NHL 2005 – PS2 – Review

Hard to believe that at
this moment there may not be a hockey season this year. How can one of the best
sports around not have a season? Since this is the case, you can still get your
hockey fix by playing the latest hockey game released by EA Sports entitled NHL
2005. Will this game will keep you occupied until this standoff is resolved? Or
is all hope lost? Read on to find out!

As in each new game in a series, the first thing that comes to everyone’s mind
is: what’s new? This year the newest feature is called “Open Ice Control,” and
once you have played this game, you will not want to play a hockey game that
doesn’t include it. This new feature lets you play as any player, who has or
doesn’t have the puck. This adds a whole new level of depth and strategy to the
game. Now you will be able to set up plays, and make the game feel much more
like a real hockey game. My favorite thing to do is when you see a guy coming in
to ram you, you can switch to another player and then check him before he can
get the guy with the puck, hopefully giving you a chance to score a goal.

So close….

Another new
feature in this game is the Face Off Playbook. Now with the touch of a button
players will be able to choose the best face-off strategy to hopefully get the
puck right as it drops and either get it away from your goal, or to score
against the opposing team. This makes the game a little more strategic like a
real hockey game, because choosing the right play will help your cause.

This year EA has split up the controller to allow for the two different types of
shots, wrist shot

and the other is for a regular "shot", and
the harder/longer you press each button the harder the shot will become. This
helps separate the types of shots and will help you out when you want to do a
specific shot at any given time. Skating on the ice looks and feels more
realistic this year. Unlike in previous years, when you are skating at top
speed, the game actually looks like you are gliding over the ice, just like in
real life.

The modes for this game are Play Now, Exhibition, Season, World Cup of Hockey,
Elite Leagues, Free-4-All, and Dynasty Mode. If you want to get down and dirty
into a hockey game then the Play Now mode is for you. You will be able to choose
any hockey game you want and then get right down into the action. Exhibition
mode is more of a training mode for the game that allows you to get used to the
whole game so you will be able to stand up against any competition you might
face later on.

Season mode allows you to see what it is like to play through and entire game
season, and see if they can win the Stanley Cup. This allows you to prepare for
the Dynasty Mode. The World Cup of Hockey is like a King of the Hill type game,
except it is with hockey teams from around the world, such as Canada, Germany,
Russia, and many more. When you play this mode, you will see if you are the best
in the world.

Someone is about to get checked.

If playing
with American teams under the NHL rules is not enough then you can play in the
Elite League. This mode allows you to play an entire season with the European
hockey elite, and instead of playing with the NHL rules you will be using the
International ones. These rules are slightly different than what you might be
used to, but it will not take you long to get adjusted to it. My favorite mode
in this game is the Free-4-All, and in this mode there is one net with one
goalie, you and up to four friends go at it to see who can make the most goals
within a time limit or who can score X amount of goals first. You will find that
this mode is highly addicting, and you might be playing it more than the Dynasty
Mode!

The real meat of this game is the Dynasty Mode, because for ten seasons you will
be able to control every single aspect of a hockey team. This includes managing
the roster, coaching the team, and then you will have to play each game. The
main goal is to earn the highest score as the General Manager, which means
earning huge profits, win as many championships as possible, and making your
team as strong as possible. Depending on how well you do each season, you will
be offered different TV contracts, and the better your team does the more money
you will receive. Not only do you have to deal with money issues, you have to
make sure that

each of the Player’s Morale is high enough, if it stays at a constant low the
player’s attributes start going down, which makes them play
worse then they normally do. So it is extremely important to keep that morale as
high as you can, so you will have to make sure to win games, give everyone
enough ice time, and spend more money on team functions.

Just as in Madden 2005, this game has a new email system that keeps you up to
date with what is going on with your team and the rest of the Hockey League. You
will get notes from the owner, trainer, and see breaking news about who is being
traded as well as new free agents. This email system helps make the game feel
more realistic, since real General Managers use the same tools that you have
available to you in this game.

The graphics in this game are pretty well done. The thing you will notice first
is how detailed the players faces are. No matter what hockey player you are
looking at you will recognize who they are immediately. The player’s models are
highly detailed as well. I really like all of the player’s animations, because
they really moved similar to the real players while they are on the ice. You
will really be able to tell this when you look at how the goalie defends the net
and how the players knock each other around.

Check out the detail.

The
soundtrack for this game is really good, and features some great songs. The
biggest problem is not with the music featured, but the lack of music featured
in the game overall. There is very little selection in the music unlike other
games in the EA brand such as Madden. Commentary for NFL 2005 is not the best
around; to put it bluntly it is on the “dry” side. The announcers didn’t really
put any feeling or personality into the commentary. All of the crowd noises,
such as cheering and booing, as well as the clashing of everything that is going
on in the game, sound like you are actually sitting in a hockey stadium.

NHL 2005 is rated E for Everyone.

Gameplay: 8.8
This game is a blast to play due to how great it feels to skate around the
rink, and how easy it is to get into the game. The Dynasty Mode was really well
done, and will give you plenty of hours of game play.

Graphics: 8.6
The graphics looks pretty good. You can really see the detail in the
player’s faces.

Sound: 8.5
The music featured in NHL 2005 is really good, the only bad thing is that
there is not enough music tracks. Commentary is slightly dry, but it is
bearable.

Difficulty: Medium
The AI in this game can be a bit challenging, but it is not impossible to
play against. All in all this game is really fun to play.

Concept: 8.9
The “Open Ice Control” that the developers implemented in NHL 2005 really
expands the entire gameplay, since it adds more strategy to every play that you
might go through.

Multiplayer: 8.7
The
multiplayer for this game is really well done. Playing online through EA servers
is really smooth and provides a lag free experience. I highly recommend playing
the Free-4-All mode, as it is a really fun multiplayer experience.

Overall: 8.8
I really enjoyed playing through NHL 2005, as it provides me with my
hockey fix since the NHL season is going no where fast at this moment. Even
though this game is not perfect, if you are in the need for an NHL fix then look
no further the NHL 2005.