Sloppy Potatoes

Xbox 360 review: NHL 07

While the NHL isn’t everyone’s favorite sport, an occasional hockey game can be fun. NHL 07 was fun for a while. For several games I was bragging about how cool it looks and how smooth the gameplay felt. But as the games started to rack up, several enjoyable moments started to be replaced with ugh moments.

The AI controlled opponents always put stick on puck and made a steal when passing me. My guys on the other hand must have been using the wrong end of their sticks when they tried it.

Also, when I took a shot in traffic it bounced off opposing skates and sticks like a pinball. When the computer took long shots or made long passes, it slid under, around and through to its intended target. It felt sports-game cheap, especially for a game on the Rookie setting.

So, After playing most of the first season, I simmed a pair of seasons. Then in the fourth season, I tried to play the part of GM and make some minor moves to improve the team during slumps and the like. I found that the helper AI, is no help. It’s stupid, actually.

One of the options, after bringing back an injured or suspended player, is to have your “Assistant Coach” put together the best lines. Well, either the assistant coach is an ape they taught to write random names into a lineup, or he shouldn’t even be handling a youth hockey league somewhere.

A couple times I had my center, rated 93 overall, come back from injury only to have him tagged for the second offensive line. Intrigued, I started to monitor the moves of this brilliant, up-and-coming NHL mind. When my center got hurt again – certain players get hurt again and again – I checked to see how AC handled it. Instead of bumping my No. 2 center, an 88 and probably third or fourth best player, into the first line he put the minor-league turd, a 64, into the front line. Surprisingly, I lost four games in a row and six of seven before the injury subsided.

During the ninth season, most of my draft picks and the handful of other players I picked up after they were cut reached their potential and I had a stacked team. It was practically an All-Star team. There was no way I was going to be able to bring back every player the next year because contracts would be too high. That part of the simulation seemed to be spot on.

Then in my 10th season, I managed to keep a handful of the All-Stars, but AC crapped everything up. There was one stretch I just kept simulating through to continue the ridiculousness. On the rookie setting with a goalie that had progressed into a 99 I lost 16 of 18 games at one point.

BLAHRRR!

Maybe it’s because I’m not a hockey fan or maybe it’s because I live in a Madden world where the game translates so well to console games, but I can’t recommend this game.

I’d like to recommend NHL 07, I really would. I had a good time with it at first and as a multiplayer game I’m sure it’s great. But the hockey in Dynasty mode was fun until I learned enough of the controls to start paying attention to the (bad) little things. That statement in itself should be enough to scare away some sports gamers. Sprinkle in the “helper” AI and it’s a weird game that I don’t think is realistic enough for a die-hard hockey fan, but can be too frustrating for a casual fan.

Take Two’s NHL2K7 has rated higher according to some critics, so I’ll probably give that one a try at some point.

Hockey fans will enjoy this game, but casual fans should definitely rent this before dumping $60 on it.

xep44

(originally posted on Mar. 2007)