“Moves into the attacking zone … Shoots! Scores! What a goal!” Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson are commentators for the excitement of “NHL 07,” the fast-paced hockey game by EA Sports.

Before you arrive at the main menu, there is a quick yet thrilling video of fantastic NHL moves, goals, hits, and saves. There is a “Play Now” option, which allows you to choose a team and select a skill level, camera angle, rules, and period length. There are many game modes, including Xbox Live. In the Dynasty mode, coaches and managers give you goals to achieve with your team. You sometimes want to lose in order to get the first pick in the upcoming draft. This is my favorite part of the game.

Moving on, there is a Season mode and a World Tournament. Two more entertaining and helpful parts of the game are the Free for All and Shootout Minigame. I like these because you can battle your friends and try to score as many goals as possible. Also, if you are alone and craving a shootout, you can have fun with this, since it's just you against the goalie, one-on-one.

Additionally, there is a roster section, with every player in the NHL. “NHL 07” features a new $44 million salary cap, so you can't put all the greatest players on your squad. You can also edit a team's lines and manage the minor leagues. Finally, there is the Creation Zone, which allows you to make your own player. You can choose almost everything about him, from nickname to nose size.

There is a Skill-Stick feature which lets you control which way to pass the puck with the thumbstick of your controller. There are also many international leagues to choose from. I enjoy the fact that the faces of players look like they do in real life. Also, I like that you are able to level opposing players with big body checks and hits, with a vibration when you succeed.

Graphical bugs include players skating through each other or the net, and scoring from a faceoff easily, even on the hard option. Also, on the easy option, your players skate about two or three times as fast as the other team, which probably isn't a glitch but is pretty annoying. The commentators make a few mistakes too, but this can give you some good laughs.

The music includes great selections from Goodnight Nurse, Cute Is What We Aim For, Good Riddance, Inkwell, and Anti-Flag. The songs were well chosen and fit a hockey game. They are actually worth listening to.

All-in-all, I'd recommend this game to anyone who enjoys or wants to try hockey. “NHL 07” is very exciting and worth purchasing. Have fun scoring!