NHL 2005

"NHL 2005 takes a few steps forward, and then back"

Did EA like most of us already feel that the NHL would lockout this year for who knows how long? What viewpoint would they take and have on this years hockey game in their franchise series. Lets find out...

Graphics 9/10

NHL 2005 looked very impressive in the early screens and development of the game. Obviously though screens don't mean much unless you see it in action. And so it is that this years game doesn't disappoint in the graphics department. The players have been somewhat redone with even more impressive features, textures and animations. The cyber players look pretty close to their real life counterparts. The majority have impressive facial design, skin, hair etc.. One of my gripes was how bad Todd Bertuzzi looked last year. This year he looks simply amazing. Even more amazing is the redone graphics of the coaches. No longer do they look like odd shaped aliens with a bland texture for a face. They all look like they were worked on in every detail from the hair to facial features. Along with the models being updated the arenas and ice have had some updates but nothing that stands out. The cutscenes EA is known for have been improved and more varied. Some of the camera views and effects in the scenes are pretty cool (i really like the ot goal). Players and coaches have tons of more facial animations but some times they look a little too quirky, especially the smiling.

Sound 8/10

The sound in EA Sports games is usually quite good. What usually is the basis for review is the commentary. This year Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson are back. I like Jim Hughson but it seems his style of voice is getting stale for this game. I would prefer a more in-depth type of commentary then total action oriented. Simpson meanwhile is ok as back up. But both of there commentary still remains too general. Although this year they have tried to add more in depth stuff, like info about players/coaches history. The on ice sounds like the bodychecks are great. The crowd sounds are more pumped this year, but hearing them scream "oooh" after every hit can get annoying. The problem is that there are a lot of hits, which gets me to the gameplay...

Gameplay 6/10

The problem with the NHL series for the last couple of years is that the gameplay fluctuates too much. There are always some good additions, good things that are removed/changed, and noticeable flaws. This year remains the same. The gameplay seems changed in a new physics engine. This engine has a emphasis on arcade style gameplay like usual, but it can be customized with sliders as before. This years main addition is open ice, a feature which lets you switch between players to get open, set up, double team etc. This feature is not bad, it takes some time to get used to, but if learned it will help you win games. What's annoying this year is the hitting. Their is just too much of it. It seems every player has hitting power and can plant their opponent on the ice. This will most likely not appeal to simulation enthusiasts, although it can be tuned somewhat with the sliders. The shooting/puck physics have taken steps forward and back this year. First off, scoring is much harder this year which imho is good. The shooting system is more pinpoint this year aiming for corners and weak spots of goalies will help. Those super fast one timer goals will not have that much success like last year. Whats bad this year is the puck physics have changed. The puck doesn't seem to have that much bounce and realism this year from last.

AI 6/10

From my early taste it seems the AI is very tough, maybe to tough. The AI is more pin point in its checking and set up. Its hard to sometimes setup in the offensive zone. You have to be more smarter cause of the increased checking. An interesting new feature to the game is player personality. Every player is in a category of playmaker, scorer, grinder etc. This actually has an effect in teams and how they play. Some opponent teams were known to play a physical style in my games and got more penalties. This system effects everything from your lines to team style and is not a bad addition.

Story/Presentation/Extras 6/10

This year returns with the usual modes, updates, but also huge absences. Dynasty mode is improved with some tweaks, now the teams have goals which they are striving for. This in turn determines how you should manage things like your budget. Things are a little more in depth like more detailed budget management. Practice setup is more in depth and so is the email system. EA went to a console like menu system this year. The bad thing is the either became lazy or dis-concerned because of the lockout. A lot of little things are noticeable, like you can't see/sort the top scorers in the league and such. You can only see stats team by team. Free For All is the new mode which is up to a 2 on 2 type game, which is ok for a mini game. World Cup is also ok if your interested in that type of mode. Whats missing might be huge to most because its the create a player feature. This is a feature that has been in EA games for a while now. Apparently EA was trying to make a new improved one but it couldn't work. They say they will have it return next year.

Overall 70/100

It looks like this years game was turning to be a stand out in the series. But then EA might have become concerned with sales and such with the looming lockout. The seemed to have removed a lot of details from major like Create a Player to things in the presentation. I guess EA fans will be able to live with this years game with hope of an excellent game next year. But that all depends on what takes place with the NHL in the near future...

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/19/04