NHL 07 [X360]

Yahoo! Video Games: What is the biggest gameplay innovation in this year's game?

David Littman: Definitely the Skill Stick Revolution. These controls are something that will change the way hockey games are played. We didn't make the change just for the sake of change. We made it to give people the same skating and stick control that an NHL player has. Think of the left analog as your skates and the right as your hockey stick -- tap it forward to shoot, pull it back to wind up, move it side to side to deke. If you have ever played hockey in real life, this is the closest thing to that experience without actually lacing up the skates. It allows for a player to hold the puck to the outside while driving wide past a defenseman, fake a slapshot and walk around a defender trying to block the shot, or to deke the goalie and let the puck roll off the end of the blade into the net.

YVG: How will dual analog control change the way I play a hockey video game?

DL: Hockey is mainly a game of one-on-one experiences. I think this is one area that no hockey video game has ever got right. Beating a defenseman one-on-one or deking a goalie out of his jockstrap are exhilarating experiences. The dual analog controls give you this. Instead of canned animations or scripted sequences we have put the power in the user's hands... go do what you want.

YVG: Does it actually help to have true hockey playing experience being that the analog control system is so realistic?

DL: NHL 07 for the 360 was designed from the ground up to be the most authentic hockey game ever made. Three producers on the team are ex pro or division 1 college hockey players. The controls were designed with hockey players in mind. So yes, there is no doubt that having real life experience will help you in the game. Here are some examples:

• Deking the goalie, knowing he will have to open up to move, and sliding the puck 5-hole
• Protecting the puck by holding the right stick to the side when a defender is near
• Knowing which situations to wind up for a shot (roll back wrist shot or slapshot) vs. when to take a quick snapper
• Dumping the puck (soft cross corner or hard around using the right stick) when a streaking winger could beat the D into the zone

YVG: What tips can you give us to master the new skill stick?

DL: Practice, practice, practice. Just like in real life, there is a learning curve when playing hockey. Start with the basics like skating and shooting in the shootout mode. Then start trying to deke the goalie. Once you have mastered most the offensive skills, go into a full game and start passing and checking. Even if you have been playing the NHL series for a long time, this is a whole new experience and you will need to practice to be the best.