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NHL could have it lapse of conflict in real life due to the cancellation of the previous season, but the digital industry could not take that chance for the sake of the video game fans. ESPN NHL 2K5 extreme action is available for both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox platforms.
Publisher Take 2 is responsible for the PlayStation 2 version while Sega, in collaboration with developer Kush Games, released this sports game for the XBOX game platform. For both, all of the game features have experienced sort of improvements from last year's edition to make ESPN NHL 2K5 one of the better ice hockey titles that we've seen during the past few years.
With six players on each team, ESPN NHL 2K5 is an uptight action: Fights on ice seem real, in part to the control system which allows the game to remain fast-paced without the “out of control” feeling. But as in life, trying to score points in this video game is quite difficult and most of the matches just result in a couple of goals.
The modes that made their debuts last year, such as the party mode, the franchise mode and the skybox mode, are here again for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.
The party modes help you learn how to control your player on the ice and work through some very tight gaps with the puck. Team management appears as the "franchise mode" to offer the ability to scout players (scouting mode) from all over the world: You may add them to your team, train them and also to play a game between the best prospects. Unfortunately this management side of the game doesn't work too well though. The new contract system lacks the ability to gauge level of interest from a player when negotiating a contact and its endless menus and statistics make the entire mode feel very tedious and time consuming without giving much reward.
Meanwhile, the skybox mode includes a couple of mini games such as shuffleboard, an air-hockey, and a Trivia quiz that appears to be a fairly pointless addition. Another couple of failures do not allow either the PlayStation 2 or Xbox version to reach to the perfect 10 like the injury system during simulations. Nine times out of 10, the injury that pops up makes sense, but every once in a while, a seemingly serious injury, such as a broken foot, will only take a few days to heal.
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