"The battle for hockey supremacy has never been any hotter than in 2006. Two solid hockey games were released for the Xbox 360 (as well as the older consoles and handhelds) this year and, with the PlayStation 3 just around the corner, it's probably fair to say that we haven't seen the end of quality hockey in 2006. Today, we got a chance to see and play one of those new PS3 puck games for the first time: NHL 2K7.

As has been the case with previous next-generation 2K Sports games, NHL 2K7 isn't skimping at all when it comes to content. Everything that's playable in the Xbox 360 version of the game will be found in the PS3 game as well, including a full franchise and online modes. Those who cry foul that NHL 2K7 is merely a straight port, however, haven't played the game. The developers behind NHL 2K7 have made a couple of important additions to the game's controls that help keep things fresh, and both center around the so-called Sixaxis controller.

First of all, checking can now be performed by jutting the controller forward when in the vicinity of an opposing player. The kind of hit you put on your opponent is dependent on the positioning of both players and, thankfully, it doesn't replace the tried-and-true checking controls. Whether it was due to the implementation or the fact that we needed some more practice with it, the tilt-control checking never really got under our fingers; as a result, we found ourselves resorting to more tried-and-true defensive methods such as screening the goalie and intercepting passes in order to keep ourselves in the game."

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"To coincide with the launch of the Xbox 360, 2K Sports published a port of NHL 2K6 for the system in a fairly quick-and-dirty fashion. Sure, it retained the excellent gameplay of the Xbox and PlayStation 2 versions that had been released a couple of months prior, but it also retained practically the same visuals and features of its Xbox counterpart, leaving you with a three-times-as-expensive update of a game you probably already bought. Fans can breathe a sigh of relief that with NHL 2K7 for the 360, they haven't been dealt another cheap port. 2K7 is a game that seems to have been developed specifically for the 360 hardware, and it revamps the presentation of the game significantly, both on the ice and off. However, while presentation is the name of the game this year, the gameplay is mostly the same as it was last year. That's hardly an indictment, since for the last few years, 2K hockey has been the gold standard in this regard, but with so much emphasis on the presentation and with the competition making long leaps forward with its gameplay engine, NHL 2K7 won't offer you too many surprises.

The biggest, most elaborate change involves the excellent new on-ice presentation system. Titled "cinemotion," this optional feature strips away the normal game-time TV broadcast setup and audio commentary in favor of a more dramatic interpretation. A rousing orchestral score pipes up from the moment the game begins with the coach delivering his opening pep talk to the team. From there, it moves to the ice, changing distinctly in tone depending on what happens. If you're well behind in the game, the tone is more somber. If you're on the comeback, the music kicks in to higher gear. And if you win, you get the sort of happy, inspirational score you'd expect from the end of a good hockey movie."

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