this was real of course, but to just about
any 14-year-old NHLPA Hockey 93 on the Sega Mega Drive was as real as
it could get.
13 years later
on my old trusty PS2 Im still skating like a pro around every arena,
body checking star players and getting a beating from their enforcer team
mates.
Ice hockey games have come on leaps and bounds since those my youthful
days and with 4 straight years behind them as the #1 rated ice hockey
game, 2K Sports have a solid base to work from with this new release,
NHL 2K7.
One of the hardest things to achieve when developing realistic sports
games is to get the physics of the player movement correct, and NHL 2K7
gets it spot on with this one! The way your players slide and sway when
they skate is unbelievably realistic. You can arc and skid and you dont
fall over like some one who has no concept of balance as soon as they
pull on a pair of ice skates (sounds quite similar to me!) You can almost
feel the force of some of the body checks and with the forthcoming PS3
release you can get more oomph into your checks by using the new Sixaxis
tilting controller.
The graphics are spectacular with players steamy breath visible and
ice spray from skidding boots being some of the finer touches that make
the game pretty damn special. The only minor point I have, especially
with the PS2 version is that the crowd are very one-dimensional. They
look good when you are player level but as soon as the camera gets high
it almost looks like your playing in an empty arena.
Each match has all the in-game sounds you expect from an ice-hockey game,
from the repetitive organs to the hissing of the skates on ice and the
echoing clatter of players slamming each other into the boards. The only
downfall with the sound in this game is the lack of variation in the commentary,
which is normally the case when commentary is attempted in sports video
games. You want to turn it off, but somehow something stops you because
it adds so much to the realness of the game.
After playing the game for a weekend I can safely say Im hooked, but
maybe it was because I spent all my time trying to get into fights with
the opposition. Only one fight in 15 matches! I must be losing my touch!
Of course, this game comes with all the bells and whistles and you can
change a lot of the game to suit your needs. I tend to leave this alone
as the guys at 2K Sports seem to know exactly what they are doing.
Some of the special features of the game include practice matches (in
real empty arenas this time, not just one-dimensional fans) and you can
even play in a frozen pond in the middle of winter just to give the game
a bit more of a traditional amateur feel. I preferred the official matches
though and once you go into Franchise Mode you can take your favourite
team through the full season on your way to the Stanley Cup. The game
picks up when you play your rivals, these have a more intense feel, your
employees put more pressure on you, and if you win your players morale
goes up improving your chances of repeating the feat in your next match.
Overall, this is a game whose only shortfalls are minor such as the commentary
(which in fairness sounds really good and is informative, just very repetitive)
and the fans. But nothing compares to the satisfaction you get when you
score a great goal, and you will want to watch the replay from about fifty
different angles and in super slow motion.
I just wish I could score more, and maybe get involved in a few more
fights!
Article
13 years later
on my old trusty PS2 Im still skating like a pro around every arena,
body checking star players and getting a beating from their enforcer team
mates. 
