Great value for a game with such variety.
ESPN NHL 2K4 came out, the "pro" reviewers all raved about it and so did a lot of fans online. Given that, I decided to buy it, one of two hockey games I'd played last winter. The other game was Hitz Pro, and one of them ended up being a $30 coaster. No, not Hitz. 2K4. The game had good ideas, like pond hockey mode and a franchise mode that needed improvement but could be a good base to work from. Most importantly, the gameplay had a certain feel to it. The problems cropped up when I decided to bump up the difficulty level. Pro level was too easy, as i'd hung up 10 goals on the Rangers-with the Blackhawks. I decided to bump it up to All-Star and I noticed a few things: first, the CPU's players were faster than they should be. secondly, it seemed the only thing i'd have been able to do to actually score was to edit every goalie's attributes. Something I don't have the time or desire to do. Otherwise, they were all more or less impregnable walls. The last straw came when I decided to bump it up to Hall of Fame (hardest) level, and pit Canada(me) against France. I couldn't believe what I was seeing-a French defenseman flying all over the ice like he was Pavel Bure or somebody. I check the guy's ratings, and he's in the low 50s in speed! Traded in 2K4, kept Hitz as that game did many things better than 2K4 (for instance, you'd actually have a chance of getting some shots past the goalies, and Scott Stevens isn't gonna catch Paul Kariya in the open ice, for starters).
Now, it's been a little over a month since NHL 2K5 came out. Since this is the summary, I'll just tell ya 2K5 is better in some areas and overall is a good game, but it's lacking in some others. How? Glad ya asked!
Gameplay:
At first glance, not much has changed. And as they say, the more things stay the same the more they change. Or something like that.
Anyways, the game still plays largely like 2K4 with a few differences. First, the folks at Kush Games saw fit to introduce Pass and Go, an option where you can pass to a teammate and keep control of the passer. From there, you can try to clear some space for your teammate, or get in position to try and sneak one past the goalie. If your teammate sees an opportunity, however, he'll take it so you gotta think on your feet as far as this is concerned.
Other changes include some improvement in goalie AI, fighting, and then new uses for the right analog. The goalies will play more realistically, although they still need some work...then again, I haven't taken on Hasek yet. The new right stick functions are total stick control, where you can use your stick to get it at angles you can't get at with the poke check when your opponent is protecting the puck, and then the other function allows you to hook, trip and slash opposing players, although there's always the chance you could draw a penalty call...or take the opposition out of their game. Fighting was overhauled from last year, and you can move around all over the ice, grab your rival, throw a jab or uppercut and basically knock the crap out of the other guy. It'd be okay except that some of the fights just wouldn't happen in reality, like Zdeno Chara vs. Paul Kariya.
The sliders have been expanded, and the settings having more of an effect, which can improve the gameplay for most folks. 2K5 also has the option of having penalties and the last minute of each period run in real time.
Going a little deeper, franchise has improved in some areas, and regressed in others. First the bad news: you get fewer updates on league goings-on than you did last year (for instance, Columbus had traded Rick Nash and i didn't find out til I checked out my scouting report of him and saw he'd been dealt to Florida), and supposedly there are a few glitches (although I haven't experienced them yet)and some roster management problems. Now, the good news: during the season, you can send your scout around the league to check out players you have your eye on, and also see how your minor league team is doing. With a few exceptions (the AHL has a few fewer teams than the NHL for some dumb reason, so a few teams have players from two or more parent teams in real life), each team has its real affiliate city, and the minor league even runs a full 82-game season.
After the season, you gotta try and resign players who were in the last year of their contracts, and then see who's retiring, who's going from other teams. After that, you can send your scout across the world for two weeks in preparation for the draft. maybe you can stick to the regular hockey strongholds like North America, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe...or you can go off the beaten path and search in Asia, Central Europe or Western Europe. Unlike other games, you can actually see these guys in action if you wish, by either going into a skills challenge or a full blown game.
The draft is 9 rounds like the real NHL, and after that you have free agency, where you can try and shore up certain areas while staying under budget ***spoiler***(i've heard this contributes to one of the franchise problems: highly-rated players rotting away in free agency)
Other modes of play include party mode, where you and your buds can play some fun mini-games, some involving a little teamwork, others being free-for-alls, and yet others sort of being race games. party mode also includes a Hitz-like arcade mode; season, which is a single season; playoffs, where you just haul off and cut to the chase for Lord Stanley's chalice; Tournament, where you can set up a tournament with international, NHL and historic teams; Skills challenge, which is just like the NHL all-star weekend; other modes like bighead, pond hockey and Heritage Classic; and finally, Dream Team challenge-Kush, ESPN Videogames and others like Chris Drury have set up collections of tough teams for you to take on with your favorite NHL team. You start up agaisnt Scandinavian up-and-comers, and go up from there.
All said and done, the gameplay is there to build on. However, it just doesn't have as much of a 'feel' as Hitz Pro.
Graphics:
As with the gameplay, not much has changed. The players look largely the same as they did in 2K4, as does mostly everything. Although they're not bad looking, you might see some strange things like "The Force" being with shooters or goalies (***spoilin again, sorry bout that*** the stick might never touch the puck-it's only really noticeable if you go to replay). With uniforms being part of the graphics, almost all of the current NHL uniforms are correct but some of the throwbacks are wrong, notably the LA Kings' 93 uniform (numbers were over the sleeve stripe in real life, the game has that wrong) and if there's a real international uniform in the game, it's likely an old jersey (like with Canada), the rest are unlicensed fakes.
Sound:
The commentary in this game is top notch, as you'll be treated to ESPN's main booth of Gary Thorne doing play by play and former Flyer Bill Clement with the color. They're on top of the action for the most part, although they tend to repeat themselves, especially when talking about a specific player.
The arena sounds are pretty much there, from the ricochet of a missed shot hitting the glass to crowd chants and the ref's whistle. Oddly enough, for some reason when you save your settings, the volume of the horn that sounds after goals and at the end of the period always saves to 0, where you can't hear it, so you always have to reset it to where you had it.