devilsfan26 Posted September 9, 2004 Share Posted September 9, 2004 I got 2K5 last week and I think it's great. The bad news is that the game is somewhat buggy and sloppy. The developers made a lot of stupid mistakes (Ryder is not from Finaldn, Zherdev is not 30) and the interface is quite frustrating. The announcers are abysmal when it comes to pronunciation and mistakes, but I prefer turning them off anyway. But the good news is that the gameplay is stellar. Oh, and the goalies are fine. You can score on a wide variety of shots and strategies. It's really rewarding and realistic. It's great right out of the box, but there are sliders to tweak anything (injuries, penalties, passing accuracy, etc). I am really happy about this because I had not bought a hockey game in a few years because I really dislike EA's style of gameplay and the 2K series was buggy and frustrating. I gave 2K another shot this year thanks to the low price and I am really really pleased. Furthermore, "party mode" is an absolute blast and worth the price on it's own. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I agree with everything you said in that post. A few glitches, but the gameplay definitely makes up for it. However there have been complaints about people's franchises freezing, disabling them from continuing the franchise. Party mode is GREAT with a few buddies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 (edited) The announcers are abysmal when it comes to pronunciation and mistakes, but I prefer turning them off anyway. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> That's what adds to the realism Thorne's just as bad in the game as he is in real life. Paul Martin's last name isn't pronounced like Martin Brodeur's first name <{POST_SNAPBACK}> True! But what's really funny is that, like you say, they pronounce Paul Martin's surname as "Mar-taing", the French way, yet Brodeur's and St-Louis' given names are "Mar-Tin"! And St-Louis is on the cover! Unbelieveable. To their credit, they added the pronunciation for a lot of extra players to the database, such as prospects like Parise, Vrana, Khomutov, Kadeykin, Ovechkin, Perezhogin, Kastitsyn, as well as many old time players. That's a nice touch. ... Here's another interesting choice/oversight they made. In the Dream Team mode they have Brett Hull playing for "Canada 1". True he was born in Canada, but he has famously chosen to be American so it's just plain weird seeing him playing with a maple leaf on his chest! O_o Edited September 11, 2004 by Zero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils731 Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 After reading all this I'm really torn on which game to get. I love EA's franchise with the NHL but I think that maybe I should give another designer a chance to impress me. So hard. -Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 is 2K5 available for PC? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 is 2K5 available for PC? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> PS2 and Xbox only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 is 2K5 available for PC? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> PS2 and Xbox only. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> too bad... I can't play these games on consoles... the feeling is wrong somehow only a couple of days left now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 S'fine by me. I don't own a PC. I only play console games. And games by Blizzard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekes Head Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 Man, I can't wait for NHL2005...just watched some of the videos, it definitely looks like it's gonna be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 a question: does anyone here ever play any of the other leagues? I have played maybe half a game with my home team (timr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 I got 2K5 last week and I think it's great. The bad news is that the game is somewhat buggy and sloppy. The developers made a lot of stupid mistakes (Ryder is not from Finaldn, Zherdev is not 30) and the interface is quite frustrating. The announcers are abysmal when it comes to pronunciation and mistakes, but I prefer turning them off anyway. But the good news is that the gameplay is stellar. Oh, and the goalies are fine. You can score on a wide variety of shots and strategies. It's really rewarding and realistic. It's great right out of the box, but there are sliders to tweak anything (injuries, penalties, passing accuracy, etc). I am really happy about this because I had not bought a hockey game in a few years because I really dislike EA's style of gameplay and the 2K series was buggy and frustrating. I gave 2K another shot this year thanks to the low price and I am really really pleased. Furthermore, "party mode" is an absolute blast and worth the price on it's own. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I agree with everything you said in that post. A few glitches, but the gameplay definitely makes up for it. However there have been complaints about people's franchises freezing, disabling them from continuing the franchise. Party mode is GREAT with a few buddies. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes, I've had those issues too. I've tried three different franchises (simming seasons) and if I sim the playoffs it's fine but if I try to play through the playoffs it always freezes up in the second game I guess it was inevitable that they'd have annoying errors since they (and EA) rushed out their games to come out before the lockout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekes Head Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 a question: does anyone here ever play any of the other leagues? I have played maybe half a game with my home team (timr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insanity_gallops Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 Yes, I've had those issues too. I've tried three different franchises (simming seasons) and if I sim the playoffs it's fine but if I try to play through the playoffs it always freezes up in the second game I guess it was inevitable that they'd have annoying errors since they (and EA) rushed out their games to come out before the lockout. Last year's NHL 2K had the same bug. My buddy's version consistently froze at the same point midway through his second season. And just yesterday, NFL2K5 started doing the same thing, midway through his third season. Guess that's what happens when they hurry it up, like you said Has - and something of a reason for the $20 price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 I don't really know since I have not had a single crash or freeze-up, but from what I have read, the freezing problem is avoidable. It has something to do with injuries and lineups. That's why it happens more often when people sim entire seasons. The computer AI screws something up. If you monitor your own lineup or if you double check what it does you should be ok. I am not really sure. I think it was an Xbox specific problem too? I am not sure the details since I have a PS2 and no problems. Anyway, the solution is online for those with the problem. There really is no excuse for a game being this buggy, and it must be since a lot of people report major problems. Personally, none of the ones I have experiences are major though, just stupid mildly annoying mistakes (the Devils Xmas tree uniforms have orange numbers, wtf). These stupid bugs and oversights have been a hallmark of the 2K series ever since 2K2 (the original 2K was great). It's a shame, because the gameplay itself is exquisite. Hands down the best hockey game I have ever played. I can officially say that now, since I have had the game since it came out and I am utterly addicted to it. I have not experienced that kind of video-hockey-joy since the old days of the NHL Powerplay series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giuseppe Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 Yes, I've had those issues too. I've tried three different franchises (simming seasons) and if I sim the playoffs it's fine but if I try to play through the playoffs it always freezes up in the second game I guess it was inevitable that they'd have annoying errors since they (and EA) rushed out their games to come out before the lockout. Last year's NHL 2K had the same bug. My buddy's version consistently froze at the same point midway through his second season. And just yesterday, NFL2K5 started doing the same thing, midway through his third season. Guess that's what happens when they hurry it up, like you said Has - and something of a reason for the $20 price. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The only time the game froze on me was when my Devils lines were incomplete (as I left injuries as they were) and the computer tried to complete them. I corrected this problem by altering the injury frequency and haven't had any freezing problems or glitches since. I have seen numerous reports of bugs but it seems as if most of them can be corrected. Regardless, I'm with Zero in that this is by FAR the best hockey game I've ever played, since it offers insanely realistic gameplay and control schemes. I don't think the price tag has anything to do with the injuries in the least. Why is the EA series more expensive with inferior gameplay, and why was 2K4 still $50 with more bugs and glitches than 2K5? Sega is just trying to attract a larger audience as they know people have been playing EA for a while and likely won't switch to another series with the same price tag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 I think the price is lower because they are confident that they have a superior product. Not enough people give the series a chance, as they go for the "name brand". So, putting the game at $20 will see a lot more people will give it a shot or make an impulse purchase. It's a shame that the bugs, glitches, and interface still turn some people off but I'll bet (and I'll bet they are betting) even more people get hooked on the gameplay and decide to stay with the series for that reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilsfan26 Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 I have espn nhl 2k5, and it is definitely an incredible game. The reports of glitches and freezing problems kind of scare me, but I had absolutely no problems with 2K4, so hopefully I get just as lucky this year, too. It also seems as though some people are finding ways to get around these freezing problems and glitches and whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 I don't really know since I have not had a single crash or freeze-up, but from what I have read, the freezing problem is avoidable. It has something to do with injuries and lineups. That's why it happens more often when people sim entire seasons. The computer AI screws something up. If you monitor your own lineup or if you double check what it does you should be ok. I am not really sure. I think it was an Xbox specific problem too? I am not sure the details since I have a PS2 and no problems. Anyway, the solution is online for those with the problem. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It's got nothing to do with any of that, I have a PS2 and when I sim seasons I ALWAYS stop it when injuries happen to make every little lineup change (the one problem I have with simming seasons BTW is the backup goalie plays waaay too many games - Schwab would never get in 38 games in real life ), and mine still freezes up. And yeah it's got nothing to do with the price, EA games till last year were s*it. I wanted to bang my head on the wall when I bought NHL 2001 new and it turned out to be THE worst hockey game I'd ever played. Didn't buy another EA game for two years. 2004 was pretty decent, especially by EA standards but the ESPN 2K5 gameplay and presentation is actually better. The franchise glitch is the only real problem I've had with it, but other than that you can have loads of fun playing with all the unlockables and just exhibitions and season games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Puddy Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 The senior producer of the NHL series either was fired or quit. (It seems like he was fired from the tone of his message.) Hopefully we'll see big changes with 2006, especially since another generation of consoles is coming out. I just hope they're changes for the better. I've been playing the FIFA 2005 demo, and the ball control is really great. If they can apply some of those ideas to NHL 2006 (so my damned defensemen don't carry the puck over the blueline when I pass to them in the offensive zone), I'll be really happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 (edited) The senior producer of the NHL series either was fired or quit. (It seems like he was fired from the tone of his message.) Hopefully we'll see big changes with 2006, especially since another generation of consoles is coming out. I just hope they're changes for the better.I've been playing the FIFA 2005 demo, and the ball control is really great. If they can apply some of those ideas to NHL 2006 (so my damned defensemen don't carry the puck over the blueline when I pass to them in the offensive zone), I'll be really happy. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> EA's FIFA games do soccer even worse than their NHL counterparts do hockey. You should try the Winning Eleven series. It's easily the best sports game out there. Nothing even comes close. I wish KCET would try their genius at making a hockey game. Anyway, I also hope the EA NHL series gets on track one of these days. They have some cool licenses (WCH, Euro leagues) but they need to worry more about gameplay, instead of jersey textures, cutscenes, and other graphical minutia. Edited September 14, 2004 by Zero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squishyx Posted September 15, 2004 Share Posted September 15, 2004 i played nhl2k4 at my friends dorm, its an amazing game when it comes to game play, lightyears ahead of EA, but the biggest problem? its only for consoles and they leave the computer world out. thats why i think EA is so succesful, they have a gamming community that makes their own roster's, patches and can hex the game to their liking. they also have a much better dynsty mode IMO albiet i have no extensivly played nhl 2k4 or 2k5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekes Head Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 YES! I just got my NHL2005 today! Certainly didn't expect that, but I'm excited to pop the game in now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils731 Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 YES! I just got my NHL2005 today! Certainly didn't expect that, but I'm excited to pop the game in now <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Please let me know if you think its worth upgrading from 2004. -Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekes Head Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Well, I've just spent the past 20 minutes trying to figure out this Free4All feature...I mean, for some reason I can't change the control from keyboard to controller, and at that it won't let me change it from one player to two, three, or four. It's really frustrating the crap out of me, I can't figure it out for the life of me and the instruction booklet doesn't say jack about it...UGH! Otherwise, I'm a little disappointed in the controls -- they split the wrist and slap shot into two seperate controls instead of one, like it had always been. Kinda messes all the controls up for me. So far the gameplay is pretty nice...gonna take a while to get used to, so I'll need to play it more before I can really form a solid opinion about the game. BTW -- I have the PC version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils731 Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Thanks, I'm looking for the PC version too. -Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekes Head Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Thanks, I'm looking for the PC version too.-Scott <{POST_SNAPBACK}> One thing I can tell you already, the graphics are much improved as compared to NHL2004. The players actually LOOK like themselves (NHL2004 didn't have the best accuracy in players' faces), and some of the new features are pretty nice. Right now I'm really liking the "open ice support" function, where you can double team the opponent...it's cool as hell! Suffice to say I won't be getting much sleep tonight, I'm gonna be up playing this damn thing all night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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