More NHL 2K7 Details Emerge
The slow leak of features continues.
Published: September 6, 2006
Ahhh, the transition year, how we love you. Few genres receive the most obvious upgrades as sports games; something about seeing the same basic tech being tweaked slightly for about five years just make the big leaps to more powerful hardware that much more pronounced, really. Take, for instance, a little hockey sim called NHL 2K7, which has already played host to a handful of updates as it moves onto both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 (though it's still hanging out on current-gen versions of those systems too, don't worry).
There's the overhauled engine that adds in all-new motion capture data, providing a better sense of momentum and smoother animations on the ice. There's the fact that Sub Pop Records will be providing some of the tunes you'll hear while you zip around menus. Oh, and then there's the new, more cinematic approach to presenting the game that includes the obvious camera angle stuff, plus music that actually reacts to how you're playing.
And then there's the new Rivalry System, revealed today. It's all part of the game's innate ability to track multiple stats across franchise mode games. As your team conducts regular season match-ups, rivalries begin to ebb and flow. They can be a couple-game snap, or grow throughout the season, even developing multiple rivalries depending on how things play out over the course of the season. Playoff games, or piggyback rivalries from other teams can strengthen the competition between teams, which should, in theory, make for a more interesting season.
If you prefer to play the game online most of the time, though, developer Visual Concepts has got you covered there, too, as they now track wins and losses in overtime in leagues, which are just a slice of the online pie. Tourneys, fantasy drafts and league management (all done through the PC, mind you; even with the PS3's online functionality, you'll still need to log in with your home computer to manage things) all will be beefed up.
"The NHL 2K series has always had a deep-rooted tradition of innovation and quality," expounds Visual Concepts president Greg Thomas. "That tradition continues with NHL 2K7, as we bring the drama and emotion of NHL rivalries to life with the Rivalry System, as well as deliver the best online experience in any hockey video game. 2K Sports is committed to bringing the most exciting and realistic sports video games to market and NHL 2K7 is our definitely our finest hockey game to date."
We don't have much longer to wait now; just a couple more weeks and you can lace up the digital skates and get to pummeling folks on the ice.
There's the overhauled engine that adds in all-new motion capture data, providing a better sense of momentum and smoother animations on the ice. There's the fact that Sub Pop Records will be providing some of the tunes you'll hear while you zip around menus. Oh, and then there's the new, more cinematic approach to presenting the game that includes the obvious camera angle stuff, plus music that actually reacts to how you're playing.
And then there's the new Rivalry System, revealed today. It's all part of the game's innate ability to track multiple stats across franchise mode games. As your team conducts regular season match-ups, rivalries begin to ebb and flow. They can be a couple-game snap, or grow throughout the season, even developing multiple rivalries depending on how things play out over the course of the season. Playoff games, or piggyback rivalries from other teams can strengthen the competition between teams, which should, in theory, make for a more interesting season.
If you prefer to play the game online most of the time, though, developer Visual Concepts has got you covered there, too, as they now track wins and losses in overtime in leagues, which are just a slice of the online pie. Tourneys, fantasy drafts and league management (all done through the PC, mind you; even with the PS3's online functionality, you'll still need to log in with your home computer to manage things) all will be beefed up.
"The NHL 2K series has always had a deep-rooted tradition of innovation and quality," expounds Visual Concepts president Greg Thomas. "That tradition continues with NHL 2K7, as we bring the drama and emotion of NHL rivalries to life with the Rivalry System, as well as deliver the best online experience in any hockey video game. 2K Sports is committed to bringing the most exciting and realistic sports video games to market and NHL 2K7 is our definitely our finest hockey game to date."
We don't have much longer to wait now; just a couple more weeks and you can lace up the digital skates and get to pummeling folks on the ice.
