NHL 07 Hands-On

At E3 2005, it wasn't hard to see what EA Sports was trying to accomplish with its next-gen sports titles on the Xbox 360. Games like Madden NFL 06 and NBA Live 06, while not necessarily in playable form, still had enough graphical flair to show the rest of the industry that, ready or not, next-generation sports gaming was on its way. Though, one notable omission from the EA Sports next-gen lineup was NHL 06. Considering the National Hockey League was just getting back up to speed in the real world, however, it was probably a sensible omission. Still, Xbox 360 owners looking to get their puck on will be pleased to note that EA's NHL series is set to make its next-gen debut this fall with the release of NHL 07. We traveled up to EA Canada to get an early peek at the game, and were surprised to find just how things will be changing for the next gen.

Call us superficial, but we have to talk about the game's look first and foremost. Saying the player models and hockey arenas are an upgrade from previous versions of the game is akin to saying Scarlett Johansson is an "attractive" actress. Consider the player model of San Jose Sharks right-winger Jonathan Cheechoo we saw in action, for example. Not only was the model's face a dead ringer for the Maurice Richard Trophy winner, but the team has even gone so far as to model Cheech's shin pads tucked into his boots. It's small details like that that add up to make a game that really brings the NHL to life. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the textures on the ice, the lighting in the arenas, the reflections off the rink and the player helmets are amazing, especially when viewed in 720 HD. When it comes to animations, producers told us that a player's arms and legs will move independently of the main body animation, which means the virtual goalie will have more ability to get his body--be it a foot, glove, or stick--in front of your shot.

The look of the game goes beyond upgraded environments and player models, however. The entire presentation of NHL 07 for the Xbox 360 has a stripped-down, clean appearance, as if the development team took a page out of the Apple design handbook when it came up with the game menus. Information is always readily available, and the menus seem easy to navigate, but you might be surprised at how understated everything is. That same approach seems to have spilled over to the action on the ice as well. Gone are the icons underneath a player that identify his role on the team (a sniper, power forward, and so on). Instead, a small icon (not unlike the one used in the Sims series of PC games) indicates the player you are controlling.

This design choice ends up creating a remarkably clean-looking game--one that looks more like an NHL broadcast than a video game--but it does have some more subtle repercussions on gameplay. For one thing, the game doesn't have icon passing. Instead, you'll use the right trigger to pass the puck. To send a through-pass into the open ice so that a teammate can catch up with it and make a play happen, you will simply aim with the analog stick and press the right bumper.

Another side effect of the icon-less gameplay is that you have to know each player on your team. You won't have the icons to refer to in order to find out if that defenseman you're controlling is a defensive defenseman, capable of wiping out forwards with a single hit, or a cannon-shot offensive defenseman who can rocket shots at the goalie from the blue line. That said, each player will have on-ice behaviors that will tip you off to their strengths and weaknesses. A grinder will be in the corners, scooping up pucks and introducing opposing teams to the glass, while a sniper will be looking for any opportunity to get a clean shot at the back of the net. Furthermore, you can actually assign any of the eight available roles in the game to any player on your team--however, his skill and attributes will determine how well he fits into that role. Assigning Matthew Barnaby to play as a delicate sniper, for example, might not be your best strategy.

By far the biggest change in NHL 07 will be how you handle the puck. Fans of the series will remember that NHL 06 for the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox worked the right analog stick into gameplay, letting the player control a wide variety of deke moves by pressing the right analog stick in different directions. That approach has been refined to a large degree with the Xbox 360 version of the game. In NHL 07, the right thumbstick acts as a sort of analog for the hockey stick itself, and how you move the right stick exactly determines how your onscreen player will control the puck. Move it from side to side, for example, and your player will move the puck from left to right; pull back and push forward and he will unleash a mighty slap shot at the goal.

There are other, more subtle motions you can make with this new control system. Pushing the stick to one side and then tracing backward along the outside edge of the stick (similar to how you rear back for a haymaker punch in the Fight Night series) will allow you to toe-drag the puck behind your player as he skates up the ice. Push forward and your skater will let loose with a vicious wrist shot toward the net. It sounds good in theory and, in practice, it works remarkably well. Though it took us a few times to get the dekeing, moving, and aiming down under our thumbs, once we had it, we were able to pull off vicious switchback moves that left the goalie looking silly and the red lamp lit. It helps too that the puck physics in the game are remarkably lifelike. Gone are the days of goalies "warping" up pucks into their gloves during rebounds. In NHL 07 the little black disc feels more realistic than ever before.

NHL 07 developers realize this will be a big switch for NHL diehards who have been used to playing a particular shooting and passing style in the series for many years now. And while the traditional controls will be available in the game as settings, developers are hoping fans of the series take to the new system. In fact, when you first fire up NHL 07 for your 360, you'll be taken directly to a brief tutorial and shoot-out minigame, which will help you get acquainted with the new system.

One other change from previous NHL iterations is that the turbo button is gone. Now, in order to get a player to skate at full speed, it will simply be a matter of pushing the left analog stick directly ahead. By pulling the stick back just a tad, the player will skate fast but still keep control of the puck; by pushing it all the way forward, the player will push the puck up the ice. The idea here seems to be to push the player to use his maximum speed only in the appropriate circumstances (on fast breaks, for example), as opposed to using it all the time. It seems that skating too fast when it isn't suitable in NHL 07 is a quick way to lose possession of the puck.

A full dynasty mode will be playable in NHL 07, and yes, you virtual general managers will be dealing with a salary cap this season, including one- and two-way contracts that will surely keep you scratching your head when it comes time to send an underperforming player down to the minors. The NHL 07 development team has a staff member who actually read all 470-odd pages of the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement in preparation for coming up with this year's dynasty mode and, while we don't expect the mode to be as mind-numbingly detailed as the CBA, there will likely be enough depth to keep the number crunchers entertained. One feature that sounds promising is the idea of player development over the season. As players see ice time and succeed in games, they'll gain experience, levels, and better attributes as the seasons progress.

Though ESPN no longer broadcasts NHL games, two former ESPN NHL announcers, Gary Thorne and Bill Clement, will handle booth duties in NHL 07 and, man, is it great to hear the pair calling games again, even if they are virtual. Thorne's unmistakable voice and Clement's lively analysis add a lot to the game's presentation, and it makes you bemoan the fact that the duo is no longer broadcasting puck on ESPN.

It's tough to take your eyes off of NHL 07 the first time you see it. The game's player models, environments, and details simply look amazing. And considering that the upgraded graphics are just part one of the reinvention of the series on the Xbox 360, it's no wonder we're so excited to see more from this game in the coming weeks. The game is due to ship in September, and we'll be bringing you more in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.