Customer Reviews

NHL 2005

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I enjoy the changes EA made to NHL series since the horrendous outing of 2003: like the GM role, bruise control, upgrades & finances, team chemistry & player morale, wrist shot, each team arena having its' own goal horn, open-ice, AI improvement, the injury slider, and the reduction of the color commentary, etc. I think the omission of the "create-a-player" gives this game more of a challenge, although I wish I could have it instead of the "create-a-team" option which is generic. I, like many others, agree that the EA jukebox sucks, goalies are too quick when they play the puck, and the goal horns don't sustain, and the crowd does not always jump up every time the home team scores a goal.
But overall, I'm having fun playing this game.

This game will grow on you if you just give it a chance. Understand: this is not NHL 2K5 -- don't expect that! NHL 2K series still needs improvement, it is not perfect. NHL 2005 is unique and addicting if you want to play the role of GM and take control of every aspect of the game.

First of all, I'm a HUGE hockey fan....so I look forward to this game every year.

I read some reviews, but I didn't believe it. So, like a fool I went out to buy it a few days ago. I asked the shopkeep for a copy of NHL 2005, but he said I should buy ESPN since it's only $20. I can't do that, cause I'm loyal to EA since the original NHL for Sega Genesis. So, when I got home I erased my 2004 rosters off of my memory card and started updating NHL 2005 rosters right away (yes, I'm a loser...but I like my rosters updated to the minute..I do this for MLB and NBA also.)

After all that updating, I noticed that you couldn't create players, which ticked me off a little. From the main menu for the Dynasty, I sensed something was wrong. Then, I started a dynasty with my beloved Rangers and within a minute of the game starting I was furious, and by the end of the 3rd I was totally depressed.The game controls are rubbish! Shame on EA for putting out such poor product!
There's no NHL Hockey for real, and most likely lost for the season, but now I can't even play video game hockey on my ps2 unless I play 2004 again (but like I said, I erased those rosters) so I'll scratch that. All I can do now is turn to the dark side (ESPN) for hockey...but I don't know if I'll do that or not. I despise ESPN. Spend your $50 on something that will benefit you.

The way this seems is that I am the first person since buying the game to review it. Well, let me just say this, the game is frustrating. Let me go over the good qualities first. As peoiple mentioned before, they added new cutscenes, intros and end-game video that makes the presentation of the game look solid. However, the difference between this and NHL 2004 is everything else that makes NHL 2005 extremely frustrating.

Gameplay. I actually think this is a step down from NHL 2004. The biggest thing that has boggled me is all the checking. We aren't talking like throw someone into the boards checking but open ice tear your head off checking. I didn't buy this game to play NHL Hitz. Secondly, the change player mechanics are occasionally delayed and sometimes the player you end up activating is the one that is behind the play taking you completely out of any control you may have over it. Defenses suffer big time, a goalie with a 93 rating should not be giving up 6 goals a game and flopping all over the place, he should be smarter than that.

The franchise mode is missing a lot from last year, no real way to keep track of the league leaders in any category, just player stats on your team. Not like NHL 2004 was any better when you could check league leaders and see that while your best guy has 90 points to end the season, Jagr and Kovalchuk had 90 points by the 30th game of the season. The e-mail is an interesting touch. Injuries..... my God the injuries. Two games into the franchise I have already lost my captain and my best player for at least a month a piece because of this new NHL Hitz style gameplay. Not only are the players greedy, but NHL 2005 makes them look like pansies to boot.

So in conclusion, if you enjoy the EA series and are willing to try and learn this game, then go right ahead. But it seems that NHL 2005 is alot of frustration waiting for someone to slam thier controller against a wall.

Well, I finally got my hands on a copy of NHL 2005 for EA Sports. So, after a week of exploring all of it's new options, gameplay, and simulations, I am prepared to give my review and endorsement.

The first things that I noticed up front about this years version of the game is the updated realism. No doubt, the EA Sports company canvassed the hockey fan gamers' opinions and did their best to accommodate their requests.

The first new addition to the game is the upgrade to the arenas. The design team licensed 28 out of the 30 NHL arenas along with several European sites. The game's programmers did their best to capture the realism of each arena. For whatever copyrighted reason, the Fleet Center in Boston and the on the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY aren't named. Also, the efforts for realism is found in the 600 players' images scanned in the game. The players actually look like the players! Also, If that wasn't cutting edge realism, they updated the season and dynasty modes. As a GM, you get all the updates via a special e-mail screen and league news in a fax wire. The last thing they issued was the mini-game mode called "free 4 all". You can play as your favorite NHL all-star against 3 others in a time limit mode or quickest player to x number of goals. It's a silly little challenge especially when they use the "big head" option. It looks like a bunch of bobble heads playing hockey.

Of the new additions to the game this year that I like, I am glad they did something more with the International teams. You can now play a season in World Cup 2004. They did a great job using the World Cup logo and incorporated the on-ice design in the game. Secondly, the rosters are very well updated, but a few adjustments were needed to reflect the off-season free agent signings. Also updated were the team jerseys. While playing the game, you can't help but notice the detail in each player. I guess they struck a deal with Nike, the manufacturer of the international team jersey's. There is an unprecedented detail in the international team jerseys. They have the nice Columbus third jersey that is completely purged of that cartoonish yellow jacket mascot. Speaking of cartoonish, they have the Dallas Stars "Taurus constellation" third jersey. But if you cycle through the choice of Stars team jerseys, you can also select the Cleveland Barons and two versions of the Oakland Seals jerseys.

There is a few things in this game that I don't like, starting with the choice of the music. I was disappointed to hear a collection of punk-alternative songs instead of a harder edged modern rock sound. The second thing I didn't like was the choice of jerseys for the all-star game exhibition. I wasn't too keen on the choice of fashion design that the all-stars wore last season in Minnesota. Unless there are more jersey choices hidden to be unlocked later, the only choice jersey are the uninspired last years. Thirdly, though there aren't very many changes to the game's menu, you'll need some time to get used to the roster changes page. Don't expect the instructions booklet to help you either in that regard. The booklet only explains the gameplay. Lastly, the only one really big disappointment is the discontinuation of the create a character mode. In earlier versions of the game, I was glad I could update the rosters with the new first year rookies that weren't included. Also, I enjoyed creating my own identity into the game and joining the roster of my favorite teams. Now, I can't do that. I hope the 2006 version corrects that mistake.

With all that said, I guess I should tell you about some of the other new things that help make a gaming experience as real as possible. When playing the NHL teams in exhibition mode, the teams that have elaborate entrances like San Jose, Nashville, Colorado, or Dallas now animated skating on the ice through their canopies. That's exciting! Also, instead of a music video introduction to the game, NHL 2005 uses a analytical comparison for the two teams. The two broadcasters for the game weigh the strengths of the teams for hype.

I believe that a lot of people who are saying that the NHL 2K5 is better are wrong and I would disagree. EA Sports continues to be the leader in sports name brand as long as they continue to improve on their quality products.

After the sad outings the last few years with this title, why would I or anyone go out to pick up this one? Well, I didn't. I recieved it for Christmas, and after letting it sit in the shrink wrap for almost a week, I reluctantly put it in and checked it out. And to my surprise, it has been much improved. The unrealistic scoring has been fixed, although sometimes a team will still put up big numbers on your goalie. But for the most part, it is much better than it's been in years. Thanks EA. This is a big improvment. Even the goalie actions have been tweaked. My only concern is for EA Sports. Have they lost all the hardcore hockey guys like me as a result of putting out horrible hockey games for the last 3 - 5 years? I had even sworn that I would not buy this one again until I saw a big change. This game is alot of fun, and alot more realistic than it ever has been. So if you have sworn off EA Hockey like I had, go out and check this one out. You will quickly see there is a difference.

This game is a huge downgrade from NHL 2004. They totally changed the controls, yet again. No longer can you control where you pass or how hard you pass it. You can no longer shoot using the right analog stick, making manual dekes all but useless. The hook button is the same as the poke check button. There is a wrist shot button and a slap shot button, which is very annoying.

The gameplay is also a downgrade. There is no room to skated, as defenders knock you down if you get within 5 feet of them. Hitting is out of control, as any player can smash people. Breakaways are all but impossible. I don't even feel like I control the players most of the time.

Game options are also lacking. First of all, there is no create-a-player. The game is not compatible with EA Bio. There is still no injury report in the Season/Dynasty mode. You can no longer use the analog sticks to change the songs. The default rosters are from before July 1, because all FA who changed team are still on their old team.

All in all, this game is NHL 2003 all over again. With the 2004 game, it looked like EA was moving in the right direction. 2005 took two steps backwards. 2004 was the best hockey game since Blades of Steel. I am thinking of selling 2005 and just playing 2004 for another year.

I was a big fan of 04 so I was excited when this came out. I traded in 04 n got this. BIG MISTAKE. Play control really isnt that great, there is often a delay between pushing the shoot button and the actual shot which gets frustrating on rebounds, there is no create a player, you can create a team but whatever players you choose to be on your team are still on their real team so you could have the same person on both teams in a game. The few bright sides to it is 1. scoring is more challenging and therefor more realalistic and 2. is the "free for all" mini game they add where basically you and up to 3 friends each control a player of their choice against one goalie to see who can score the most goals. Overall this game is not worth it. Stick with 04 or check out 06.

I don't think anyone's demanding it nowadays considering that this game is 6 years and a console removed from what's current, but after reading my review for NHL 09 (which is still a SUPERIOR hockey game even 2 years after the fact) I had to sound off on what was singlehandledly the most frustrating hockey title that I've ever played. In short, the controls are baffling, the gameplay is confusing, and the AI is completely off. What do I mean by that last point? Well, if you sent the game on any difficulty you can pepper the opposing goaltender with 52 shots and still expect to lose; the easiest setting means your goalie will stop 3 shots out of 4 while the hardest setting means your goalie's going to leak like a BP pipeline. Hardly what I would consider an enjoyable gaming experience and the failure of this title opened the door for people to start paying attention to the 2K Series hockey games until NHL 09 came out and Colton Orr'ed the competition into Wii Land.

Skip this and get any of the other games instead. Even NHL 07 (which I was enthusiastic about) was a step above what this game could deliver.

I'm not sure if I like it that much or alot because first of all, the players movements are a little too fast.At least the crowd actually cheers when you score a goal unlike NHL 2K5 wich I think is way better than this.

I have been a loyal player of the EA sports NHL series for 12 years. Don't waste your money on this one. They have changed the menues, taken away the create a player function, screwed up the controls and I am sure there is more. They game play is no improvement from 2004, in fact it seems to be a step back. 2004 Is a much better game. I am uninstalling the game and writing it off as a $45.00 lesson. My point, read the reviews first.