When the NHL 2K series made its next-gen debut last year, the game was notable for a couple of things: First, the crease controls that gave you a first-person view of what it was like between the pipes as an NHL goalie; second, the fact that practically everything that was in the current-gen versions of NHL 2K6 was playable in the Xbox 360 version. With NHL 2K7, the development team has one year of next-gen development under its belt and is prepared to make this year's game a even more full-featured NHL experience than before. They also want to make sure NHL 2K7 looks the next-gen part, thanks to some new presentation techniques, as we saw during our recent hands-on look at the game.

　　New presentation tweaks will up the sense of drama in NHL 2K7 games.

　　Using what the 2K Sports folks dub "cinemotion" presentation, the idea is to give hockey fans a slightly different look and feel to the fastest game on ice, one that is a bit different from the traditional broadcast-style presentation package that fans have grown accustomed to. To that end, there are basically three presentation styles to choose from--cinemotion music, cinemotion commentary, and traditional broadcast style. By choosing either cinemotion music or cinemotion commentary, the hockey game itself will use a sweeping, dynamic camera to follow the action on the court. While the camera is closer to the action on the ice, you never really lose perspective for the rink and, in our experience, never really have trouble locating teammates. The most obvious change is how often the camera changes position, sliding across the ice to keep up with the puck, moving up as the action comes to the near end of the ice, and diving back into the action as the puck is moved up-ice.

　　As you might guess, the difference between cinemotion music and cinemotion commentary basically boils down to what you'll be hearing when you're playing games. Commentary will feature Bob Cole and Harry Neale (both of Hockey Night in Canada fame), while the music option will feature a range of dynamic orchestrated music to accompany your games. During the pregame cinematic, for example, we enjoyed a rousing, orchestrated performance that highlighted the tension in the locker room before the players stepped out on the ice. As 2K7 producers told us, you can expect the music to change dynamically depending on the game situation; if you're in overtime in a tight game, for example, you can expect the music to suit the dramatic situation.

　　If you don't like the music provided for you during the cinemotion music presentation, you can use tracks from your Xbox 360 hard drive, or add the commentary to the musical mix as well. The music isn't the only audio goodie in the cinemotion presentation--you'll also hear plenty of player and coach chatter on the ice. It's especially noticeable during the lulls in the musical performances, as you hear players call for the puck, tell you to shoot on goal, or celebrate after a big check. In all, the player chatter might be the best audio treat we heard; it really helps to create the illusion of "being there" in the rink and watching the action unfold.

　　On the ice, there are a couple of new gameplay control tweaks to talk about. First, on offense, NHL 2K7 will now let you execute drop passes by pressing the right bumper. The player with the puck will then pass the puck behind him, throwing off the defender and letting his teammate behind him (assuming there's someone there, of course) get an open shot at the net.

　　The new 'cinemotion' camera is more dynamic than ever.

　　On defense the big addition is pressure control, which will let you target specific opponents on the ice and the amount of pressure you wish to put on him. By holding down the left bumper and pointing the right analog stick, you choose the player you wish to pressure. A small yellow circle will surround the player icon, and one of your teammates will shadow that player closely. If you wish to up the pressure, you tap the left bumper again, the circle will change to orange, and you'll see additional players from your team focus their attention on your target. If you want to lay him out with a check, you hold down the left bumper--the icon will turn red, and one of your teammates will attempt to put him down. It takes some getting used to, especially when trying to figure out which player the system will target when using the analog stick, but it is effective--the more pressure you put on a player, the more aggressive your teammates will act toward him.

　　Other familiar player controls are back in NHL 2K7, such as crease control, which lets you fill the skates of a goalie, complete with a goalie's-eye view of the action on the ice. When using crease control in online games, you'll use the same pseudo-first-person camera angle used in the single-player game, which is also new for this year. Icon passing (known as pro control passing in the game) is back and it's still a deadly effective, if not always realistic, method of mixing the puck up on the ice and creating some goal chances. In addition, things like on-the-fly coaching and the enforcers and intimidation system are all still in the game, which should be good news for fans of those features. A new mode known as "hit the ice" will help you familiarize yourself with many of the controls featured in the game--including crease control and pressure control--through a series of in-game challenges.

　　There are plenty of new animations, from skating and crossovers, to trips and falls like this.

　　All of the game's controls benefit from a new skating engine that not only adds a bunch of never-before-seen animations to the game, but also gives the players on the ice more of a sense of momentum and weight than ever before. There are lots of new crossover and transition animations as players switch from one position to another, and we really liked some of the tripping animations and big hits we saw coming along the boards. In all, despite the players feeling slightly heavier, the game pace doesn't seem to be affected that much at all. In fact, the disparity between the faster players in the sport (we're thinking of you, Dany Heatley) and the slower guys stands out even more than we're used to in NHL 2K7--and that's a good thing.

　　The franchise mode in NHL 2K7 will take into consideration the rivalries that are such a big part of the sport. Each team in the game will have three major and three minor rivals--the San Jose Sharks' major rivals are Los Angeles, Dallas, and Anaheim; its minor rivals are Phoenix, Nashville, and Calgary. This list of rivals will change over time as players continue through multiple franchise seasons. Should your Sharks eliminate the Coyotes in a crucial playoff series, for example, Phoenix might rise from minor to major rival during the next season. Similarly, if you trade one of your stars to another team, you might find that the team becomes a rival over the course of the season. The game atmosphere for rivalry games will be stepped up a notch in-game, and you might even see a few extra penalties as the players get chippy on the ice. Win games against your rivals, and your team chemistry will improve as the season progresses.

　　For many fans of the NHL 2K series, online play is where it's at, and NHL 2K7 doesn't look to disappoint. In addition to the aforementioned "full" implementation of the crease control feature, online leagues will once again be a part of the game. Unlike in previous versions of the game, however, leagues will be scored just like the real NHL, including a points system based on wins, losses, and overtime losses. If you make it all the way through the Stanley Cup finals and win, you'll be rewarded with a Stanley Cup celebration video, which previous games in the series didn't have. And of course, you can expect to have the same Web site support that has become standard for the 2K series, including message boards, leaderboards, stat tracking, and so on.

　　We'll take these Anaheim unis over the old ones any day.

　　Finally, party mode includes a number of different fast-paced and fun party games. You can choose to play these against the computer, but they're a lot more fun with three other human beings. New to the minigame lineup are entries such as treasure hunt and up a creek. In treasure hunt, you want to find the puck hidden in a mass of barrels at one end of the rink, then shoot it into the waiting goal on the other end. Up a creek, on the other hand, is a timed race through a maze of barrels. Once your player crosses the finish line, you reset at the beginning of the race--the player who crosses the finish line the most times at the end of race wins. It's fun stuff, and a nice break from your standard five-on-five action.

　　NHL 2K7 looks to be another full-featured hockey experience for fans of the long-running series. The new skating engine and additional animations, coupled with the enhanced presentation tweaks, make for a game that is staying true to its authentic NHL roots, while still branching out and bringing a new take on the game. With NHL preseason activities just about to start up (wait, didn't the Stanley Cup Finals just end?) we're gearing up for the release of NHL 2K7 for the Xbox 360 in September. Until then, stay tuned for more on the game.