Others say...

"Better Then NHL 2005!"
This game is by far better then NHL. This game is faster pace and has better camera views. The mini games are fun and the graphics are just merely ok. The gameplay is way better then NHL and twice as fun. The only thing NHL has going for it is good graphics. Yes ESPN does feel like it should of been better with it's glitches there and here. The fighting is a little bit stale and freezes up before the fight starts. Besides that though you would just keep playing the game to unlock all the goodies and playing all the mini games with your friends. The game is only $20.00 which is $30.00 dollars less then NHL and is better. I'm going to say the same thing that I did with ESPN NBA basketball. If you didn't like last years you won't like this years and if you liked last years buy this years right now. NHL 2004 I thought was better then 2005. So you EA sports fans may be dissapointed with EA but I don't think ESPN would be your hockey choice if you haven't liked there past titles. And for the people out there that hate both of these hockey games you can look foward to 989 sports new hockey game Wayne Grextky hockey. Ha thats going to be the biggest joke.

"Still looking for a great hockey game..."
I'm a big hockey fan, and always wanted to find a great hockey game for my ps2.
Last year I bought EA's NHL 2004, hoping that it would be an excellent game - you can see my review on that page to see my review of that game. The bottom line was that the game had some great points, but lots of low points too.
Lots of reviewers in other places went on and on about how great NHL NK5 was, how it was the best hockey game around, etc. etc. So I got the game, even though it is made by SEGA (which I haven't really liked in the past).
I have to say that I was disappointed.
Pros: The gameplay is pretty good. Some of the on-ice animations don't look as realistic as they do on EA 2004. The movement is very smooth, and it is pretty fun game to play. The commentary is awesome, but the rest of the sound isn't anything to write home about.
Cons: The menus look like something you'd see in a super-nintendo game. I'm embarrased for the programmers this looks so bad. Franchise mode isn't as interesting as it is in EA 2004. It's much harder to navigate around to get things done. The gameplay is better than EA 2004, but still not as much fun as in earlier hockey games (I still like NHL 95-it's just fun to turn off penalties and hit like crazy). The graphics should be updated, the camera angles are too far away, and defense is too hard.
Why is it that there are so many fantastic football games out there, and so many poor hockey games? (Okay, I know the answer - there's more demand for football games. But you'd think they'd be able to share some programming with each other and improve the rest of the sports games!)

"Great game, but way too buggy"
This is one of the most fun sports games on the market, but unfortunately it feels half-finished. In their rush to get the game out before EA's, Sega left a number of glaring bugs in the game. The minor bugs include annoying ones such as the seemingly random calling of two-line passes even when the puck is either not passed or has not crossed any lines; comic ones such as the equally random announcer comments (e.g., it could be the first period with tied score, and the announcers will start talking about how one team "has really dug itself a hole in the scoreboard here in the third period"); and bugs which are simply weird: Editing anything (even hair length or stick color) about a player makes that player's rating go up. Each of these categories has plenty of company.

Most notable and infuriating, however, are the numerous freezing bugs related to Franchise mode (one of the game's most-touted features). The basic situation is that the computer cannot always properly handle its rosters, and if a hole appears (due to a trade or injury) that it cannot fill, the game will freeze when you attempt to play a game. This basically forces you to play with injuries and CPU trading off from Day 1, or risk losing your entire season partway through. This bug is simply inexcusable, since it completely wrecks any sense of realism, and is so glaringly obvious that even the slightest amount of testing should have caught it. There is no excuse for bugs of this caliber to have reached a shipping product, and Sega owes its customers something for this.

That being said, actual gameplay itself is unmatched. If you're looking for just a great hockey game that's fun to play and has lots of different modes to keep you entertained, this is the one to get. If you want a good Franchise experience and don't mind working around a few mind-blowingly stupid bugs, it's also worth checking out. But if you want a polished product that the company has clearly taken pride in making, move along; there's nothing to see here.

"EA SPORTS LOSES AGAIN!"
ESPN HOCKEY IS THE LATEST IN SPORTS GAMES THAT BEAT EA SPORTS. BOTH GAMEPLAY AND GRAPHICS ARE FAR BETTER THEN EA SPORTS NHL 2005. THE GAME PLAY AND PRESENTATION ARE AS CLOSE TO THE REAL THING AS YOU WILL FIND. EA SPORTS PROVES THE OLD SAYING "JUST BECAUSE IT COSTS MORE DOESNT MAKE IT BETTER" ESPN NHL2K5 PROVES THIS THEORY. AT $20 WHAT A BARGAIN. IT COSTS LESS THEN THE COMPETITION AND IS 10 TIMES BETTER. TRUST ME STAY AWAY FROM EA SPORTS. ESPN IS KICKING THERE BUTTS.

"So chill, it's freezing"
For years (okay, make it about three or four), Sega has been desperately trying to topple EA's NHL series as imminent rulers of the rink. The NHL series has been great, but as much fun as "NHL 2004" was (awesome fighting engine), I was dissappointed with so much emphasis they put on the defensive game. Hockey is all about striking a balance between bone-crunching hits that would make
Warren Sapp cry and setting up brilliant offensive plays that would make Vincent Van Gough weep with joy. The sad reality is that there's no NHL this season. What a waste. Oh, well. At least we got the games. If you're an NHL fan and Hockey Night in Canada won't deliver the goods (can you say crappy made-for-TV movies?), the games will. I haven't played NHL 2005 yet, but I have played ESPN NHL 2K5, and it was a beautiful thing. It may not have the incredible customization/franchise options that make EA's series so great, but they have gameplay, and that's what counts the most.

Man, Sega OWNED EA in price this season! For only $20, you can play the closest thing to old-school "NHL 94" with the switch of quite a few gauges. You can make this game as arcadey or as realistic as you want. Developer Kush did an excellent job of customizing gameplay options that EA has yet to produce. However, I would recommend turning the fighting off, since its controls are too simple-minded and don't capture the authentic fights of "NHL 2004". Also, does the NHL series have classic teams? Nope. Yet another reason to check out 2K5. The Skybox has a bevy of great features and unlockables, but the air hockey game is a little stupid. It plays almost nothing like real-life air hockey. My best advice is to stay away from it and play the trivia game.

The commentary in "2K5" is fantastic, but the presentation isn't up to snuff with "ESPN NFL 2K5", and the players may not look like their real selves. No matter. If you're looking for great hockey gameplay and creative features, this is the game for you. Now I just wish they had a half-decent create-a-player/team mode, and it would be perfect.

FINAL SCORE-9/10