Post by Eric - Washington GM on Sept 13, 2006 18:38:12 GMT -5
I switched back to EA Sports NHL effort for the first time since the best hockey game, NHL 04. In between I had come to enjoy NHL 2K's series much more due to the overwhelming depth in the franchise mode that all FHL GMs can appreciate. In picking which game I was going to buy this year really came down to how good it would be on the XBOX 360. Forget about the current-gen, I wanted next-gen. When I heard about the new controlling scheme for EA NHL 07 I was excited. I enjoyed the fact that something new, to a semi-stale genre, was being made.
The control scheme I'm referring to is that on the XBOX 360 controller you controll all your movements with no more than 5 buttons. But a majority of what you want to accomplish on offense can be done with just 3. Your Left controll analog is the button that conrolls your players movement. You chose where he skates, where he aims his shots or passes, where he runs to take a hit. Your Right controll analog controls your stick movements. Tap the right analog forward to throw an effective snap shot on net. Move the right analog side to side to deke. Move the right analog side to side then back to fire a wrist shot. Move the right analog back then forward to unleash a slap shot. You get the idea. When shooting, you can aim in ANY direction with the left analog stick to try and beat the goalie. The new controls take some time to get used to (or so I've been told, once you get the hang of it in a game your pretty much good to go. Although it will take a good 10-20 games to master your craft.)
This year they have improved puck physics to make them more "life-like." By that I mean that there are more realistic deflections, bounces and movements for the puck. Another addition is that the puck is no longer glued to your player. Sometimes when skating your player will throw the puck a couple feet in front of his stride so that he can keep the puck in front.
NHL 07 also offers a more sim-like game than EA Sports has been accustomed to. The game doesn't feel arcadey at all, yet. With the new control scheme I have a feeling the game can be mastered so that it turns more into an arcade style of fast paced action. The default sliders in the game are fine, almost as close to the speed of hockey as it gets. One thing that is weird to not have in this game is the all-too important "Speed Burst" button. Instead your player moves accordingly to how much you move your left analog.
Passing is fine. It's a little too fast for my liking, but it doesn't make me hate the way they did it. You can set up a power play, work around the penalty killers and try for the open lane to get your shot on net. This is one thing that NHL 2K has had over the EA NHL series for the past couple years, but now it seems about even.
Graphically, this game is an absolute gem. A treat to anyone who can see. I have it hooked up on a 62' HDTV with a 1080i resolution and the game is stunning. Using the instant replay to watch a great goal I just scored often leaves me looking in awe of the texture of the jerseys, pucks, sticks, fans, etc.
For the sound department, they have Gary Thorne and Bill Clement calling the game. I'll be honest, I can certainly understand why some people might not like them. However, I have been accustomed to the way they call a game on a saturday afternoon, or a playoff game in May. The sound of Gary Thorne's "GOAL!!!!" is up there with Mike Lange in my book. Not because of their knowledge, just by how comforting it sounds. Other then the commentating, the sounds on the ice are good. Not great, but good. The clank off the post, the sound of a tape to tape pass is all good. The part where EA didn't do as much as I hoped was the crowd. I'd like for a little more hostility when the Flyers come into Pittsburgh, or when Calgary travels to Edmonton. I think that they need to bump up the emotion, and have it really become a factor in the game (see: NCAA Football 05-07). The soundtrack is alright. One or two bands that I enjoy, but for the most part it's rock/punk/emo/music that is in this game.
Dynasty Mode: (I don't think I need to go much into depth on this, as I think we all have an understanding of what the NHL CBA is and how the hockey business works) Pretty good so far. So far I have had to be cap conscious, as everyone must be. Waivers, 1-way and 2-way contracts play a big part in how you will set up your roster. First off (the following is somewhat self-endorsement, however it shows you a little of what trading and signings are like), I chose the penguins as my team for the first time in 3-4 years. With there not being a fantasy draft, I chose my favorite team. I created Malkin, 87 overall, created him as accurately as possible. I released all the players from the Penguins who weren't supposed to be on the team, with the exception of two mistakes: Konstantin Koltsov and Tomas Surovy. I missed their names in the roster management screen before I started my Dynasty, which in turn didn't allow me to release them in my dynasty. I could send them to waivers, but I felt like trading them was somewhat fair. I tried to trade Tomas Surovy to the Flames for Andrew Ference, no go. Even went as far as to add a 3rd, no go. I said screw that, so I traded Surovy to Ottawa for Chris Philips and Christoph Schubert. I traded Koltsov to Chicago for Cam Barker. As you can see with the Penguins, defense is my priority. I looked around the Free Agents that are still available, and I see one of my favorite Oilers (during the time in which I started to enjoy their style of play) Anson Carter. He was looking for a 1-way, 2 year, 2.02 mill deal. I think that is reasonable, so I try to offer him the same contract but for only 1.86mill. He declines. So I offer 1.96, and is now my 3rd RW. I tried to keep the real Pegnuins as close to as how they will look on opening night, with the exception of a few trades. My team stacks up as follows:
Nils Ekman - Sidney Crosby - Colby Armstrong
John LeClair - Evgeni Malkin - Mark Recchi
Ryan Malone - Erik Christensen - Anson Carter
Jarkko Ruutu - Maxime Talbot - Michal Ouellet
Sergei Gonchar - Chris Phillips
Ryan Whitney - Mark Eaton
Cam Barker - Brooks Orpik
MA Fluery
Jocelyn Thibault
Also in the Dynasty mode you can select your practicing style for the month, and where you want to focus your practices on. Choices vary from PP to PK, accuracy shooting and defensive positioning. There is a lot to keep you busy with, besides playing the game itself. As I hope that the Playoffs are outstanding, as the game is only as good as their playoff engine. I'm also hoping that the off-season is fun, a little more real-based and FHL'esque.
I don't have online hooked up to my 360 yet, so I can't comment on the issue.
All in all, I'm sure both games are good. But I think I chose EA NHL 07 due to the difference it offers. I heard a lot of things about NHL 2K7 that I liked, some that I didn't. Their new features didn't seem like enough to real me in, as I think their game would have just been a new version of last years game. So far my choice looks to be a good one, as I haven't had this much fun playing a Hockey game since NHL 04 and NHL 02. I think this game will have a long lasting appeal that will keep my interest not only as a die-hard hockey fan, but as a great overall next-gen video game.
If I were to give this a score out of 10, I would say 9.4
The control scheme I'm referring to is that on the XBOX 360 controller you controll all your movements with no more than 5 buttons. But a majority of what you want to accomplish on offense can be done with just 3. Your Left controll analog is the button that conrolls your players movement. You chose where he skates, where he aims his shots or passes, where he runs to take a hit. Your Right controll analog controls your stick movements. Tap the right analog forward to throw an effective snap shot on net. Move the right analog side to side to deke. Move the right analog side to side then back to fire a wrist shot. Move the right analog back then forward to unleash a slap shot. You get the idea. When shooting, you can aim in ANY direction with the left analog stick to try and beat the goalie. The new controls take some time to get used to (or so I've been told, once you get the hang of it in a game your pretty much good to go. Although it will take a good 10-20 games to master your craft.)
This year they have improved puck physics to make them more "life-like." By that I mean that there are more realistic deflections, bounces and movements for the puck. Another addition is that the puck is no longer glued to your player. Sometimes when skating your player will throw the puck a couple feet in front of his stride so that he can keep the puck in front.
NHL 07 also offers a more sim-like game than EA Sports has been accustomed to. The game doesn't feel arcadey at all, yet. With the new control scheme I have a feeling the game can be mastered so that it turns more into an arcade style of fast paced action. The default sliders in the game are fine, almost as close to the speed of hockey as it gets. One thing that is weird to not have in this game is the all-too important "Speed Burst" button. Instead your player moves accordingly to how much you move your left analog.
Passing is fine. It's a little too fast for my liking, but it doesn't make me hate the way they did it. You can set up a power play, work around the penalty killers and try for the open lane to get your shot on net. This is one thing that NHL 2K has had over the EA NHL series for the past couple years, but now it seems about even.
Graphically, this game is an absolute gem. A treat to anyone who can see. I have it hooked up on a 62' HDTV with a 1080i resolution and the game is stunning. Using the instant replay to watch a great goal I just scored often leaves me looking in awe of the texture of the jerseys, pucks, sticks, fans, etc.
For the sound department, they have Gary Thorne and Bill Clement calling the game. I'll be honest, I can certainly understand why some people might not like them. However, I have been accustomed to the way they call a game on a saturday afternoon, or a playoff game in May. The sound of Gary Thorne's "GOAL!!!!" is up there with Mike Lange in my book. Not because of their knowledge, just by how comforting it sounds. Other then the commentating, the sounds on the ice are good. Not great, but good. The clank off the post, the sound of a tape to tape pass is all good. The part where EA didn't do as much as I hoped was the crowd. I'd like for a little more hostility when the Flyers come into Pittsburgh, or when Calgary travels to Edmonton. I think that they need to bump up the emotion, and have it really become a factor in the game (see: NCAA Football 05-07). The soundtrack is alright. One or two bands that I enjoy, but for the most part it's rock/punk/emo/music that is in this game.
Dynasty Mode: (I don't think I need to go much into depth on this, as I think we all have an understanding of what the NHL CBA is and how the hockey business works) Pretty good so far. So far I have had to be cap conscious, as everyone must be. Waivers, 1-way and 2-way contracts play a big part in how you will set up your roster. First off (the following is somewhat self-endorsement, however it shows you a little of what trading and signings are like), I chose the penguins as my team for the first time in 3-4 years. With there not being a fantasy draft, I chose my favorite team. I created Malkin, 87 overall, created him as accurately as possible. I released all the players from the Penguins who weren't supposed to be on the team, with the exception of two mistakes: Konstantin Koltsov and Tomas Surovy. I missed their names in the roster management screen before I started my Dynasty, which in turn didn't allow me to release them in my dynasty. I could send them to waivers, but I felt like trading them was somewhat fair. I tried to trade Tomas Surovy to the Flames for Andrew Ference, no go. Even went as far as to add a 3rd, no go. I said screw that, so I traded Surovy to Ottawa for Chris Philips and Christoph Schubert. I traded Koltsov to Chicago for Cam Barker. As you can see with the Penguins, defense is my priority. I looked around the Free Agents that are still available, and I see one of my favorite Oilers (during the time in which I started to enjoy their style of play) Anson Carter. He was looking for a 1-way, 2 year, 2.02 mill deal. I think that is reasonable, so I try to offer him the same contract but for only 1.86mill. He declines. So I offer 1.96, and is now my 3rd RW. I tried to keep the real Pegnuins as close to as how they will look on opening night, with the exception of a few trades. My team stacks up as follows:
Nils Ekman - Sidney Crosby - Colby Armstrong
John LeClair - Evgeni Malkin - Mark Recchi
Ryan Malone - Erik Christensen - Anson Carter
Jarkko Ruutu - Maxime Talbot - Michal Ouellet
Sergei Gonchar - Chris Phillips
Ryan Whitney - Mark Eaton
Cam Barker - Brooks Orpik
MA Fluery
Jocelyn Thibault
Also in the Dynasty mode you can select your practicing style for the month, and where you want to focus your practices on. Choices vary from PP to PK, accuracy shooting and defensive positioning. There is a lot to keep you busy with, besides playing the game itself. As I hope that the Playoffs are outstanding, as the game is only as good as their playoff engine. I'm also hoping that the off-season is fun, a little more real-based and FHL'esque.
I don't have online hooked up to my 360 yet, so I can't comment on the issue.
All in all, I'm sure both games are good. But I think I chose EA NHL 07 due to the difference it offers. I heard a lot of things about NHL 2K7 that I liked, some that I didn't. Their new features didn't seem like enough to real me in, as I think their game would have just been a new version of last years game. So far my choice looks to be a good one, as I haven't had this much fun playing a Hockey game since NHL 04 and NHL 02. I think this game will have a long lasting appeal that will keep my interest not only as a die-hard hockey fan, but as a great overall next-gen video game.
If I were to give this a score out of 10, I would say 9.4