NHL 2K7 [PS2]

The NHL 2K series has been the undisputed king of the rink since before it was even called NHL 2K. Although EA's hockey offerings were always the dominant choice in the mid and late 90's, around the turn of the century they started getting stale, offering little if any measurable improvement from year to year. This opened the door for Sega, and eventually 2KSports, to sneak in and capture the cup. Now, it seems, the tables are beginning to turn, and while EA's NHL 2007 delivers an innovative new control system and stunning graphics, NHL 2K7 doesn't have an awful lot of new goods to offer.

The biggest addition is, somewhat sadly, a set of music, commentary, and camera angles together called Cinemotion. Cinemotion, perhaps inspired by the film Miracle, attempts to make the game a more cinematic experience with a rousing musical score, dramatic camera angles, and even pep talks from coaches. In reality, the musical score is somewhat limp and the pep talks are even more so, but the camera works quite nicely.

It's basically a workable "action" camera angle with some special shots mixed in. When a player splits for the breakaway and is hustling over the blue line with the puck, the camera subtly lowers to give you a closer look. Conversely, go the slower route and dump the puck in, then pass it around from point to point waiting for the right shot, and you'll get a much more appropriate overhead distance shot. It doesn't always work perfectly (finding teammates to pass to when the camera's zoomed in can be a little tricky), but it's a solid improvement and one that will surely be seen elsewhere.

Then there are some additions to Procontrol, the collection of passing and shooting controls introduced last year. Icon passing and the like return with a few new features like drop passes and the ability to call out defending players to your teammates. Someone blocking your passing lane? Indicate toward them with the right-stick, tap a shoulder button, and wait for a teammate to come move him out of the way. You can also set up a screen in front of the goalie or send all your players crashing to the net with a tap on the D-pad.