NHL 07 (US Version)

The golden age of console hockey returns when NHL 07 debuts with gameplay innovations that will allow players to feel like they are actually on the ice. The revolutionary EA Sports Skill Stick gives users the power to play in the game as it is on the ice, without taking their thumbs off the analog sticks. New presentation design, AI enhancements and animation overhauls create players who look, act and play like they would in the NHL. Gone are the days when a one-timer was the only way to score in a hockey videogame. Now look to your teammates and know how to best use their strengths with new Player-Specific Behaviors. Be the Playmaker and find your Sniper open in the slot, or let your Dangler make pylons out of the defense. Off the ice, act as the General Manager in an enhanced Dynasty Mode. Do whatever it takes to meet an owner's expectations by properly managing rosters and using your creativity to fit player salaries under the new cap.

Experience the most realistic sense of player control ever as you make every move including shooting, deking, and checking with the analog sticks. Make upper body stick-handling movements with one hand while controlling every glide and turn of the skates with the other; take over a game with an enhanced control system. On offense protect the puck, pull off spins, and dictate the velocity of every shot during scoring opportunities, or take away scoring chances with bone-crushing body checks and aggressive pressure on defense; utilize the skills of your finesse players to stick-handle through the zone, play makers to set up scoring opportunities, and power forwards to use their body to drive past defenders. Or take advantage of the size, strength, and skill of your defensive defense men to muscle and angle players off the puck; players look and react more than ever like their real-life counterparts. See a sharpshooter’s stick flex on a blast to the net, a net minder look a puck into his glove on a big save, and how a goalie’s pads remain flush to the ice in and out of the butterfly; sign and trade players, and negotiate contracts under the salary cap based on the new CBA. Once signed, it’s up to you to mold young players into the superstars of tomorrow while keeping the team’s overall confidence at its highest level; nothing matches the pressure and intensity of a shootout. With the puck on your stick, and the game on the line, see if you can become an instant hero by beating the goalie one-on-one; Gary Thornie and Bill Clement deliver a fresh TV-style broadcast that focuses on team and player rivalries. Storyline are introduced per-game and change after every big hit, critical injury, and momentum-swinging goal.