by:	September 05, 2004

OK, so we’ll most likely have to wait much longer to watch NHL hockey on TV, but that doesn’t mean we can’t pick up a controller and play it ourselves. With the looming NHLPA lockout ahead, tension grows among hockey fans as we realize that, for the second time in a decade, we’ll probably have to endure a much longer off-season than planned. Thankfully, those of us who also play games can take those same hours we’d normally be wasting away in front of the TV and spend them…well, wasting away in front of the TV. The first such game to step onto the ice this year is Visual Concepts’ ESPN NHL 2k5, coming off a championship season after producing what was arguably the most realistic hockey game ever with last year’s ESPN NHL Hockey. This year, they’re making a run for the cup once again by dropping their price point to an affordable $20. Releasing the game early and at a budget price similar to ESPN NFL 2k5, many worried that rushing the game would result in a less-than-polished end product. In the end, it’s obvious that a few aspects of the game could indeed have benefited from a slightly longer development cycle, but ESPN NHL 2k5 still ends up offering the most realistic, well-rounded game of hockey available, shy of going outside and lacing up yourself.

First things first, the gameplay from last year’s game remains largely intact in ESPN NHL 2k5, so anybody familiar with Sega’s previous entry shouldn’t have any trouble jumping right into a game and feeling in control. In fact, at first glance, you’re likely to dismiss the game as almost nothing more than a $20 roster update. Give it a few minutes though, and you’ll notice just how much has been improved upon in the past year. Last year’s title suffered from severe balance issues that required you to tweak the numerous gameplay sliders in order to achieve a realistic experience, and increasing the difficulty resulted in “brick wall” goalies that had to be exploited to be beaten. This year, everything is very well-balanced from the get-go, and simply increasing the difficulty to pro or all-pro from the default level provides a hockey simulation that comes closer to the mark than ever before. The A.I. has been carefully tweaked for every position, resulting in a game that just feels right. Hockey purists are sure to find plenty to like about the balance in ESPN NHL 2k5 alone, but thankfully the game offers enough depth and features to back it up.

Several new features have made their way into the game this year, though most of them don’t play a very big role in the gameplay itself. Holding the L-trigger will now force your player to skate backwards, and using the right thumbstick in conjunction allows you to control your stick to make a perfect poke check when you find yourself backed up in your zone. On its own, the right thumbstick can now be used to perform “risky maneuvers,” such as hooking your opponent or throwing a vicious elbow. These moves send a powerful message to the other team, but can often result in a trip to the penalty box. Fighting has also been completely redone this year, thankfully, since the fights in all of Sega’s past hockey games have been downright awful. Most interesting is the ability to skate freely after you’ve dropped the gloves, allowing you to circle your foe and look for the perfect opening to land a powerful uppercut. The new fight system is actually one of the best we’ve seen in a hockey game to date, which is a very refreshing accomplishment for the franchise that previously featured button-mashing slap fests. Each team now has a “tension meter” next to the scoreboard that fills up depending on the intensity of the game, and as both meters fill it becomes more likely that two guys will drop the gloves and fight.