Pucks are flying, shots are slapped, and bodies are being broken. Yes, it's that time of year again, as the start of the NHL season signals the release of the latest incarnation of the ice hockey franchise, NHL 2K7 from 2K Sports.
The sequel to last year's NHL 2K6, NHL 2K7 sets out to improve on the former in almost every way possible, by refining and polishing all aspects of the game to perfection, whilst adding a few obligatory new features for good measure. I'll be the first to admit that my experience with ice hockey games in the past has been brief at best, so to be completely honest, I had very little idea of what I should have been expecting from this game. Having looked into the sport, read up on the official NHL website, and checked the rules on wikipedia, I thought I was ready to enjoy a nice, leisurely skate around an ice rink, gently pushing a small, black disk from end to end, before calmly slotting it in the back of the net, and shaking the hands of the opposing team, in a typically chivalrous manner. Oh, how wrong I was.
