I wrote:One caveat though, that I can't believe I forgot to mention, is both of the choppy games had a strange reset occur where in the middle of action the period was reset, and both teams lined up at center ice for a faceoff, erasing about 30-45 seconds of action. There seems to be a little talk about similar things on the EA board, but I didn't follow too closely.
After going to check the EA boards, I seem to have been mistaken with others reporting this as I think they are talking about a current-gen problem. There may be a legit reason for the faceoff at center ice, but the thing is, the speed of the reset and lack of any cutscene/commentary left me confused. However, I can't corroborate that time on the clock was reset either. So take the above with a grain of salt until/unless I report further on it.
After all, I did have back surgery two days ago and it could be the Percocet talking :-S
Going to do my first impressions a little differently. I'll share my first game experience that I just had with NHL 2K7. I played my first game a few minutes ago on my lunch hour.
After playing around with the audio and Control settings a bit, I set the gameplay to the "Sim" mode, which automatically gets the difficulty to All-Star. It is the difficulty I usually play, but for my first game, I was intending just to play on Pro, but figured what the hell, might as well throw myself into the fire right away. To torture myself even more, I chose the Penguins and played against the Hurricanes.
I drew first blood, scoring an incredible goal with Malone. I was in front of the net, took a wrist shot, and it deflected off the defenders elbow right into the net. However, my 1-0 lead was very short lived, as Carolina scored on their very next shot. Three minutes remaining in the first period, I took control of Crosby, and fired a slashshot past the goalie to go up 2-1. But, it was deja vu all over again, as Carolina score the tying goal with 36 seconds left in the 1st period.
The 2nd period went scoreless, but plenty of shots were taken. This period was also the first one to see players going to the penalty boxes. Still 2-2 after 2. After checking the end of period stats, I noticed the shots were a little high (32 for Carolina, 27 for me). So I decided to try and slow the game down a bit for the 3rd period.
And that is what I did. By me slowing the game down, the CPU appeared to have done the same thing. The period remained scoreless until 5 minutes to play, where I wristed shot the puck into the net on the top right, exactly where I wanted to shoot it. I added an empty net goal to win the game 4-2.
This game plays absolutely beautifully. Extremely smooth. I love the new camera. Really helps to immerse you into the game. Lastly, the CPU AI played a very smart game of hockey. So refreshing to finally seeing the CPU cycle the puck to their teammates effectively and taking quality shots. Overall, I am extremely pleased with this game, and this is just after playing 1 quick game. Looking forward to starting a franchise up now.
Bottom line: If you're a total die-hard 2k fan you'll likely think this game is pretty cool but you'll want to go back to your 2k. If you're looking for something fresh and new in a hockey game you owe it to yourself to try this game.
SOLD! NHL 07 360 here i come. Scoop and G7, your impressions have pushed me off the fense onto the EA side. I'm exactly the kind of hockey gamer you describe. I've always loved the 2k series but last year i just got fed up with the same engine and new bugs each year. I am so ready for a completely new experience. I'll be picking 07 up at best buy after work.
I may pickup 2k7 later down the road if i can find it on the cheap. Thanks for the great impressions guys.
"Be tolerant of those who describe a sporting moment as their best ever. We do not lack imagination, nor have we had sad and barren lives; it is just that real life is paler, duller, and contains less potential for unexpected delirium." -Nick Hornby
Bottom line: If you're a total die-hard 2k fan you'll likely think this game is pretty cool but you'll want to go back to your 2k. If you're looking for something fresh and new in a hockey game you owe it to yourself to try this game.
SOLD! NHL 07 360 here i come. Scoop and G7, your impressions have pushed me off the fense onto the EA side. I'm exactly the kind of hockey gamer you describe. I've always loved the 2k series but last year i just got fed up with the same engine and new bugs each year. I am so ready for a completely new experience. I'll be picking 07 up at best buy after work.
Ditto that...I am only going to get one game and you guys have pushed to EAs game.
Great work!
After a few hours of play, I'm really not enjoying NHL 07 very much. I keep hoping it will grow on me, but it hasn't so far. The replay graphics are great, but the lousy camera angles and lousy framerate during gameplay really hurt the overall look. I really don't like the feel of the game right now, especially in comparison to the NHL 2K7 demo which is just so smooth. One problem I'm having right now is the lack of CPU scoring, even on superstar level. I'm lousy defensively, giving up tons of shots, yet the CPU almost never manages to score. I'll keep playing with the hope that something will click with me, but right now I'm wishing that I picked up NHL 2K7 instead.
HipE wrote:After a few hours of play, I'm really not enjoying NHL 07 very much. I keep hoping it will grow on me, but it hasn't so far. The replay graphics are great, but the lousy camera angles and lousy framerate during gameplay really hurt the overall look. I really don't like the feel of the game right now, especially in comparison to the NHL 2K7 demo which is just so smooth. One problem I'm having right now is the lack of CPU scoring, even on superstar level. I'm lousy defensively, giving up tons of shots, yet the CPU almost never manages to score. I'll keep playing with the hope that something will click with me, but right now I'm wishing that I picked up NHL 2K7 instead.
One problem I'm having right now is the lack of CPU scoring
Boy, i couldn't disagree more. I just played two world tourney games on All-Star and got beat 4-2 by Finland and 5-1 by the Czech's and i consider myself a decent player in the game.
Sorry to hear you're not liking it but at least you have another solid option in 2K7 if NHL never comes around for you.
Yeah, I'm with HipE as well...I'm not sure why NHL07 is getting all this praise. I've been playing it off and on all day and it's not impressive at all oustide some of the presentation touches. It's a jerky mess. The player animations are horrendous compared to 2k7. Sure, the cut scene graphics are amazing, but the on ice action is just ehhh. I wonder if the newness and coolness of the right stick (which I like, don't get me wrong) wears off, people will be jumping back on the 2k7 bandwagon. I understand the presentation and graphics (in cut scenes anyway) are better, so that will keep people around a little longer, but the gameplay is where it counts around here, so I imagine people will migrate back to the only decent hockey game we've really known for the last 5-7 years.
And BTW...2k7 looks better ON the ice. 07 seems to look like a cartoon...but then again, that's always been EA's thing. I'm definitely glad I made the decision to purchase 2k7 and rent 07 after going back and forth for the last week or two. I'm fairly certain I made the right decision. I'm just surprised to see so many NHL 07 guys online, with very few 2k7's. If I had to guess, that will change in the next few weeks.
Last edited by dbdynsty25 on Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I honestly think the new control scheme is what really turns me on about NHL 07. From the demo of 2k7 I agree, the camera and graphics on ice look great.. I just not so sure why the new music is so liked by the review sites? I didn't like NCAA or Madden, so there's room for both hockey games, imo.
What do you think of the cinemotion db?
Last edited by MizzouRah on Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
dbdynsty25 wrote:Yeah, I'm with HipE as well...I'm not sure why NHL07 is getting all this praise. I've been playing it off and on all day and it's not impressive at all oustide some of the presentation touches. It's a jerky mess. The player animations are horrendous compared to 2k7. Sure, the cut scene graphics are amazing, but the on ice action is just ehhh. I wonder if the newness and coolness of the right stick (which I like, don't get me wrong) wears off, peole will be jumping back on the 2k7 bandwagon. I understand the presentation and graphics (in cut scenes anyway) are better, so that will keep people around a little longer, but the gameplay is where it counts around here, so I imagine people will migrate back to the only decent hockey game we've really known for the last 5-7 years.
And BTW...2k7 looks better ON the ice. 07 seems to look like a cartoon...but then again, that's always been EA's thing. I'm definitely glad I made the decision to purchase 2k7 and rent 07 after going back and forth for the last week or two. I'm fairly certain I made the right decision. I'm just surprised to see so many NHL 07 guys online, with very few 2k7's. If I had to guess, that will change in the next few weeks.
XXXIV wrote:Way to ruin it for me...Im so confused again
LOL...just try them both man. I just know I'm going to end up back with 2k7 at the end of the day, which was my initial reaction. Sorry man.
HipE...as for the cinemotion...I really don't care either way. It's okay at best. I usually listen to music when I play sports games anyway, so commentary and music don't really mean much to me at the end of the day. I listen to the commentary and presentation stuff for the first few days and then I revert back to the radio or mp3s. The music in the background is clearly better than the commentary though...it's pretty bland and it's very boring in 2k7. Maybe that's why I end up going back to my music when I play sports games in the first place. LOL.
dbdynsty25 wrote:Yeah, I'm with HipE as well...I'm not sure why NHL07 is getting all this praise. I've been playing it off and on all day and it's not impressive at all . . . .
I'm just surprised to see so many NHL 07 guys online, with very few 2k7's. If I had to guess, that will change in the next few weeks.
Way to ruin it for me...Im so confused again
Patience, man. It's only been two days! Lots of good impressions, though, and I appreciate them.
I"m waiting to see if there something broken in either of them, hidden below the surface. But then, I'm only really interested in online play, so what about league options? Do both have national teams for online play?
I'm glad you're happy db, and i hate to disagree, after all you were 100% correct on pointing me toward my new Motorola Q but you're off base here in my eyes. I've been a 2K hockey guy for years and this year, much like they did when MVP surpassed 2K's baseball, EA has finally made a hockey game that's better. As a guy who's played the game of hockey, and now coach it, the right stick implementation is far more than a newness and cool. It gives a feeling of full control which button pushing doesn't. That for me makes NHL's gameplay better.
But again, we are very lucky i think to have two better than average games in one sport. Good times!!
RallyMonkey wrote:I'm glad you're happy db, and i hate to disagree, after all you were 100% correct on pointing me toward my new Motorola Q but you're off base here in my eyes.
Hey if you're happy with it, more power to ya. I don't thing the game is horrible, because the stick is awesome, but it just doesn't feel like hockey. First of all, the rocket shots are back. I turned the shot power all the way down and I still have shots that are going WAAAAY to fast and end up bouncing off the boards and back into my end (no puck friction slider either). There is something seriously wrong with their puck physics algorithm. And another thing that pisses me off is that the players do NOT spread out when going through the neutral zone which causes a lot of teammates to collide and screw up momentum on the attack. Like I said before, the choppiness is a huge problem and the camera views are all garbage compared to the new dynamic camera that they have in 2k7.
But I digress. There are things I don't like about the 2k7 game too, but in the end, I just think it plays a better game on the ice. I will continue to play 07 and maybe something will click...but it's not really a control thing that bothers me as I'm very happy with the switch to the stick, but there are just too many other things wrong that will bother me until I return the thing to Gamefly.
Glad you like your Q though...anyone who has gotten one loves theirs as well, so I really am convinced it's the best smartphone ever created.
What a difference a night makes. While I had some reservations initially about 2K7, I played again this evening and wow, I'm loving it all over again. I did make some adjustments. I started out playing on Pro, as I was getting man handled for the most part on All-Star. I also turned down some of the goalie anticipationg and awareness ratings for both myself and the CPU.
I played a quick game against a team with the same overall ratings as me, and the game flowed very nicely on Pro. I saw wristers go in for goals as well as garbage goals from both me the CPU.
I'm gonna get 07 today but i'm not ruling out the fact that i may end up with 2k7 in the long run. THe problem with 2k7 however, at least for me, is i'm sick to death of setting up the same scoring plays over and over. I'm sick of one timers. I'm sick of skating through the neutral zone and crossing the blue line completely unopposed. I'm sick of players magically shifting into position for one timers. I'm sick of backhanded one timers being too effective. I'm sick of magical goals where the puck warps through the BACK of the net into the goal (this happened fairly often last year).
I'm sick of worrying about not being able to finish a season because of some crappy injury bug that hasn't been fixed in a couple years. I guess i shouldn't worry about that because i haven't been compelled enough by the gameplay to ever try to finish a season.
I'm just bored with the 2k series. Kush has made very little effort in improving the underlying engine. They have made only minor tweaks here and there and it has become stale to me. I might get some enjoyment out of it online but i doubt i'm gonna get it for solo play.
EA's offering this year has me excited because it's different and seems to offer some new variety when it comes to goals. It may have flaws that will kill it in the end but i'm willing to try something new first.
"Be tolerant of those who describe a sporting moment as their best ever. We do not lack imagination, nor have we had sad and barren lives; it is just that real life is paler, duller, and contains less potential for unexpected delirium." -Nick Hornby
For those fans that are still on the fence, I would stick to 2K7 for the realism of the game and SIM type matches, where there's more thinking and cycling of the puck. I don't have the 07 for the 360 yet but from what I hear, it's the only console that has the new control scheme where you can shoot with it, deke, etc.
From the PSP, to the PS2, Xbox and PC, the gameplay including the controls is exactly the same, where the right stick is used only for passing, but shooting wise is like the 06 version. The speed burst is present in all those version too except the 360. Having said that, you can custom the settings to your liking whether you want that extra burst or not.
Being a Hockey nut, I will try the 360 version nevertheless, I was originally going to go for the PC version, but it's the only console with the stick innovation.
