Pros: The EA Sports Skill Stick, even more authentic, added player types, great graphics
Cons: Defensive AI needs help, iffy line changes
The bottom line: If you love hockey, you'll love this game. And even if you're just a casual fan, you'll love the Skill Stick and the realism.
Wow. I have been playing hockey video games for quite a while, and I can surely say that NHL '07 provides the most realistic and true to the game experience that I have ever known. As EA's NHL titles have matured, they have consistently become more "real" in the sense that the players look real, the ice looks real, the animations look real etc. However '07 is the first time I have noticed that the game play itself becomes more real.

The biggest and most exciting example of this is the new EA Sports Skill Stick control feature. The user is now able to control how a player handles the stick and the puck independent of other actions such as skating, passing, and shooting. The user can go forehand, backhand, strong or weak wrister, pull back for a slapper or fake the slap and continue moving the puck all using the right-thumb-joystick. There are no more choreographed moves or dekes, its on the user to create separation, outwit the defender, and put the right type of shot on net.

This game is worth owning for the Skill Stick feature alone, however EA incorporated even more realism into '07. One-timers across the offensive zone are no longer 'gimmies' as they were in titles past. As a hockey player myself I know exactly how hard it is to perfectly time shooting a one timer anywhere near the net, and I'm glad EA took this into consideration. The player receiving the pass actually has to be looking at the pass in order to shoot it now, and if that player is moving at any considerable speed the chances of getting the shot off decrease even more. There are many other improvements such as the types of shots goalies save and allow (when moving post to post, the goalie will actually stop more pucks coming from the blind side and allow more pucks to go five-hole when he pushes across the crease), and numerous others that you should just see to believe.

Another improvement to the game is added player types such as Grinder, Playmaker, Dangler, etc. Snipers are more likely to get goals off wristers in the slot than grinders, and danglers are more likely to fool a defenseman with a deke than a sniper etc. EA allows you to view the chemistry of a line according to the types of players on that line as well. A line of all danglers probably won't work as well as a line with a sniper a playmaker and a grinder for instance.

I also really enjoyed the graphics in '07. The first thing I noticed when playing a game was how real the players’ equipment looked during the opening animation/montage. You can see the individual threads of the socks! You can see the stitching on the pads and the puck marks on the tape!

There are areas I would like to see some improvement in for the next release. The defensemen are dumb as bricks in this game. There are common anticipations that all defensemen in the league know, such as when the other team gains control of the puck in their zone don't stand still in the offensive half of the ice! Also, very rarely is it necessary to have both defensemen in the offensive zone on the PK, in dire circumstances maybe, but not every shorthanded offensive opportunity.
The only other things that struck me were how often the puck gets sent out of play (oddly high frequency) and how difficult it was to get the correct line on the ice using manual line shifts.

All in all I am very happy to have this game as I can virtually guarantee that it's usability model will be the standard for which hockey games of the future will be based. And its just so fun!

Other odds and ends:
*You cannot master this game overnight; the Skill Stick is too difficult. You must play and practice to fully get the most out of the new feature. The shootout mode is an excellent way to become skilled in the ways of the stick.

*OK OK OK! I get it! This game is brought to you by the new Dodge Nitro! [slightly excessive advertising]

*Actual hockey announcers Gary Thorne and Bill Clement provide the play-by-play. I felt like I was watching Versus, its great!

*Pretty much all the older features you've come to know are still the mainstay: Dynasty Mode with on-ice / off-ice upgrades, player trades, roster moves, ticket pricing, etc.

*Multiplayer via Xbox live [have yet to try it myself]



Hope you find the review helpful.