Xbox

NHL 2005

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.

With the real-life NHL in turmoil this pre-season, and the World Cup concluded, more than ever hockey fans have to look to video games to get their icy fix. For years, gamers had turned to EA's storied NHL franchise to live out their hockey dreams-- but in recent times, EA's wunderkind has fallen off a bit, or at least changed its focus. Starting with 2003, more emphasis has been placed on razzle-dazzle, big goals and especially big hits, to the delight of arcade aficionados, and the relative dismay of purists.

NHL 2005 doesn't quite get over the hump and ends up as this year's runner up. Fortunately for puck fans, "It's in the game" doesn't whole-heartedly apply to EA Sports' latest hockey offering--otherwise, the box would be empty thanks to the lockout. Unfortunately, NHL 2005 still falls short of being the complete game we've been waiting for because it relishes more in vicious hits and arcade-style action than being a true simulation of the sport.

Well, by now you've probably heard the bad news: there isn't going to be any NHL hockey in the foreseeable future. Thanks to the inability of the team owners and the players association to hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement, the NHL has locked out their players for the upcoming season, and possibly even longer. So what's a hockey junkie to do, short of strapping on the skates and shoveling off their local pond? Well, they can either watch and rewatch their tapes of the World Cup games from the last few weeks, or they can pop in a copy of Electronic Arts' NHL 2005, the thirteenth game in EA's venerable franchise.

Make no mistake. NHL 2005 is still a solid game of hockey--but it shouldn't be your first choice for one. With the NHL player lockout having now moved beyond the realm of mere probability into cold, hard fact, hockey fans are likely to be on the hunt for any kind of hockey they can find between now and next year. On the video game front, both Visual Concepts and EA are once again adding new installments to their yearly NHL franchises. ESPN NHL 2K5, Visual Concepts' title, came out on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox earlier this month and proved to be a phenomenal game of hockey. NHL 2005, EA's newest hockey title, looks fantastic, but it doesn't quite compare in terms of its actual hockey gameplay.

Se posant pour l'instant comme l'un des meilleurs jeux de hockey sur Xbox, NHL 2005 renoue avec un succès mérité et se placera sûrement en bonne position dans le coeur des joueurs. Un peu plus avare en nouveautés que son grand frère estampillé 2004, cet opus conserve tout de même une qualité indiscutable due à sa réalisation graphique et à son exhaustivité. Espérons des changements plus imposants pour l'année prochaine et nous serons comblés. EA Sports garde-nous un palet.

Even though EA NHL 2005 has more competition with ESPN 2k5, there is still enough to warrant a purchase. NHL 2005 put more into their game of hockey which wiill satisfy the gamer looking for little changes, but who still wants that patented EA hockey experience.

I’ll dispense with the pretense and come right and say it: there is no NHL season this year, and that sucks. The pain, sadness and frustration of a whole year off ice is evident in the eyes of every cold-blooded hockey fan.

Originally, this was supposed to be a review of Metal Slug 3. As such, I had prepared accordingly: my quaking thumbs were treated to soothing cream, to soften up their reflexes; a triple cappuccino steamed on the table in front of me; a fan blew, at the highest setting, just a metre from my already sweaty face. A session of relentless, high-octane gaming was about to begin.