by
Ted Kritsonis
Faze Video Game Editor

With each passing year it seems EA’s dominance over the hockey video game market is slipping ever so slightly thanks to ESPN’s franchise, which puts a great deal of emphasis on being a hockey-sim, albeit with some hilarious mini-games to keep things loose.

Keeping in mind that this franchise is fairly young, and only its second year with a big fat ESPN logo on the front cover (with Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Martin St. Louis as cover boy), ESPN NHL 2K5’s sim-like qualities have given it a niche that many other hockey video game titles have failed to create in the past.

Without question, one of the first things that stand out this year is that the goalies have been brought back down to earth. Where show-stopping saves were common the last two years, goalies are far more susceptible to different scoring opportunities now. Instead of one-timers dominating the scoring, slap shots and screens play a significantly larger role this time around. A hard wrist shot will have a chance of going in if there’s a screen or deflection in front of the net.

The overall body contact and fighting aspects have also been changed for the sake of being more realistic. Fighting is made a lot more fun now, as you can skate freely with your player and look for that open chance to take down your opponent. And the right analog stick now acts as an Intense Contact Control, which basically means that you can lay a big hit or try and entice a guy into a fight.

Although the graphics are better in ESPN NHL 2K5 this year, the atmosphere still isn’t as electric as it should be, especially for playoff games. There’s a lack of passion from the stands that hurts the ambience of the game. The audio, meanwhile, continues to be solid thanks largely to the great tandem of Gary Thorne and Bill Clement.



More classic teams and vintage jerseys are available to unlock, and there are plenty of mini-games worth looking at. The Heritage Classic is also available to play here, and Commonwealth Stadium can be unlocked as an extra arena too.

Online gameplay, which was a nuisance at times last year, is much improved thanks to new servers and a more fluid interface, as well as more options, which allow you to join a league or tournament. You can even challenge other gamers to play Pond Hockey or any of the mini-games.

Given the uncertainty surrounding the NHL labour situation, it’s hardly surprising that ESPN decided to release this game so early (September 1), and for such a low price ($29.99 Cdn.). However, there’s no question that ESPN is serious about competing for top spot on the ice by trying to dethrone EA, which has been there since the early 90s. No matter what happens though, ESPN has put together a fantastic hockey experience here.

Publisher:
ESPN Videogames
Sega

Platform:
PS2

Rating: 9/10