Preivew-NHL 2K7

[Shane360]

When the NHL 2K series made its next-gen debut last year, the game was notable for a couple of things: First, the crease controls that gave you a first-person view of what it was like between the pipes as an NHL goalie; second, the fact that practically everything that was in the current-gen versions of NHL 2K6 was playable in the Xbox 360 version. With NHL 2K7, the development team has one year of next-gen development under its belt and is prepared to make this year's game a even more full-featured NHL experience than before. They also want to make sure NHL 2K7 looks the next-gen part, thanks to some new presentation techniques, as we saw during our recent hands-on look at the game.

Using what the 2K Sports folks dub "cinemotion" presentation, the idea is to give hockey fans a slightly different look and feel to the fastest game on ice, one that is a bit different from the traditional broadcast-style presentation package that fans have grown accustomed to. To that end, there are basically three presentation styles to choose from--cinemotion music, cinemotion commentary, and traditional broadcast style. By choosing either cinemotion music or cinemotion commentary, the hockey game itself will use a sweeping, dynamic camera to follow the action on the court. While the camera is closer to the action on the ice, you never really lose perspective for the rink and, in our experience, never really have trouble locating teammates. The most obvious change is how often the camera changes position, sliding across the ice to keep up with the puck, moving up as the action comes to the near end of the ice, and diving back into the action as the puck is moved up-ice.

As you might guess, the difference between cinemotion music and cinemotion commentary basically boils down to what you'll be hearing when you're playing games. Commentary will feature Bob Cole and Harry Neale (both of Hockey Night in Canada fame), while the music option will feature a range of dynamic orchestrated music to accompany your games. During the pregame cinematic, for example, we enjoyed a rousing, orchestrated performance that highlighted the tension in the locker room before the players stepped out on the ice. As 2K7 producers told us, you can expect the music to change dynamically depending on the game situation; if you're in overtime in a tight game, for example, you can expect the music to suit the dramatic situation.

If you don't like the music provided for you during the cinemotion music presentation, you can use tracks from your Xbox 360 hard drive, or add the commentary to the musical mix as well. The music isn't the only audio goodie in the cinemotion presentation--you'll also hear plenty of player and coach chatter on the ice. It's especially noticeable during the lulls in the musical performances, as you hear players call for the puck, tell you to shoot on goal, or celebrate after a big check. In all, the player chatter might be the best audio treat we heard; it really helps to create the illusion of "being there" in the rink and watching the action unfold.

On the ice, there are a couple of new gameplay control tweaks to talk about. First, on offense, NHL 2K7 will now let you execute drop passes by pressing the right bumper. The player with the puck will then pass the puck behind him, throwing off the defender and letting his teammate behind him (assuming there's someone there, of course) get an open shot at the net.

On defense the big addition is pressure control, which will let you target specific opponents on the ice and the amount of pressure you wish to put on him. By holding down the left bumper and pointing the right analog stick, you choose the player you wish to pressure. A small yellow circle will surround the player icon, and one of your teammates will shadow that player closely. If you wish to up the pressure, you tap the left bumper again, the circle will change to orange, and you'll see additional players from your team focus their attention on your target. If you want to lay him out with a check, you hold down the left bumper--the icon will turn red, and one of your teammates will attempt to put him down. It takes some getting used to, especially when trying to figure out which player the system will target when using the analog stick, but it is effective--the more pressure you put on a player, the more aggressive your teammates will act toward him.

[BLaz]

All I know is that they better fix the glitch goals and make some realistic sliders.