NHL 07

[Scarpozzi]

I finally bought my first hockey game since the NES days. I never really understood the rules of hockey since I live in the South. I have to say, playing the game may make me a big fan....there's a heck of a lot of action and game control isn't as bad as I expected.

I still have a lot to learn about shooting and keeping from getting offsides and icing penalties.

Anyhow, when I was at Gamestop, I noticed there was another NHL game that wasn't from EA. It was NHL 2k7. I'm assuming from the name it's from the same group that made the Dreamcast sports games... Which is better 07 or 2k7? (of course it'd be the same for 08 and 2k8...)

 

[mugs]

I think NHL 07 was considered to be better because of the new controls, but I liked the simplicity of the NHL 2k7 controls. I think the 2k series introduced similar controls in 2k8.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Originally posted by: mugs
I think NHL 07 was considered to be better because of the new controls, but I liked the simplicity of the NHL 2k7 controls. I think the 2k series introduced similar controls in 2k8.

I'm sure they chase each other back and forth feature-wise. I've always been an EA fan, but on Dreamcast 2kx was the best. I enjoyed playing hockey so much tonight, I'm gonna have to go see a game next season.

 

[mugs]

You know, since 2k7 is probably < $10 now, you might as well pick it up.

 

[tdawg]

2k7 was better than '07, but the roles reversed for '08. Compared to the slickness of NHL '08, NHL 2k8 just feels clunky and complicated. If you think NHL '07 is fun, get your hands on a copy of '08 and really have some fun!

What 2k8 does offer over '08 is a more realistic free agent and draft contract system--they implemented the complete NHL collective bargaining agreement in the game, according to the reviews, so if you want to experience player signings and management just as it is in real life, 2k8 is for you. Playing as the goalie, or utilizing goalie control during games is supposed to be much more enjoyable in 2k8 as well, though I personally never tried it. For everything else, '08 is solid game.

The real cool feature that was introduced with 2k7 was the cinematic mode. It introduced a very nice camera angle and made the game cinematic, kinda like scenes from the move, Miracle. There's a orchestral music overlay to the game and the on-ice and atmospheric sounds take center stage from the play-by-play announcers.

Speaking of announcers, the '08 announcers are very good.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I got NHL '08 and it's a solid, fun sports game. A friend of mine is a hockey fan (not a gigantic NHL fan, just a guy who likes hockey and has been playing it since he was a kid) and we play it all the time against each other. The controls are very intuitive and fairly simple to use. We do have some issues with the AI seemingly locking up and standing around doing nothing on occasion, but it happens less than once per game.

That said, I couldn't care less about any of the modes other than quick play. I've never liked franchise modes in sports games.

Oh, and the announcers are good, but they say "Into the offensive zone, 3 on 2!!!!" way too much. Sometimes there are three defenders and just one of their guys attacking and because of the positions of some of the guys the announcer still thinks it's a 3 on 2.

 

[mpitts]

I'm a season ticket holder for the Thrashers. Let me know if you ever want to go to a game!

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I think the origianl EA hockey games were better than todays games. They were not really arcadish, but they were much easier to play. Pass, shoot, speed burst. That is it.

I want to get a hockey game one day, but to be honest, I am sickened by my last experience where I could not score on even the easiest skill level. It sucked so bad, I gave up. I simply do not want to dedicate 3 hours a day for a month straight just to get the hang of it.

So, I guess I do have a question. Are the NHL '08 controls easy to use? Do I need to know how to use the second analog stick to stick handle around people and do fancy crap?

 

[tdawg]

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
I think the origianl EA hockey games were better than todays games. They were not really arcadish, but they were much easier to play. Pass, shoot, speed burst. That is it.

I want to get a hockey game one day, but to be honest, I am sickened by my last experience where I could not score on even the easiest skill level. It sucked so bad, I gave up. I simply do not want to dedicate 3 hours a day for a month straight just to get the hang of it.

So, I guess I do have a question. Are the NHL '08 controls easy to use? Do I need to know how to use the second analog stick to stick handle around people and do fancy crap?

I think the '08 controls are very intuitive and easy to learn. And on the easiest level, scoring--along with keeping possession of the puck--is quite easy. It's very satisfying scoring goals in '08 due to the shooting control. Dekes and such are intuitive as well.

And I agree, the old EA NHL games back on the Genesis were so much fun! I don't know about being better than today's version, but they were a ton of fun.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Yeah, there are a lot of fancy moves you can pull off, but they are not necessary. All you really need is pass (right trigger), deke (right stick left or right), and shoot (right stick back or forward) on offense, and body check (right stick) on defense. When you're on defense you can also fall on the ice (to block a shot) by pressing both bumpers at once. You can also do a one-timer by pressing the right stick toward the goal immediately after passing, before the pass makes it to the guy receiving it.

Actually I love doing the "fall on the ice" move just to be silly. It's easy to accidentally get a penalty for tripping, though, if you do it while you're moving toward an opponent.

I'd say the game relies more on strategy than on fancy tricks and moves. There are some moves I haven't gotten the hang of yet, but that's not why I struggle in the game.

 

[PricklyPete]

I have '07...and absolutely love it. The new controls are very nice...although they don't seem to have it perfected yet. I've heard '08 has tweaked the controls to make them more consistent and fluid. I would love to pick it up...but I'm on a 3 year rotation with sports games. I got Fifa '06, NHL '07, and Madden '08. I'm picking up Fifa 09 and then NHL 10...so we'll see how much they've improved the controls/gameplay by then.

 

[R Nilla]

I'm really not a big fan of the '07 controls. I have '07 but didn't play it for too long before shelving it for whatever reason. I eventually got used to the controls, but didn't necessarily like them. I think part of the EA Sports formula, especially for NHL where they improve little else, is to completely change the controls every year to trick you into thinking they've made some sort of progress or improvement that warrants the new game, when really it's not much different from last year.

I like being able to deke with the right thumbstick and move with the left. Hitting, poke checking, etc. should use the buttons.

For the record, I've owned and/or played NHL 2001 through 2007. I refused to purchase '05 because they took out create a player for no reason. I think 2004 was probably my favorite, IIRC.

 

[Fingolfin269]

'08 is my favorite hockey game since some old EA one I played on Genesis. Probly the same one they show on Swingers.

 

[MarkW]

Really can't wait for NHL 09.. havent bought a new nhl game in awhile now. From what I know is that there is a feature where you can make your own player and start in the AHL then move up from there.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Bah, screw this namby pamby stuff. When are they going to revive NHL Hitz?