It’s come down to two hockey franchises this year: Sega’s familiar ESPN game and EA Sports NHL game.  Both offer fans modes aplenty and enough innovative new control options that just serve to improve the gameplay.  Yet there’s clearly a winner in this competition and the gold goes to ESPN NHL 2K5 for its wide assortment of unlockable extras and wonderfully balanced gameplay and intuitive opponent AI.  Still GameCube fans missing out on Sega’s hockey game shouldn’t feel left out because NHL 2005 is a hockey game that’s good enough to sink your teeth into and enjoy.  That’s right, this year’s game sees more improvement that only make this one all the more better than last year‘s game.

Last year’s Dynasty Mode came close to perfection with its variety of fresh new features--the best being the fact that you play as the General Manager and negotiate contracts like the big boys--but in the 2005 game the mode acquires the little details seen in the Sega NHL game like the snazzy communiqués via a PDA.  The emails you get point to the latest news concerning contracts, free agents and all the current seasons rumors and gossip.  As General Manager, it’s your job to keep abreast of everything that occurs around you and your team.  Your ever watchful eye tracking your player’s morale (some players get frustrated that they don’t get enough time on the ice) as well as the budget--although trust me when I say that you’ll spend the game balancing your team’s every finances. 

With a deeper Dynasty Mode, the game also includes the more familiar modes of playing like Exhibition and Season but now includes a World Cup of Hockey mode that pits your favorite team against international teams (Russian, Sweden, etc.) as you play for the cup.  There’s even an Elite League’s mode that let’s you play an entire season as one of the three major European leagues (Germany’s DEL leagues, Finland’s SM-Liiga leagues and Sweden’s Elitserien leagues).  My favorite new mode is EA Sports Free4All, a multiplayer game that has up to four players hit the ice to go up against each another in a battle to make a goal against a single net and goalkeeper.  Free4All is all arcade party game that doesn’t take itself serious--hence the real-life players with tiny bodies and huge blimp-sized heads.

The game’s controls are once again the type that gamers can quickly pick-up-and-play . . . making this game arcade-styled fun with a healthy dose of true NHL simulation.  You’ll know how to deke and execute wrist shots and saucer passes with the best of them and this is what makes the game so much fun to play . . . it’s perfect controls.  You’ll even get the hang of taking advantage of the new Open Ice Control and Open Ice Support features that allow you to call for a pass or even call for a double-team.  Your days of shouting “What are you doing? I’m over here . . . pass it over here!” at your television screen are over.  All of this, though, makes for a very responsive and addictive hockey game so it’s the perfect game to introduce gamers new to the sport.

While the controls are great, the fact that the opponent AI is a lot smarter and far less likely to drop their defense so severely as last year’s NHL 2004 is something to cheer about.  The computer-controlled opponents are fast and great at attempting to up their game defensively as well as offensively so dropping your guard in this game means giving the opposing team a chance to really score.  You’ll know how smart they are during face-offs, which is one of the reasons there’s a new feature, the Face-Off Playbook.  It basically allows you to come up with different face-off strategies if the one you’re using just doesn’t work against your rivals.

Okay, so we covered the good parts.  Where NHL 2005 does miss its mark is the need to present a more aggressive game than a strategy-based one.  You’ll find yourself the recipient of more aggressive body checks than skillful poke checks.  This in turns means you have to up the brutal checks yourself so if you want to compete with the likes of Calgary you have to slam a few players against the boards.  You’ll also find it far easier to get into fights.  The option to drop the gloves and send knuckle sandwiches to the player that upset you out on the ice comes up so often (pressing the L and R buttons is all it takes to start brawling) that you’ll wonder if the NHL is composed of prison inmates.  Hopefully next year’s game will tone down the aggression just a tad and bring back more skills.

NHL 2005 also sees some improvements with its visual presentation.  It’s nowhere as near as flashy and as presentable as ESPN NHL 2K5 is and it seriously lacks the televised presentation that even Madden NFL 2005 possesses.  It’s still a very visually pleasing game thanks to the player’s faces that are far more expressive and neatly rendered.  Players like Fedorov, for instance, are instantly recognizable right off the bat.  The arenas are also a lot nicer to look at and the fans wearing their favorite team jerseys is still a very nice touch.  Great animation too.

The game’s arena sounds will blow you away with its decent amount of audio detail that just makes it seem as if you were right there with the fans that boo at their visiting team and cheer their team on with loud chants.  Of course, the PA announcer chimes in to announce lineup changes and tell you that you can buy tickets to a concert that the arena will host.  These things certainly make a much better impact than the two-man commentary that is good but could have been a lot better.  As for the tunes, they might not be everyone’s cup of tea.  This year’s EA Sports TRAX are limited to just a very small collection of bands that range from Faith No More to personal favorite Franz Ferdinand. 

Once again, EA Sports manages to present an even better version of their much-loved NHL franchise.  NHL 2005 for the GameCube hard-hitting hockey game fans will love.  While it still needs better presentation and gameplay that covers all the little extras, you’ll find it hard to put down that controller once you start playing this one.  This year’s game is great for those who want to introduce the sport to new fans or find a more interesting challenge.    

Gameplay: 7.9
While not straying from it simulation roots, NHL 2005 has a pleasant arcade feel that makes this the type of game you can simply pick up a controller and just start playing.   Dekes, slapshots and body checks feel and so does the new Open Ice Control and Open Ice Support (that lets you call for a double-team).  Still, there’s more emphasis on playing aggressively than playing skillfully so it ignores the little tricks that make the sport so cool in the first place.

Graphics: 8.2
The visual upgrades are noticeable, especially when it comes to facial expressions and the fluid animation that makes this an attractive game on the GameCube.  The arenas are also looking a lot better this time around and the sight of the fans wearing their favorite team’s jersey just doesn’t fail to put a smile on my face.

Sound: 8.0
EA Sports games are usually chock full of tunes so it’s surprising that this year’s game the play list is just a tad lacking in this department.  The tunes that are available, though, are really good if you’re into Franz Ferdinand or Soundtrack of Our Lives.  The play-by-play and color commentary are good but we’ve heard better.  It’s the ambient sound that really rocks with arenas exploding with fans, PA system announcements and music and the sound of pucks being slammed.  Overall, it’s great stuff.

Difficulty: Medium
A more challenging opponent AI that can offer tighter defenses and really makes you sweat when it comes to offensive play?  Bring it on! In fact, NHL 2005 does bring it on so say bye-bye to last year’s unusual scoring (15-1 in a Devils versus Red Wings game?) discrepancy.  The computer-controlled AI will definitely keep you on your toes this year.

Concept: 8.0
Feel the thrill of calling for passes and shots.  Cheer at the incredibly addictive EA Sports Free4All multiplayer mode.  Smile at the improved Dynasty Mode and tighter defensive plays your opponents bring to the game.  Cry at the lack of unlockable extras that other EA Sports games like Madden NFL 2005 have in spades.

Multiplayer: 8.5
It’s never a dull moment when you play against a friend and because of it’s easy-to-get-into controls and the ability to play this one with up to four players simultaneously, it’s all about the hard-hitting plays.  The World Cup of Hockey and Free4All modes just feel all the more better when you’re playing them with a group of friends.  This one has Party Game written all over it.

Overall: 8.4
Add silky smooth animations and an addictive pick-up-and-play gameplay style and you end up with NHL 2005.  While the recent ESPN NHL 2K5 clearly has the advantage (and great price tag) over this game, EA Sports gives hockey fanatics and GameCube gamers a hockey game that’s well worth the price of admission.