Hard to believe that at this moment there may not be a hockey season this year. How can one of the best sports around not have a season? Since this is the case, you can still get your hockey fix by playing the latest hockey game released by EA Sports entitled NHL 2005. Will this game will keep you occupied until this standoff is resolved? Or is all hope lost? Read on to find out!

As in each new game in a series, the first thing that comes to everyone’s mind is: what’s new? This year the newest feature is called “Open Ice Control,” and once you have played this game, you will not want to play a hockey game that doesn’t include it. This new feature lets you play as any player, who has or doesn’t have the puck. This adds a whole new level of depth and strategy to the game. Now you will be able to set up plays, and make the game feel much more like a real hockey game. My favorite thing to do is when you see a guy coming in to ram you, you can switch to another player and then check him before he can get the guy with the puck, hopefully giving you a chance to score a goal.

So close....

Another new feature in this game is the Face Off Playbook. Now with the touch of a button players will be able to choose the best face-off strategy to hopefully get the puck right as it drops and either get it away from your goal, or to score against the opposing team. This makes the game a little more strategic like a real hockey game, because choosing the right play will help your cause.

This year EA has split up the controller to allow for the two different types of shots, wrist shot and the other is for a regular "shot", and the harder/longer you press each button the harder the shot will become. This helps separate the types of shots and will help you out when you want to do a specific shot at any given time. Skating on the ice looks and feels more realistic this year. Unlike in previous years, when you are skating at top speed, the game actually looks like you are gliding over the ice, just like in real life.

The modes for this game are Play Now, Exhibition, Season, World Cup of Hockey, Elite Leagues, Free-4-All, and Dynasty Mode. If you want to get down and dirty into a hockey game then the Play Now mode is for you. You will be able to choose any hockey game you want and then get right down into the action. Exhibition mode is more of a training mode for the game that allows you to get used to the whole game so you will be able to stand up against any competition you might face later on.

Season mode allows you to see what it is like to play through and entire game season, and see if they can win the Stanley Cup. This allows you to prepare for the Dynasty Mode. The World Cup of Hockey is like a King of the Hill type game, except it is with hockey teams from around the world, such as Canada, Germany, Russia, and many more. When you play this mode, you will see if you are the best in the world.

Someone is about to get checked.

If playing with American teams under the NHL rules is not enough then you can play in the Elite League. This mode allows you to play an entire season with the European hockey elite, and instead of playing with the NHL rules you will be using the International ones. These rules are slightly different than what you might be used to, but it will not take you long to get adjusted to it. My favorite mode in this game is the Free-4-All, and in this mode there is one net with one goalie, you and up to four friends go at it to see who can make the most goals within a time limit or who can score X amount of goals first. You will find that this mode is highly addicting, and you might be playing it more than the Dynasty Mode!

The real meat of this game is the Dynasty Mode, because for ten seasons you will be able to control every single aspect of a hockey team. This includes managing the roster, coaching the team, and then you will have to play each game. The main goal is to earn the highest score as the General Manager, which means earning huge profits, win as many championships as possible, and making your team as strong as possible. Depending on how well you do each season, you will be offered different TV contracts, and the better your team does the more money you will receive. Not only do you have to deal with money issues, you have to make sure that each of the Player's Morale is high enough, if it stays at a constant low the player's attributes start going down, which makes them play worse then they normally do. So it is extremely important to keep that morale as high as you can, so you will have to make sure to win games, give everyone enough ice time, and spend more money on team functions.

Just as in Madden 2005, this game has a new email system that keeps you up to date with what is going on with your team and the rest of the Hockey League. You will get notes from the owner, trainer, and see breaking news about who is being traded as well as new free agents. This email system helps make the game feel more realistic, since real General Managers use the same tools that you have available to you in this game.

The graphics in this game are pretty well done. The thing you will notice first is how detailed the players faces are. No matter what hockey player you are looking at you will recognize who they are immediately. The player’s models are highly detailed as well. I really like all of the player’s animations, because they really moved similar to the real players while they are on the ice. You will really be able to tell this when you look at how the goalie defends the net and how the players knock each other around.

Check out the detail.

The soundtrack for this game is really good, and features some great songs. The biggest problem is not with the music featured, but the lack of music featured in the game overall. There is very little selection in the music unlike other games in the EA brand such as Madden. Commentary for NFL 2005 is not the best around; to put it bluntly it is on the “dry” side. The announcers didn’t really put any feeling or personality into the commentary. All of the crowd noises, such as cheering and booing, as well as the clashing of everything that is going on in the game, sound like you are actually sitting in a hockey stadium.

NHL 2005 is rated E for Everyone.

Gameplay: 8.8
This game is a blast to play due to how great it feels to skate around the rink, and how easy it is to get into the game. The Dynasty Mode was really well done, and will give you plenty of hours of game play.

Graphics: 8.6
The graphics looks pretty good. You can really see the detail in the player’s faces.

Sound: 8.5
The music featured in NHL 2005 is really good, the only bad thing is that there is not enough music tracks. Commentary is slightly dry, but it is bearable.

Difficulty: Medium
The AI in this game can be a bit challenging, but it is not impossible to play against. All in all this game is really fun to play.

Concept: 8.9
The “Open Ice Control” that the developers implemented in NHL 2005 really expands the entire gameplay, since it adds more strategy to every play that you might go through.

Multiplayer: 8.7
The multiplayer for this game is really well done. Playing online through EA servers is really smooth and provides a lag free experience. I highly recommend playing the Free-4-All mode, as it is a really fun multiplayer experience.

Overall: 8.8
I really enjoyed playing through NHL 2005, as it provides me with my hockey fix since the NHL season is going no where fast at this moment. Even though this game is not perfect, if you are in the need for an NHL fix then look no further the NHL 2005.