NHL 2K7 was officially the second hockey game released by 2K Sports on Xbox 360, but truthfully, NHL 2K6 was just a quick and dirty port of the OG Xbox game of the same name. NHL 2K7 was also the first year that the big two hockey franchises would go head-to-head, as EA's NHL 07 arrived that same year, bringing along with it some impressive “next-gen” visuals and the innovative skill stick. The 2K hockey games had been quietly doing their thing for several years, serving up a 50-50 split of simulation and arcade gameplay. The one-timer was a staple of the 2K hockey brand, and it was most certainly present and accounted for in NHL 2K7.

Looking back, the game received some high marks, particularly on our site, where it was awarded a perfect score. Let's be honest: it probably didn't deserve anything close to that score, but it was still a solid hockey product that came from a long line of strong yearly releases. The sales of the game weren't so great, as VGChartz shows that it only sold about 210k across all platforms and markets. These sales would continue to flag in the next year, but they did pick up for 2009 and 2010, when 2K released its final products on Xbox 360 and PS3.

Being truthful, I was someone who quite enjoyed the 2K hockey games on the original Xbox, and I continued to enjoy them for a year or two on 360, but once EA started doing their thing with the skill stick – plus better graphics and online team play – it became a no-brainer to focus my time on that franchise.

Even though I drifted from 2K hockey a bit, I had truly enjoyed the various modes (party games, franchise, online play) that were on offer in their games, and the snappy passing, one-timers and pro control were always satisfying, even though there were exploits and pacing issues in certain aspects of the gameplay.

For the sake of curating the past, I decided to look back at NHL 2K7 to see how it compares to the standard of sports hockey today.

Surprisingly — or maybe not to some — NHL 2K7 still offers a fun, breezy and action-packed game of hockey. This isn't to say that the simulation is very accurate, since the 2K series (at least at this point) was very much in an arcade style, with incredibly simple and exaggerated hits, rocket passes and a floaty sense of speed. Don't got me wrong, though: I still had some fun motoring around the rink and demolishing players while setting up cycle plays and one-timers.
 

The “pro control” passing from previous years made a return, and it's still a nice change from EA when you're able to queue up passes, one-timers and around-the-boards cycle plays because of the icon-based system. It doesn't exactly scream “realism,” but it makes the game fun, which is important. NHL 2K7 also featured the addition of “pressure defending” — something we're used to in FIFA now — where you could hold the left bumper or tap it in order to send one or two defenders after an attacker. You could even have them just steamroll the guy if you wanted to. This feature would be most welcome in today's hockey games.

Another positive I noticed in NHL 2K7 was that players actually stay in position, especially AI defenders, whether the play is behind the net or at the points. You almost always can count on key players going to the dirty areas or manning the point so that you have a chance to unleash a slapper or a wrist shot in the slot. The feeling of space on the ice is apparent, as you have the latitude to move around and try things out. Even though I still think the offense relies almost exclusively on one-timers, it was nice to have some freedom when moving the puck around the ice.

I always thought the Skybox was a cool feature in the 2K hockey games, and it was nice to see it again here. You can adorn your hockey shrine with trophies, decorations, in-game snapshots as well as tabletop games (air hockey and such) to reflect your status in the game. This is certainly a concept I felt should've been leveraged in the “Live the Life” mode in NHL 14, as you want a cool place to see all of your stuff. Also: the load times for this (and all modes) are amazingly fast by today's standards.

Additionally, I found it kind of interesting to check out “pond hockey” in this game again since it actually plays quite a bit like NHL 14's “anniversary mode.” It's almost uncanny really, as the 4-on-4 pond hockey action has massive shots, huge hits, no penalties and a frenetic pace. Much like NHL 14's casual offering, this one still provided some fun in doses. Throw the party games of the 2K series in this boat, too — a fun diversion that should be brought back.
 

Well, unfortunately, there are some aspects that definitely haven't aged well for NHL 2K7, which is to be expected. The visuals aren't really that bad, to be fair, as the rink looks decent and the crowds are about on par with what EA was doing at that point. The player faces were never great in the 2K games, and this version was no exception. The broadcast audio is also a bit on the embryonic side, with CBC's Bob Cole and Harry Neale providing commentary and analysis, respectively. I think this was more a symptom of the audio library for the franchise being a bit young in 2006, as what they have to say isn't actually too bad.
 

The “cinemotion” concept that 2K went for in this game was definitely an intriguing idea — that you could play the game with dramatic music and ice chatter accompanying the proceedings. The music is almost so comically over the top that it becomes kind of endearing. I liken it to something like the Oscars broadcast or the trench run from Star Wars. It's so wildly varied but utterly triumphant that it makes casually skating up the ice seem like a game-changing event. I applaud what 2K was actually trying to do, but they were probably ahead of their time here.

For the on-ice action, even though it's fun, it's still way too much of an arcade experience to rate in today's hockey landscape. The goalies seem to stop almost everything — from booming slapshots to quick rebounds — and yet they'll let in the odd soft wrist shot from a sharp angle. Since everything is geared around the one-timer, it's often kind of pointless trying to set up anything else. There definitely was a science to the dekes and slot chances in this game, but why bother when the bread and butter is so obvious? Also, the hitting is far too easy by today's standards, as even NHL 14 requires the right player and the right timing (especially on hardcore sim settings) to properly lay someone out. I had smaller skill forwards clocking people in NHL 2K7, and you can spam it without worry of fatigue. Also, it felt quite odd having a speed burst button again.
 

As would be the answer in almost any franchise, it's hard to recommend going back to a game that is close to seven years old. While you can find a copy for about a dollar on eBay (plus shipping), the obvious problems of dated rosters and non-functioning online play are going to be an issue. Still, I can't deny that there is a certain charm to the arcade action on offer in NHL 2K7, and the games have a quick pace that keeps you from getting too bogged down with stoppages or minutiae. If for nothing else, you've also got pond hockey and party games, both of which are easily worth the pocket change required to buy a copy.