ESPN NHL 2K5
| ESPN NHL 2K5 | |
|---|---|
 Martin St. Louis on the cover of ESPN NHL 2K5 | |
| Developer(s) | Kush Games |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Series | NHL 2K |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, Xbox |
| Genre(s) | Traditional ice hockey simulation |
ESPN NHL 2K5 is an ice hockey simulation made by ESPN Videogames (now 2K Games) and published on the Xbox and PlayStation 2 consoles. ESPN's Gary Thorne on play-by-play commentary and Bill Clement on color commentary calls all the action. This is also the last NHL Game to be published by Sega.
Gameplay
The game includes an extensive franchise mode where you can perform many team management functions, including hiring staff, managing player contracts, scouting new players and sending players back to minor teams for training. It also includes more traditional game modes like season, playoffs, exhibition and shootout. The game manual is also built into the software.
The 2004's edition of the game also introduces an advanced control setting which allows much more flexible control of your player, using the entire control pad rather than only a few buttons.
The cover of ESPN NHL 2K5, features Tampa Bay Lightning's Martin St. Louis.
Reception
The game received strong reviews from critics. It received a score of 86 out of 100 on Metacritic.[1] IGN gave the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions a 9.2/10, calling it the "best current-gen hockey game" that they had played.[2]
Soundtrack
- burnthe8track - In Full Return
- burnthe8track - Two Worlds Apart
- burnthe8track - My Own Flag
- Calcutta - Consciously Unconscious
- Calcutta - Get Away
- Calcutta - Driving On
- Calcutta - Crimson Sky
- Calcutta - Alarms
- Calcutta - The World Alone
- Concept - Gothic Voices
- Concept - Evolution!
- Concept - Eternal Life
- From Satellite - Fair is Fair
- From Satellite - Mouth
- Grinder - Everything
- Grinder - All That I Want
- Grinder - No Fun
- Halfway to Gone - Turnpike
- Halfway to Gone - King of Mean
- Heads Up - All I Need
- Heads Up - A.R.H.
- Heads Up - Picture Perfect
- Novadriver - Void
- Phil Ranelin - Sounds from the Village
- Recliner - Making a Friend
- Recliner - All Pleasure
- Recliner - Bonus Track
- Silent But Deadly - Red Ice
- Silent But Deadly - Playoff Moustache
- Silent But Deadly - Givin' 'Em Lumber
- Trans Am - Play in the Summer
- The Ultimate Lovers - Rock and Roll Fight
The soundtrack, known in-game as arena music, can also be customizable to the extent that certain arenas can play certain songs at certain times (for example, if the visiting team gets a penalty or when the home team scores a late go-ahead goal).
Controls
The controls in the game allow you to have full stick control on both offense and defense. On the offensive side you can control your dekes by moving the right analog stick. This does a deke in the direction the analog stick was pushed. Also on offense when you want to deke out a goalie you hold the preset button(ex: for Advance hold L1+O)and move the stick with the left analog stick and then release to shoot. This provides for exciting dekes, but also on offense you can protect the puck from poke-checking defensemen by hold circle and choosing where you want to protect it with the analog stick. On the other side the defensive stick control allows you to skate backwards and also swing your stick across the ice to hit the puck away from the opposing player.
See also
References
- ^ "ESPN NHL 2K5". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ^ Goldstein, Hilary. "ESPN NHL 2K5". IGN. Retrieved 5 May 2014.