Hockey has historically drawn the short end of the gaming stick.
(Unless you consider good ol’ cricket. I mean, hello EA! Who wouldn’t want to rock out to Sir Donald Bradman’s Cricket Explosion 07!!?) Yes, Pong was at its core a hockey game: pass the "puck" back and forth and prevent it from reaching the “goal” behind you. Blades of Steel was a momentous, well, moment in the pantheon of hockey gaming, but the AI was about as believable as Slap Shot was a serious drama.
There have been other contenders along the way, but here comes 2K
Sports, who has produced a slick, super-real version of America’s favorite game. From Canada. Involving sticks. On ice. Enshrined as the PS3’s hockey launch game of choice, NHL 2K7's graphics and gameplay are enough to overcome any shortcomings, which are few and nit-picky. Want a fuller review? You know the drill.
Graphics: 10 – As the camera zooms on a faceoff at center ice, the crowd in the background goes from clear to fuzzy as the perspective hones in on the two centers. That’s what I want to see as the puck drops, and every meticulous detail is rendered exquisitely, from Jaromir Jagr’s mullet-less ’do to Dominik Hasek’s crease-sprawling saves. A must for anyone who wants the most from their HDMI cable.
AI: 9 – In the pros, players don’t always drop the ice, spread-eagle, after a bone-bruising body check. (Except maybe in Estonia. Oh, Estonia.) Aside from that hiccup, everything is as you would expect. Line changes are deftly coordinated, fights are as fickle as in real life, and even things like the ice surface getting duller as the period progresses are represented.
Gameplay: 10 – As real as performing a line change with Joe Thornton himself, who is, incidentally, the game’s coverboy. (His 29 points in 29 games – and no season-ending injury as of yet – proves that the cover curse solely belongs to EA.) There are several game modes to experiment with, Arcade being my fave: lots of speed, lots of fisticuffs, no penalties.
Replay: 10 – Load-time has always been a big issue for me with PlayStation titles, but NHL 2K7’s was a cheetah compared to some. The aforementioned multiple game modes will keep you coming back for more, and the option to replace the sometimes-annoying announcers with a dramatic cinematic score will be a blessing sooner than later.
Squirm factor: 9 – 2K Sports has utilized the PS3 controller’s motion-sensing tech in two awe-inspiring ways: being able to quickly pounce on an unsuspecting back-skating forward by moving in his direction, and activating the “Crease Control” function, where you become the goalie and move as he would move.
Verdict: 48/50 – As satisfying as a successful penalty shot, NHL 2K7 officially places hockey among the top tier of sports gaming genres, to this point dominated by basketball and soccer. He shoots and ... goooooooooooooal!!!
