NHL 2005 – XB – Review

The latest
installment of EA’s popular NHL franchise is here, even though the season it
represents is dead in the (frozen) water due to the NHL lockout.  Like its
predecessor, NHL 2005 does a great job of bringing hockey action to casual fans
with its combination of hockey simulation and arcade sports game. 

Veterans to the
series will see that nothing has drastically changed, and the new features that
EA has added this year do slightly improve on a game that was already rock-solid
last year.  Hockey fans have two top-tier titles to choose from this year with
Microsoft Sports dropping NHL Rivals out of the competition this season.  EA NHL
2005 will probably appeal to the hockey fan from Southern California.  That is,
EA does a great job of bringing hockey to the casual fan with big hits, easy
controls, and slick graphics.  ESPN NHL 2K5 on the other hand, is for hockey
fans from the Northern territories who demand more realism from their hockey
game.  More of a strict simulation, ESPN NHL 2K5 showcases authentic hockey
action and gorgeous graphics to make it the premier hockey game for die-hards.

Like every other
sports game from EA, most gamers will spend their time knee deep in the hearty
Dynasty mode, trying to propel their team to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup.  General
Managers will do their best to deal with day-to-day duties, including contract
negotiations, injuries, and trades.  Other game modes include Exhibition,
Season, the all-new World Cup of Hockey, and all-new Free4All.  The World Cup of
Hockey reenacts the tournament of the same name, pitting eight national teams
against each other in a tournament for the World title.  Free4All can be played
with up to four players in an every-man-for-himself scoring smorgasbord.
There’s one net, one goalie, and skaters trying to score as many goals as
possible.  It’s a party mode that is hectic and has a bit of playability, but
it’s not likely to last or go into overtime on most consoles.      

The gameplay
hasn’t changed drastically, but what EA has added works very well.  As with
every new version of a sports game, EA has tweaked mechanics, pulled levers, and
pushed buttons just enough to make 2005 much more playable than last year’s
version, which was excessively focused on hard checking.  They’ve toned it down
a bit this year, but it is much more reminiscent of the brutality of Slap Shot
rather than the gracefulness of The Ice Capades.  It isn’t easy to hold on to
the puck for more than several seconds, leaving skaters with the puck feeling
like Drew Bledsoe in the pocket (sorry for the cross-sport reference, the Bills’
O-Line is TERRIBLE).  Defensive players rarely miss checks, so expect to see
those who hold the puck to spend a lot of time on their backs picking up their
teeth. 

Take that, Brian
Boitano!

One fantastic
addition to the game is the new Open Ice feature.  This allows gamers to play
off the puck, meaning they can decide to give control of the puckholder to AI
and control a secondary skater to ‘open up the ice’ and create opportunity for a
one-timer, pick, or a screen.  It takes a while to get used to and may be
overlooked by veterans, but if used correctly Open Ice can be a dangerous tool.
NHL 2005 also adds a face-off playbook before each face-off, allowing gamers to
choose a defensive, offensive, or standard formation when facing off. 

NHL 2005 goes
online for the Xbox this year, and it bears an identical likeness to its EA
sports brethren.  Players can join different lobbies, start a quickgame, search
through optimatch options, and view the best online feature ever – the real-time
sports ticker!  There are online user-created tournaments that can be set-up for
future times as they fill up with players. 

NHL 2005 is the
best-looking version of the franchise to date.  Everything seems a bit more
fluid than in the past, and the animations are smoother than ever.  The arenas
are all completely representative of their counterparts, complete with
laser-logos on the ice and custom sounds from the stadium.  Speaking of sounds,
I’ve always felt the audio in hockey games is some of the best in any sports
games.  Maybe it’s just the smack of a well-struck slapshot or the crash of a
French-Canadian’s skull on the boards, but NHL 2005 does sound great in play.
The commentary isn’t nearly as fantastic as some of EA’s other games, such as
the FIFA series, but the excitable announcers do add something to the manic
action, even though they rarely say anything important.

Have you sheen my
teef?

NHL 2005 isn’t
going to go down in history as a landmark sports game, but it is better than
previous additions.  The inclusion of online play for the Xbox should be a major
attraction for fans of the long-time series.

Review Scoring Details

Gameplay: 8.0

NHL 2005 is a bit
on the arcade side, with punishing blows that level even the most adept puck
handler.  The Dynasty mode is fairly deep and offers a good franchise
experience, but it would have been nice to see something new and innovative from
hockey’s best-selling franchise. 

Graphics: 8.5

The game does look
pretty slick, not quite as good as ESPN, but still darn good.  There are a
variety of camera modes to choose from, and nothing beats the old Classic
viewpoint.  The cutscenes aren’t much to hoot about, but are they ever in sports
games?

Sound: 8.0

There’s nothing
like striking a shot off the post and hearing the
PING!
of the post, or THWACK of smacking a slapshot into the net.
Unfortunately, there IS something like boring commentary…

Difficulty: Medium

The game takes a
while to get used to, and most people will find scoring goals simply the luck of
a well-placed wrist shot.  There is room for strategy here, though, which will
improve the games of people who put effort into it. 

Concept: 7.5

The Open Ice
feature is good, but there really isn’t much else going on here.  How about an
All-Star weekend?  A practice mode for hockey novices?  A mode for quick and
easy dental repair?

Multiplayer: 8.5

The addition of
online play is great, but nothing else has really changed in multiplayer
action.  Free4All is fun for a few minutes, but wears out its welcome after the
fourth or fifth game.

Overall: 8.3

NHL 2005 is better
than last year’s 2004 and the inclusion of Xbox Live support will be important
to fans of the series, but there isn’t anything remarkably better that warrants
an immediate purchase.