That is not the case with NHL 07 for the Xbox 360. The developers at EA Games took a year off from lacing up the skates and it showed.
As soon as the game loads up, the user is greeted with a tutorial video that explains the new controls. The left stick basically controls the player’s skates, while the right stick acts as the player’s hockey stick. The bumper buttons and triggers handle the rest. As soon as the video is complete a shootout starts in order to put into action what the video just explained. The results of this change are a streamlined experience that, after just a few games, will feel natural and you will wonder how you ever got along without it. In contrast, there has been a great deal of gripes about the lack of the turbo button. The only time that you will miss it is when you are really out of position on a play of being caught from behind on a break away. So some people will miss it while others will loathe the lack of that burst.
Another area where NHL 07 lights the lamp is in the area of atmosphere. When both teams are in a tight game, the crowd lives and dies with every hit, shot, and save. Another nice feature is the fact that if the home team scores, the crowd goes crazy. In contrast, if the road time scores, it gets so quiet that sticks are heard hitting the ice as the players skate. Atmosphere is a big part of hockey and this game has a good feel for the pulse of a hockey game. Atmosphere is only good if immersion is part of the experience. Thankfully, I can say that the team at EA took that into account. The rinks are detailed, complete with ice degradation and nice new ice to start the game and after intermissions. The player models are some of the best in a sports game this side of the NBA 2K series.
Now I don’t want you to think that NHL 07 is flawless. One thing that EA has placed in the game is new puck physics. The puck does indeed acts like a puck but the downside to the new physics design is much greater. Since the puck does its own thing, weak goals are commonplace. There are many times when the puck hits the goalies shoulder and bounces in. There are other times where the puck is save and by the goalies magically sliding back while on his knees, he just pushes it in his own net. There was even one time when I tried to pass the puck using my goalie and the puck flew into my own 
net rolled around the net and out the other side to my defenseman without a goal being counted. There was even an instance where a player press the puck against the net and the puck popped through for a goal. This is the kind of issue that needs to be fixed before a game is ready to ship.
EA has made it clear that they were concerned with getting the core game play solid before they focused on the online side of things. EA did just that. Their online offering is just about as bear bones as a sports game can get online. Think exhibition mode with Xbox LIVE thrown in.
The bottom line for this game is if you are remotely a hockey fan, BUY IT!!!!
