Sheer beauty is what immediately came to mind when I first popped in EA’s newest hockey title, NHL 07. The visual grace that hit my television screen was the very first (and nearly only) thing that held my attention with this title. The player models are extremely well-textured, showing what the power of the 360 can really accomplish. But it wasn’t simply an upgrade in how the players looked that caught my eye. It was the seemingly unnoticed bits, like the real-time cuts being made in the ice via the players’ skates that really made me hone in on the visuals.

On the audio side of things, you’ll get your typical bits of announcing humor and play calling that is, for the most part, on par with what is happening on the ice. With every stroke of action, the commentators generally keep up rather well. On the ice, every hit and stick-slap is heard with flying colors. And when hooked up to your surround sound, the Dolby Digital goodness will help draw you into the action so fast that you’ll get chills from thinking that you’re actually in the arena.

EA has stepped up the gameplay of its NHL series this year with the advent of the "Skill Stick." In layman’s terms, the developers have implemented a new way to control your skater with even more precision. In the same way that NBA Live allows your controlled players precise actions related to the right analog stick, so does NHL 07. The Skill Stick allows you total control, from slap shots and wrist shots, to the dekes that break you free. Unfortunately, the Skill Stick takes some getting used to (especially by default), which means a much higher learning curve for novices of hockey games. More on this later.

At the heart of the action, however, is the same old NHL that we’ve seen over the past few years, with the exception of the juiced-up graphics. But even with the beefy graphical content, it can’t make up for the gameplay modes, which are quite lacking. It’s true that you’ll be able to play 4-player action, or hit the ice for some 2-player action over Xbox Live. It’s also true that you’ll be able to take on the standard Exhibition and Dynasty matches, with the multiple seasons of Dynasty being the heart of NHL 07. What disappoints me greatly, however, is that NHL 07 really lacks the extras that you’d expect from such an otherwise triple-A title. The only real bonus modes come in the form of a World Tournament and the Dodge (Penalty) Shootout. I’m not necessarily expecting hockey with four-wheelers here, but some more mini-games, or possibly real-life past scenario recreations would have added so much more to an already good base.

On the ice, the play is fluid. I didn’t really notice any slowdown, and the action was smooth at all times. The computer A.I. is also well-done, as is the presentation of the game at hand. Still, NHL 07 could have had more. Seeing the same old cut scenes and other none game-specific pre-game presentations gets old while playing through the game season after season. Here’s to hopes that EA will up the ante by giving us something truly new next year.

NHL 07 has the ability to suit the needs of most gamers out there. I’m not saying that anyone could pick up and play well, but most should be able to skate around and fire a few shots on goal. However, there will certainly be times where frustration sets in, especially while learning to use the new Skill Stick controlling method. It takes a while to just get used to which direction to flip the stick at just the right time. In the mean time, your opponent is fast-twitching his way to a steal. Veterans will likely love the new system, and welcome it with open arms. Unfortunately, what this means is that the advent of the Skill Stick may put an even larger gap between the Noobs and the Old-Timers, shutting down a bit of the fun-factor involved for the casual gamer.

Since the only big feature of NHL 07 is the Skill Stick addition, I find it only appropriate to devote space to talking about it. I, for one, was not impressed. I found it quite difficult to use the Skill Stick upon first popping in the disc. The Skill Stick controls just about every aspect of your skaters’ movements, from shooting on offense to checking on defense. However, while in the default settings, the Skill Stick’s movements are relative to the on-screen action, meaning that if you’re shooting at the goal at the bottom of the screen, all controls are reversed.

Fortunately, there is an option to always use up on the right analog stick to shoot, even when your skater is facing toward the south of the screen. After toggling this option, the Skill Stick got much better and more easily controlled. However, I still felt that I couldn’t perform precise movements because I would often shoot when I meant to deke, as a result of the loose controls of the right analog stick. You can always go back to the classic controls, however, which may be recommended for casual gamers or people like me who just can’t seem to get the knack of flicking the stick in the heat of the moment.

Aside from the high learning curve to master the new Skill Stick controls, NHL 07 offers a great game and classic fun for both the single player and multiplayer experience. If you can look past the lack of options and game modes, hardcore fans may want to pick up a copy. But for the rest of us, it may be best stated that this year’s NHL 07 be on a "try before you buy" basis.