The latest installment of EA’s popular NHL franchise is here, even though the season it represents is dead in the (frozen) water due to the NHL lockout.  Like its predecessor, NHL 2005 does a great job of bringing hockey action to casual fans with its combination of hockey simulation and arcade sports game. 

Veterans to the series will see that nothing has drastically changed, and the new features that EA has added this year do slightly improve on a game that was already rock-solid last year.  Hockey fans have two top-tier titles to choose from this year with Microsoft Sports dropping NHL Rivals out of the competition this season.  EA NHL 2005 will probably appeal to the hockey fan from Southern California.  That is, EA does a great job of bringing hockey to the casual fan with big hits, easy controls, and slick graphics.  ESPN NHL 2K5 on the other hand, is for hockey fans from the Northern territories who demand more realism from their hockey game.  More of a strict simulation, ESPN NHL 2K5 showcases authentic hockey action and gorgeous graphics to make it the premier hockey game for die-hards. 

Like every other sports game from EA, most gamers will spend their time knee deep in the hearty Dynasty mode, trying to propel their team to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup.  General Managers will do their best to deal with day-to-day duties, including contract negotiations, injuries, and trades.  Other game modes include Exhibition, Season, the all-new World Cup of Hockey, and all-new Free4All.  The World Cup of Hockey reenacts the tournament of the same name, pitting eight national teams against each other in a tournament for the World title.  Free4All can be played with up to four players in an every-man-for-himself scoring smorgasbord.  There’s one net, one goalie, and skaters trying to score as many goals as possible.  It’s a party mode that is hectic and has a bit of playability, but it’s not likely to last or go into overtime on most consoles.      

The gameplay hasn’t changed drastically, but what EA has added works very well.  As with every new version of a sports game, EA has tweaked mechanics, pulled levers, and pushed buttons just enough to make 2005 much more playable than last year’s version, which was excessively focused on hard checking.  They’ve toned it down a bit this year, but it is much more reminiscent of the brutality of Slap Shot rather than the gracefulness of The Ice Capades.  It isn’t easy to hold on to the puck for more than several seconds, leaving skaters with the puck feeling like Drew Bledsoe in the pocket (sorry for the cross-sport reference, the Bills’ O-Line is TERRIBLE).  Defensive players rarely miss checks, so expect to see those who hold the puck to spend a lot of time on their backs picking up their teeth. 

Take that, Brian Boitano!

One fantastic addition to the game is the new Open Ice feature.  This allows gamers to play off the puck, meaning they can decide to give control of the puckholder to AI and control a secondary skater to ‘open up the ice’ and create opportunity for a one-timer, pick, or a screen.  It takes a while to get used to and may be overlooked by veterans, but if used correctly Open Ice can be a dangerous tool.  NHL 2005 also adds a face-off playbook before each face-off, allowing gamers to choose a defensive, offensive, or standard formation when facing off. 

NHL 2005 goes online for the Xbox this year, and it bears an identical likeness to its EA sports brethren.  Players can join different lobbies, start a quickgame, search through optimatch options, and view the best online feature ever – the real-time sports ticker!  There are online user-created tournaments that can be set-up for future times as they fill up with players. 

NHL 2005 is the best-looking version of the franchise to date.  Everything seems a bit more fluid than in the past, and the animations are smoother than ever.  The arenas are all completely representative of their counterparts, complete with laser-logos on the ice and custom sounds from the stadium.  Speaking of sounds, I’ve always felt the audio in hockey games is some of the best in any sports games.  Maybe it’s just the smack of a well-struck slapshot or the crash of a French-Canadian’s skull on the boards, but NHL 2005 does sound great in play.  The commentary isn’t nearly as fantastic as some of EA’s other games, such as the FIFA series, but the excitable announcers do add something to the manic action, even though they rarely say anything important.

Have you sheen my teef?

NHL 2005 isn’t going to go down in history as a landmark sports game, but it is better than previous additions.  The inclusion of online play for the Xbox should be a major attraction for fans of the long-time series.

Gameplay: 8.0

NHL 2005 is a bit on the arcade side, with punishing blows that level even the most adept puck handler.  The Dynasty mode is fairly deep and offers a good franchise experience, but it would have been nice to see something new and innovative from hockey’s best-selling franchise.   

Graphics: 8.5

The game does look pretty slick, not quite as good as ESPN, but still darn good.  There are a variety of camera modes to choose from, and nothing beats the old Classic viewpoint.  The cutscenes aren’t much to hoot about, but are they ever in sports games?

Sound: 8.0

There’s nothing like striking a shot off the post and hearing the PING! of the post, or THWACK of smacking a slapshot into the net.  Unfortunately, there IS something like boring commentary…

Difficulty: Medium

The game takes a while to get used to, and most people will find scoring goals simply the luck of a well-placed wrist shot.  There is room for strategy here, though, which will improve the games of people who put effort into it.   

Concept: 7.5

The Open Ice feature is good, but there really isn’t much else going on here.  How about an All-Star weekend?  A practice mode for hockey novices?  A mode for quick and easy dental repair?

Multiplayer: 8.5

The addition of online play is great, but nothing else has really changed in multiplayer action.  Free4All is fun for a few minutes, but wears out its welcome after the fourth or fifth game.  

Overall: 8.3

NHL 2005 is better than last year’s 2004 and the inclusion of Xbox Live support will be important to fans of the series, but there isn’t anything remarkably better that warrants an immediate purchase.