NHL 2K7 (Jewel case)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $9.99
Today's Bonus: 67% Off

I bought three PS3 games on launch: Madden, NHL 2K7 and Call of Duty. Of the three, I like this one the best. The graphics are amazing and the gameplay is fantastic too. If you bought the EA NHL series in the past, do not hesitate to purchase this game it is all that and more. The only flaw and its a very minor one is that the menu screens look pretty unimpressive and more like PS2 quality. But really, who cares about that? The play-by-play announcer is a little lame, mispronouncing numerous names. He was obviously not a hockey fan. You can't beat Gary Thorne and Bill Clement as a broadcast team, so hopefully they can upgrade for next year's version.

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

This is (with the exception of NHL 93 on SNES) the best hockey game I've played. Hockey is one of those sports that seems custom made for video games. The action is fast, constantly changing directions. However, the fine details of the game were, in the past, difficult to translate to video games. Let's do a pro and con breakdown, shall we?

Pros:

fantastic, realistic game play. Your D men on the point in the O zone will actually play the point. They'll trap pucks along the boards before the exit the O zone. Players on offense set up in position like in the real games. Players play the fore and back check when dumping the puck into the zone. Odd man rushes feel right and you're still rewarded more for being able to use the poke check than hitting. And you'll pay if you get out of position defensively. Heck, the neutral zone trap D that teams play even comes out well in the game. This factor (realism) is by far the heaviest by which I rate a hockey game.

Graphics are greatly improved from previous gen. They could be better, but the player models look great.

Decent commentary. It doesn't get old too fast, but sometimes the game moves too fast for the commentary to keep up. They'll often use a players name incorrectly. The only example I can think of is, say, a Goalie makes a stop and moves the puck alone to a skater. The skater may be on a break-away, but the commentator will state the goalie's name as the player on the break-away simply because the game itself has moved too fast for the commentary, if that makes sense. It's like the commentators are going to say something about the goalie's save, and the break-away at the same time, so they end up mixing the two statements into one.

The fight system is improved too. Instead of the action stopping immediately for two players about to drop the gloves, you're promted on screen, during the game action, to press select to fight. It tells you which two players are about to go at it as well. That way you can consciously decide whether you want to duke it out, or let the game continue. If it's one of your tough guys that want's to throw down, you can hit select and it's on. If it's one of your weaker, finesse players, you can ignore the select button and continue playing without a stop in the action.

Cons:

I'll have to fine tune the gameplay a bit with the sliders, as it's a bit too easy for me to score. Granted, I've been playing on the default difficulty, so I have no room to complain. One timers are still pretty easy, and it's very easy to deke the goalies on break-aways. That's really my only complaint so far, and I'm sure that's easily fixed by bumping the difficulty up a level.

All in all, if you're a fan of the game of hockey, or just like Hockey video games, you won't be disappointed with NHL 2K7.

Buy NHL 2K7 (Jewel case) Now

Don't be misled by reviews from people who've said the gameplay and/or stats are unrealistic. Everything in the game can be adjusted through the use of sliders that control every aspect of the game. Someone mentioned 80 shots per game at 10 minute periods. I play full 20 minute periods, real time, and neither side gets near 80 shots a game. Why? Adjustments. I play at All-Star level, goalie strength set to 50%, Defense 100%, offense 0%, speed at 20% or so, speed burst 37%, speed burst duration 17%. These last 3 are probably the most important when trying for realistic action. With Speed burst set too high, every play can be a breakaway. At this setting, you might go the whole game without one. If the scoring/shots are still too high, notch passing down to 70 or 60%, there are a lot of missed passes in real hockey, and if you make every pass with the setting at 90 or 100, well of course you can get a shot or two off every minute of the game, especially with the speed setting too high as well. Believe me, everything can be adjusted, I've played over 120 games with this, and still sometimes tweek these settings for a most realistic and challenging experience.

Read Best Reviews of NHL 2K7 (Jewel case) Here

I totally agree with you. I have played this game and EA's NHL 07 on the 360. This game is superior in every way except graphics. And that is easily overlooked. Now the graphics are not bad, they are solid, but NHL 07 is better, with more detail. This game however, is superior in gameplay, realism, animations, and a noticeably obvious lack of in game bugs. EA's NHL you try and pass the puck with the goalie, and it will go in the total opposite direction. This game is just more enjoyable, more playable, and cooler to watch. The slider options are great. I usually don't like that concept, but I have effectively been able to create the type of game I want to play. I have played college hockey, and have played hockey video games going back to NHL 94, and this is definitely the choice of this years pick. Hopefully next year they will improve it visually, fix a few small problems, and leave the gameplay alone. I also want to say, I hate the coach's speech before the game. Leave it out of next year. I give 4 stars because I would like to see the graphics improved, they could be better I'm sure on the PS3, and there is some room for improvement in some other areas.

Want NHL 2K7 (Jewel case) Discount?

Quite possibly the best "sport" related game for the first wave launch. The graphics are awesome. I'm not even that big of a hockey fan. The ice looks outstanding. I too was a big EA supporter, not anymore.