NHL 2005 is fun, but hardly resembles real life hockey.
The new features in NHL 2005 include some elements we've seen in other EA Sports games. New this year is the separation of wrist and slapshot buttons. The wristshot is not only useful when you want to take quick shot, but since the shot is performed on release of the button, it has a different feel to it. The new Open Ice Control feature is like the off the ball control in other EA games and allows you to control a player without the puck, and receive passes from the puck handler. In addition, when you have the puck, you can also call for a CPU teammate to body check an opposing player, hopefully opening up the ice and giving you more offensive options. There are a couple of new different ways to score with wraparounds and redirects. Pressing shoot behind the opposing goal will attempt a wraparound shot. When taking slapshots from the point, if you have a teammate in front of the goal, he will attempt to redirect the shot. There are new animations for diving and blocking shots. Graphics and presentation are as typical for an EA Sports title, and arena specific details, like championship banners, retired jerseys and props for player introductions are seen in the pregame cutscenes.
You may be thinking that the Open Ice Control feature allows for more refined strategy on offense, but this just isn't the case. The new features in NHL 2005 are all good features. However, you won't get to use them much because the gameplay itself hardly resembles real life NHL hockey. Following NHL 2004, which was slower and the closest the NHL series has been to a serious hockey simulation, NHL goes back to NHL 2002 paced arcade action, with single man rushes down the ice and booming slapshots. Once you're in the offensive zone, you'll lose the puck often, because defenders will knock you off it. There's no time to utilize the Open Ice Control, because your CPU teammate will have already lost the puck by the time you switch.
The biggest problem with the gameplay is that you'll never hold the puck long enough to do anything strategic with it. Dump and chase doesn't work, because it's rare that you'll hold the puck long enough in the offensive zone. The best example of how NHL 2005 does not resemble hockey are on power plays. You simply won't be able to get into power play sets like in real life. The CPU will chase down the puck carrier and will succeed in making you lose possession if you don't pass it or shoot. You just can't hold the puck with your defensemen. So unlike in real life, where power play situations play out deliberately, you don't feel like you're on a power play when you get a chance in NHL 2005. There is no place in this game for strategy, or for working the puck around in the zone for an open man. The defense is too tight, and for some reason, your passes will often fail to connect.
Your AI teammates are stupid, they don't get into position on your rushes, i.e. getting themselves in position for a centering pass. When you have the puck in the offensive zone, your teammates aren't in any meaningful formation. You won't take many good shots, as just about any shot not within 5 feet of the net will not go in, so most of your offensive strategy will be to race down the ice, pass it to someone, take a quick shot, and hope for a rebound that another guy can put back in. Unfortunately, the entire gameplay can be summed up as just rushing down the ice with one man and either taking a quick shot, or losing the puck and chasing the opponent down back on defense.
Fortunately, your goalies are rock solid, and will stop just about anything. That's not to say that they won't let in goals, but given the number of quality shots the CPU will take, the number of goals allowed is small.
NHL 2005's style of gameplay was fun back in NHL 2002, but we kind of expect more now, especially since the last couple versions of the NHL 2K series have been serious but enjoyable simulations. NHL 2004 appeared to be a step in that direction, but unfortunately NHL 2005 returns to the breakneck and reckless style of earlier entries in the series.