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   I'd like to take a moment to personally thank 2K and EA, for not putting us through the horror of posting two news items about the latest installments in their respective NHL series. Although we could have separated them, NHL 2K7 and NHL 07 were both released yesterday in the US, so we might as well save us some time here.

   We'll leave the best* for last, and start off with EA's NHL 07. This year marks the 15th iteration of the franchise and, as always, they'd like us to actually believe it will be something of a revolution for the series:
"Featuring an unmatched level of freedom and control, NHL 07 represents a watershed moment in the history of the console hockey. The revolutionary EA Sports Skill Stick gives users the power to play in the game as it is on the ice, without taking their thumbs off the analog sticks. The left analog functions as your skates and the right as your hockey stick to give you a skill-based execution with an intuitive feel.
Stunning new presentation, AI enhancements and animation overhauls create players who look, act and play like they would in the NHL."    I'm sure they do. Although one thing that EA does prevail at (slightly) is their platforms count: NHL 07 is now available in North America on the PC, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360 and PSP. These will also ship in Europe on September 15, with the exception of the PSP version which is expected in October 13.

   By comparison, 2K's NHL 2K7 is only available on the Xbox and Xbox 360 platforms for the time being. The PS2 version will ship in early October, but there will also be a PlayStation 3 version coming out this holiday season. Of course, NHL 2K7 is nothing short of "revolutionary" either, in regards to its control system:
"The revolutionary ProControl has been completely revamped, giving players even more offensive and defensive tools to utilize on the ice. The all-new Pressure Control brings a tactical element to defensive hockey by allowing players to instruct CPU teammates to defend opposing players during gameplay.
With seamless online play and the most comprehensive online feature set anywhere including complete online stat tracking, buddy list management, and online leagues, 2K Sports continues to lead the online gaming revolution."    We'll let you decide which one takes the cup this year, if you're into sports games anyway.

* "According to GameRankings.com average scores of 2003-2006 hockey video games"