NHL 2K7 is brought to us by industry veterans 2K Sports and Visual Concepts, famous for their long running rivalry with EA Sports in all the major athletic titles. Recently, the feud was all but squashed in the realm of the NFL, with EA gobbling up all manner of rights to said area, leaving 2K reeling. Luckily, they managed to produce another round of Hockey, and we shall see how it holds up in the 2007 edition.

Visually, I will say it again and again, the graphics for the PS2 have long since peaked, and really, there isn’t really amazing to see here. Characters animate well enough, smoothly deking past defenders, checking like the best and slap-shotting hurricane force attempts, but they don’t look that realistic. They have a cartoony feel to them, which is rather odd considering the past with 2K sports usually championing their realism, both in gameplay, and in graphics. Most players look overly rounded, and there seems to be some blurring issues with watered down textures. The frames are also a tad choppy at times, and the puck itself seems rather large, bringing me back to the days of the original EA NHL Hockey. Besides the animations being well done, the arenas and menu interface are pretty slick, along with the plethora of camera angles help you find just the right angle for heated NHL action.

In the sound department, there is your usual assortment of crushing “Ooof” sounds from vicious body-checks, the “skiss-skiss” sound of ice tearing underneath skate, and the ever present roar of the crowd. And if you are so lucky, and errant shot on goal will result in a spectacular crescendo of glass breaking. Announcers Bob Cole and Harry Neale do a solid job of tracking the action, but nothing really amazing. Too bad FIFA 2007 couldn’t have been contracted, however odd that may be… As I always say, foreign accents yelling excitedly sell more games…. Lastly, the soundtrack is composed of an interesting assortment of alternative rock groups, like Band of Horses, Mudhoney, The Postal Service and many more. Not really sure why they chose this musical demographic to go with. I would have thought most hockey fans were into harder tunes, replete with thrashing rifts, a la Metallica.

In NHL 2K7, there are several gameplay modes like usual; Quick Game, Season, Tournament, Party Mode and Franchise. The Franchise option is decked out with an assortment of options, such as rookie scouting, excellent free agency, as well as a minor league pool of players to draw from. Interestingly enough, there is a defined salary cap, so you may have to be more fiscally-minded than in years past. One of the coolest options is the occasional cell phone update that may let you know a certain player is worse for wear, or might be ready to hit the ice. Pretty nice work here.

Along with the deep Franchise mode, you can delve into a HUGE array of mini-games in the Party mode. Some of the festivities include a raucous Free-For-All mode, where you and 3 other people (or A.I.) basically play the “21” version of hockey, chasing after a randomly spawning puck, as you try and dodge hip checks, and score some goals before time expires. Many more versions of Shootouts, Sudden Death, Mini-Rink and more abound in this area of the game.

Some of the new gameplay elements include a new Pressure system, whereby you can target certain players and make them quake in their boots and a realistic Rivalry mode, where teams ramp up their intensity against their hated foes. The latter feature really raises the emotion of some games, and is definitely something to think about for football…*hint hint EA. The Pressure feature is also worth fleshing out some more. By moving the right analog stick to target, then L2 to administer, you can control the varying degrees of pain dealt out. Plain delicious. Throw in some expanded A.I. functions (aka they are smarter) and some smoother stick handling maneuvers, and there is plenty to shout about for this latest installment. Lastly, the on-the-fly play calling is rather neat, where you can shift into various line formations, such as Overload Slot, Triangular, Box+1, Positional and much more. Not being a big hockey buff personally, I was pretty intrigued by the vast strategy below the surface. By employing a quick hitting, aggressive shift, you can really catch an opponent off guard, especially during a power play situation (you have more players on the ice).

The general feel and fun factor is always high for hockey games, and especially great for those moments you can bust out the multi-tap or just play with another friend side by side, yelling obscenities, hurling old scraps of junk food at each other, and generally being unruly. Few games can match the visceral joy of slamming your homeboy against the glass, and often just as they lined up a game-winning shot. Whenever I play a hockey game today, I truly wish they would bring back the Mutant League Series, perhaps starting with the hockey version, and as memory serves, that title came complete with buzz saws and a handful of other ways to “end” your opponents chances. Luckily, NHL 2K7 is still some solid fun, despite the lack of weapons of mass destruction.

Online play is also present here for up to 2-10 players, and you can even play in the party games and assorted mini-games - way cool! There are also league play and tournaments to be set-up, with stat tracking galore. The online component is quite filled out in the twilight years of the PS2, and should keep you busy indefinitely, long past the regular season run out.

You just have to love sports games these days. Back in the days of Tecmo Bowl, you had maybe a few options for difficulty (all of which would do nothing to stop Bo Jackson, mind you…) and off you went. In the 21st century, we have progressed into a realm of customizability that is staggering, and it is no different here. You can adjust levels of shot accuracy, speed burst, general offense/defensive skills, roughness, attack styles and more. You can get the general feel with many preset options, and then go from there, crafting your perfect hockey experience. With that being said, most gamers who have played a hockey title in the past few years will easily pick-up the control scheme, strategies and so forth in a short amount of time. And by throwing in the “tweakability”, this title shouldn’t present many headaches for you.

Supposedly, the new camera system is some intuitive, subtly shifting viewpoint, allowing for the best angles to see ahead, the goal, and your respective players. Frankly, the camera system was nice and all… but I wasn’t blown away by anything revolutionary. Along with the revamped camera, the controls were also pretty responsive and I rarely found myself mashing buttons wildly to execute a move. The patient gamer with a few twitch skills should be fine in most situations, aside from the maddening face-off where it seems it’s more about luck, than timing. Lastly, there is an odd issue with the controller; if you don’t have a PS2 Dual Shock 2 controller (the black ones that come standard) then you won’t be able to play the game - so don’t rely on your old trusty gray ones for this.

Overall, NHL 2K7 is a pretty solid title, complemented by a bevy of game modes, workman-like presentation, and some cool new features like Pressure mode and Rivalry mode. Plus, considering this is a modest $20, you can’t really beat that value. If you are a hockey fan who wants to save up some money for a real seat or fancy satellite package, this game should the perfect compliment for those wishes to come true.