Video game review by ERIK LEIJON

The similar-sounding titles alone would likely confuse any gamer looking to satiate their need for pro hockey in between episodes of 110%. For background, NHL 07 (Multi/EA Sports, EA Montreal) is the 16th in the long-running EA Sports franchise (don’t I feel old), while the NHL 2K series (Multi/2K Sports, Kush) was originally Sega Sports’ Dreamcast hockey franchise, but through various corporate dealings there’s now a Take-Two subsidiary called 2K that’s been handed the reins.

Today, both are competing for hockey supremacy on a console near you, and for the purposes of this review I pitted the current-gen versions in a gruelling test only a hockey-game-obsessed monster like yours truly could conjure up. The final result was this: both games were carbon copies of last year’s versions, but the 2K series is still skating circles around EA’s woefully outdated gameplay and options.

Those who have played previous NHL 2Ks might cringe because the equalizer in this battle is Kush’s tendency to release the game full of horrible bugs. Last year, I was never able to load my profile, the game would crash if I played three to four games consecutively, and my brother’s franchise froze permanently after season three. Don’t get me started on the unplayable online mode either. But it’s a new season and I have yet to notice any bugs (although numerous online sites say they’re still present).

So why is the 2K series better? For one thing, it’s way too easy to score in NHL 07. In the past, one-timers were unrealistically effective, but this year, I was scoring on 40 per cent of my shots, scores routinely approached double-digits, and walking out in front of the slot and firing top-shelf worked nearly every time. In one season of dynasty mode, I was averaging six goals a game and I didn’t even make the playoffs.

The 2K series has great goalie AI (that loves to pokecheck), lots of subtle player animations, and player AI that actually stays in the right position (with defencemen who go back to the point after I pinch with them). Strange as it sounds, the EA sports’ goalie AI feels like it hasn’t improved since the SNES days. The goalies still don’t come out of the crease to challenge shooters, and they only have a few different animations. Goalie osmosis is still rampant (the process by which there are no rebounds and the goalie just absorbs everything).

The 2K series is far from perfect, as there are still certain moves that always work, but at least players can get into traffic, tip shots and bat home rebounds. Pinning along the boards is a superb gameplay mechanic. The bouncy hitting physics in EA’s NHL feel like the players are attached to bungee cords, whereas in 2K you can line up a hit properly. The franchise mode is far more robust in 2K7; you can actually scout players and play as them in prospect games before drafting. They’ve been doing this for three years and EA still doesn’t provide that option.

If you own last year’s games, there aren’t too many new features that will necessitate a repeat purchase, but if you’ve been an ardent EA fan for years, you really should try 2K (and vice versa, because EA Montreal did a wonderful job with puck physics this year). NHL 2K7 is a thoroughly more fun, realistic experience. Even though it’s a more hardcore sim, Kush’s title even has a better party mode, with more mini-games. No game gets more play in my library every year than my fave hockey title, and this year’s winner is NHL 2K7.