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11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
 A game for graphic lovers Oct 07, 2004
By Bob Spruce
"Bob"
This is an average game. If graphics are your main concern, then I say go for it. I, however, wish that more time would have been spent focusing on the game rather than the details of their faces. Some detail is necessary, of course, and I commend them for their effort. But there are a lot of flaws, too many at this point for me to recommend this game to anyone. If you have the 2004 or earlier version, stick to that until they come out with a patch- a real good one. The engineers of this game seem to be concerned with trivial matters like the image of the game, spending their time promoting the image of the game rather than their time on the game. They've perhaps hired too many advertisers. I will say that this is an enjoyable game to a certain extent. Unlike previous versions, though, I am not hooked on it. Where do you begin? The menus are all messed up. If you have a big win in dynasty mode, there's a newspaper clipping that says so instead of a report on who is injured, if your goalie is tired, etc. As to injuries, often times you can't figure out how long your player is injured for, or players on other teams. You never seem to find out when they are healed, or when people come off cold streaks. Occasionally, and I'm speaking about dynasty mode for all of this, the game just decides to fix your lineup to default. There are other more subtle questions I have. Such as, why, if you beat a team 9-1, does your team then lose a few games if simulated? Wouldn't they be on a roll if that happened? I still don't understand why they took away the ability to see who scored in a game. I enjoyed that feature from 2003. Or why they don't allow you play the all-star game. As to the workings of menus, they are terrible. The music, that all-important feature, keeps sending out a little tag to tell you who's playing, because the bands are so great that we need to be reminded, and the tag blocks the buttons so you have to wait till it goes away. Moving players in your line-up is so troublesome it's almost not worth it. There are too many more problems to go in to concerning this. As to the gameplay itself, it has it's fair share of problems. The hitting is out of control, and don't be fooled, an opposing play can swiftly cover many feet to knock you over. I score more goals by tip-ins than I do one-on-one with the goalie. The hovering through midcourt is silly. And why is it that it seems, and it could be me, that I always know when the computer is about to score. Your players suddenly become retarded and skate the wrong way, or just pause for a second to scratch an itch, or you suddenly can't make a single easy pass when before you could pass through three sets of legs. There's too many additional problems for me to go in to. We need justice.
10 of 11 found the following review helpful:
 Oh well.....at least it's pretty Dec 22, 2004
By Martin S. Smith
"martinex"
NHL2005
With the NHL shutdown for who knows how long, hockey fans have had to get their fix with college and minor league hockey. For those who need more there's NHL 2005 from EA Sports. EA, the undisputed king of sports sims, has been seriously challenged over the last few years by the ESPN/SEGA franchise with games like NHL 2K 3, 4 and 5. This franchise took a foothold in the Hockey sim market when EA's horrible NHL2002 and 2003 installments left the door wide open. These entries proved that cute bells and whistles are a poor substitute for actual game play. NHL 2004 took a step back towards its roots. The result was a fairly satisfying albeit imperfect version of the venerable franchise. As always there were a few bugs with 2004. The stats engine was seriously flawed. Leading scorers frequently topped 200 points in a single 82 game season. Game play also could be frustrating, for example the pass assist function often resulted in passes made to recipients that the game engine felt were more suitable that the intended target. All in all however, NHL 2004 put the franchise back in the lead in the hockey sim market.
So what about NHL 2005? Certainly 2005 would maintain the improvements of 2004 and work out the quirks for 2005. Well....not exactly. First the good news: EA actually managed to improve the graphics engine from last year's version. This was no small feat. NHL2004 was definitely the best looking game on the market. Somehow the designers have managed to make the players look even more realistic. The rink looks so real you can almost feel the ice shavings. The game play has also improved....in some areas. The AI is much more aggressive than last year's version. Entering the attack zone will definitely land you on your keister as the defense closes in on the puck carriers as soon as they get within striking distance. The goalies seem more acrobatic, diving across the crease to make spectacular saves. There is also more action in the goal crease than before. Scrums in front of the net are more realistic. The pretty goals and fancy moves you tried in 2004 probably won't work as much however you're chances of banging home a rebound during the battle in front of the net are much more likely. You could say they're more essential since defensemen are more difficult to maneuver around. The passing game has also improved. Cross ice passes no longer become back passes and vice versa. The puck actually goes where you intended it.
Now for the bad news: As usual the leap in difficulty between easy and medium levels is astronomical. Most Hockey sims increase the level of difficulty by simple means: the AI speeds up while your guys slow down. It's no different in 2005. Breakaways are virtually non-existent. You can be 20 yards ahead of the opposing defender when suddenly a miraculous burst of speed enables him to catch you and knock you off the puck. The controls have become more difficult to use particularly for pc users using a Sidewinder or Logitech game pad. Unlike previous versions, configuration of the game pad is much more limited. This becomes particularly troublesome with line changes. Sidewinder/Rumblepad users are required to hold down the left trigger while working the directional pad. At the same time you are trying to control player movement so as not to get scored on. If you are like most players who use one hand to control player movement and the other to pass shoot and check you will find yourself using the automatic line-change feature exclusively. This is a serious drawback for players who rely on situational substitution (scoring lines in the offensive zones and checking lines in the defensive zones). The play-calling system is also a clumsy ordeal utilizing the directional pad.
As far as features are concerned NHL 2005 is a step backwards. Gone is the ability to put yourself in the action by creating your own player. The new menus are, again for lack of a better word, "clumsy". The stats engine is a major disappointment. Players still score at an alarming high rate. The only difference is that you can no longer track them since there are no league leader stats (what the hell were they thinking?). As usual there is no legends roster so forget about putting Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe and Mario Lemieux together on a dream line. The only explanation I can fathom is NHLPA restrictions. Either that or the development team is comprised of people who are very new to the game.
All in all NHL 2005 is a bit of a disappointment but at least it looks good while it's letting us down.
11 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Releasing games to fast. Oct 06, 2004
By Paul D. Smith
"P. Smith"
NHL 2005 is anouther classic example of companies wanting to cash in on their reputation, not by putting out quality games.
Lets look at the possitives of the game first,
the graphics are a major improvement over the other games. The players, im most cases, look like the real person. Also the realizum has increased. No longer does a goalie stop a puck that is at the other side of the net, the goalies accually make the stops. Also bodychecking is better, in 2004 when you pushed the bodycheck button your player would put his arms out as if he was frankenstine, and if there was a player around him he would jump in to that player. In 2005 the players accually check into the boards and the biggest thing is IT LOOKS REAL!
Now lets go with the cons of this game.
Well the first negitive is when you open the instruction manual.
Like most people I read the instruction manuals to games while the game is installing, first off its a massive 16pages long. Also it is written as if you were putting together a peice of funiture! Button1 does this, but you gotta look up what button 1 is and it gets very confusing since there is 10 buttons just for player actions and they do different things depending on if you have the puck or if you dont. Lets move to player control now. I dont know about the rest of the world, but I would like to know what button to push to gain control of my defence men when the other team is attacking! I have read the joke of an instruction manual 10 times and it doesnt tell you what button to push. In nhl04 you push a button and you gain control of the player closest to the puck. Now because of open ice control you push the button to switch players and you get a forward thats on the other side of the ice! Also the button for slap shot (with the puck) is the same button for your player to lay down on the ice (with out the puck) no wonder the other team gets so many break aways, my players are all playing dead on the ice! Menu selection. this is anouther wonderful area. Whoever desined this menu should be FIRED! If you are selecting somthing from the menu before playing a game, there is a Trax Jukebox that tells you what song is playing in the back ground. When it opens up to tell you what the song is, it covers up the buttons that are used to select your option (ok, cancel, that kinda thing) its very annoying. Also, in the game to switch goalies, you cant quickly do it any more, you gotta go to "change lines", then cycle through all your lines to your goalies, then switch them. it takes about 2-3 minutes!!! Someone really needs to tell EA sports to list the proper requirments to play the game on the box. THIS REALLY UPSET ME!!! On the box, for NHL 2005 SYSTEM REQUIREMNTS under Input it says "Keyboard, mouse or gamepad" to me that means you should be able to play fully with either a Keyboard and mouse or with ANY gamepad. in the instruction manual it reads (and I quote) "Many of the controls for NHL 2005 can only be used with a gamepad featurning a ten-button, dual analog contoller".
The reason why this upset me so much is because I DONT HAVE A TEN BUTTON DUAL ANALOG CONTROLLER and if the box told me I needed one to properly play the game, I wouldnt of bought the game
Like anouther reviewer stated, I cant even change my lines with out a dual controller.
NHL 2005 is also missing one of the best parts of NHL2004, the create your own player option. It was really fun to see myself scoring the winning goal in the stanley cup finals. But alas that is no longer possible.
I personally agree with anouther person who wrote a review when he asked if anyone bata-tested this game, because it really seems like they didnt.
I personally think that EA sports is putting profit above quality and that this game is better left on the shelf in the store gathering dust.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Another year of wonders and blunders Sep 19, 2004
By Trevor
With great anticipation I waited for the latest installment of the EA Sports hockey series. NHL 2004 surprised us with a new style of play, but also frustrated us with strange bugs and unrealistic gameplay.Wonders:
Where 2004 was wrong, 2005 is right. The gameplay is way more realistic than any other year, and the open ice control is a nice way to play as more than just the puck carrier - find the open ice, wait for a pass, hit it home. The checking is phenomenal, realistic hits into boards, over hips, straightforward topples, and more. The fact that you can even check a player's stick out of his hand is a very nice addition. The graphics are amazing. Almost every single player bears an exact likeness to the real thing and are by far way better than any other hockey rendering I've seen prior to this year. It's a large install, but worth every second. Aside from the fact that the requirements are pretty intensive, it's worth investing some better gear to enjoy the full detail of NHL 2005. A slightly reformed controller configuration has made things a little easier to use, however to dive you hit the "shoot" button twice without the puck. And if you're like me and jam on that button when near the net, your player will end up diving and it gets a little annoying. Blunders:
When the NHL games do things right, they never get carried over to new versions. This is a problem. In NHL 2004, I was pleased at the Create a Player function as it was versatile and in-depth, but for some reason they decided to remove this feature altogether from 2005. I have also been completely unable to figure out how to change my goalies in the middle of a game. The "pull goalie/return goalie" option is clear and present, but to change the current netminder seems to be a chore of unearthly proportions. Conclusion:
By far, the good things outweight the bad, in my opinion. It's tough to make a perfect game because different people admire different things from gaming, especially simulated sports gaming. However, EA Sports has to carry over their well-liked standard features instead of removing them for something unnecessary, like the entire music section of the game.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
good idea, but............... Sep 22, 2004
By Duttin
Having been a great fan of the difficulty of 2004, i was eager to play 2005. Once i installed it and played a quick game just to check things out i was quite impressed. The new and improved face-offs, graphics, and last but not least the incredible puck physics. Those things aside I think the game play is sub-par to 2004. Every time down the ice there is an umbelievable amount of huge bone crushing hits that happen. As we all know that doesnt happen in the real deal. It happens so much that after a period of play you are hoping that you dont see another big hit the rest of the game(hey Ea mix in some tie ups). Now there are tie ups that happen in the game, but they are so few and far between its rediculous. The other gay part is how EA decides to make their hockey game harder by making your goalie suck while the opposing goalie is just a flat out wall. They have done this in some previous versions as well(not 2004). I just got done playing a game in dynasty mode in the hard setting and i outshot my opponet 42 to 8, and of course i can only muster 1 goal on that many shots, with some really nice one timers i might add. Meanwhile my opponet scores 2 goals on a couple of shots a quadriplegic could save. I would rather a game look like crap and be allot more realistic like the 2004 version, then have really cool features and no good game play at all. I dont know, maybe i expect to much after playing 2004, it was hard on medium for months for me, and it was tough to outshoot opponents, plus it was tough to line up an opponent for a huge hit(there was accually some tie ups). I get the feeling they kind of hurried this one out the door, there is an awfull lot of bugs as well as the sub-par gameplay.
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