When I heard that the NHL season may be locked out, I knew what would happen in the world of videogame hockey. I predicted that EA would rush this game to the stores in an attempt to sell some games before or near the lockout announcement. Sometimes I hate being correct. Because when you rush a game to the stores, it's usually not as good as it could be and that is the case with this game. Not only did EA not add much to this game from last year's version, they actually took away features from last year. There is no create-a-player. That is just inexcusable. There are no player profiles. There is no custom audio, which really sucks because the selection of songs here is not long and not very good. They even got rid of the EA Sports Bio, which I don't understand. The good news is that last year's game was quite good. Since they didn't change the game much, it is still quite good. The graphics have been upgraded a bit. The player faces are just scarily realistic. The announcing has stayed the same, for better or worse. They repeat themselves too much, however. Checking is still insane just like it was last year. You better learn how to pass the puck really quick or you will get very frustrated. Even the little wingers can check like big defensemen. It is fun when you are the one doing the checking, but if you are not it can be very frustrating. Thankfully, there are sliders to use to town down the hitting a little bit. To combat the checking, EA added a new feature called "Open Ice". It's basically a way for you to switch to a player that is not holding the puck and use him while the computer moves the guy with the puck and passes to you. If you do it right, you can move all the way down the ice. I have rarely used it & most of the time I forget it's even there. Not much has changed in the dynasty mode either. You don't get expierence points anymore, like you did last year. Basically you get money and can spend it on upgrades for different parts of your franchise. You get email now, just like in Madden. I can't really complain much about the dynasty mode, since I liked it last year. It is frustrating to not have a way to look at the league leaders in stats, though. Other than that, it's solid. My biggest problem with this game is it just feels rushed and I would have rather waited awhile for the game then to have a beta-like product. I may be a bit harsh with the game, but I really liked the stuff that they didn't include. Not having a create-a-player is just asinine. I am a big proponent of the player profiles, since I love to play multi-player with my buddies. And I don't know why they have the EA Sports Bio in Madden, but not in the rest of the games this year. It just makes no sense. That's why this game isn't as good as last year and I certainly hope they make more of an effort in next year's title.
Comparing this game to NHL 2K5 is an insult to all that is hockey. NHL 2005 has some good points. However, it leaves some things unfixed and creates even more problems. It's basically a rehash of NHL 2004 without the in... Read Full Review
This hockey game is the best ea sports hockey game. It may not be as good as the others but is still fun to play. The graphics are excellent and it is easy to play. The sounds when you check somone into the boards is pre... Read Full Review
