Official NHL2K5 Impressions Thread!!!

[Sudz]

i'm not too happy about the 1-timer fest this is online....

[James_E]

I'm a bit one-timer happy myself right now. Sorry if I pissed you off with it last night Sudz. I don't think all my goals were one timers though, even if I tried alot.

I had some cool goals against Zeppo, off of shots from the point.

I really have to learn how to play defense. I run around like a headless chicken getting all my players out of position.

[Sudz]

I'm a bit one-timer happy myself right now. Sorry if I pissed you off with it last night Sudz. I don't think all my goals were one timers though, even if I tried alot.

I had some cool goals against Zeppo, off of shots from the point.

I really have to learn how to play defense. I run around like a headless chicken getting all my players out of position.

no...not you. i was involved in a 12-6 game that was chock full o' 1-timers.

and what the f*** is the deal with the D hanging out OUTSIDE the offensive zone? i use my points often and having them set up outside the zone is making that impossible.

[Diablo25]

I have a widescreen HDTV set to 480p and had a flawless online game last night. I lost but no lag/disconnects.

[tjung0831]

I'm a bit one-timer happy myself right now. Sorry if I pissed you off with it last night Sudz. I don't think all my goals were one timers though, even if I tried alot.

I had some cool goals against Zeppo, off of shots from the point.

I really have to learn how to play defense. I run around like a headless chicken getting all my players out of position.

no...not you. i was involved in a 12-6 game that was chock full o' 1-timers.

and what the f*** is the deal with the D hanging out OUTSIDE the offensive zone? i use my points often and having them set up outside the zone is making that impossible.

Glad i'm not the only one noticing this. Many times i've had the puck in the corner and tried to send it back to the points only to see my Dman standing there jerking off over by the penalty box...WTF is up with that? Maybe a team strategy setting needs to change or something but it can be quite frustrating at times.

Tim

[Jimmydeicide]

did you know your opponnent ? Does he have a widescreen too maybe?

Im thinking it is when the game is trying too sync 2 different setups is probly why .

It could well just be the game, i realy dont like this developer at all. VC should fuk em off.

Im already getting that 2k4 feeling , and its not a good one.

[Zeppo]

Jimmy, his oponnent was me. PK that was the first time i had any d/c problems whatsoever with this game, in the 2 days I've had it. Not long, not many games. And what was really weird was when i was the home team, that game was fine 100%. When you were home, we couldn't get through the first period. Strange.

I was thankful for some of those d/c's though. Some of those sweaters were burning my retinas!!!!!!!

I still can't figure out how to get the game to save my controller settings for online play.

And it really bugs me, oh so much, that the game will not save my presentation settings. No matter what I try, it won't save the sound mix or camera settings in the 'settings' save file. That comined with the game's need to reset all the settings when I go from online to offline is really driving me up the wall. Strangely, both EA games, Madden and NCAA, have a similar issue, where they reset the sound setting adjustments. I have to actively load my settings upon booting those games to get back my sound adjustments. It's almost like the initial 'loading settings' only load gameplay settings and ignores the sound mix. I can't decide with the EA games if it's a bug, or deliberate. I can only hope in the Sega game it is a bug. It sure is bugging the hell out of me. And at least in the EA games, the sound settings are saved and can be loaded, whereas in the Sega NHL it just doesn't seem to save the sound settings at all!!!

Oh and one more thing, the refs seem to have a reall dislike of the home teams. I've been seeing a lot more penalties for the home team than the visitors. I don't know if this is a real trend or not, I haven't played enough games with enough different teams. But last night it really started feeling like that to me. With my lowly Caps, I'm averaging about 30PMs every game (ranked online, 5min. periods). Annoyingly, however, the PPs are so short, that they hardly matter at all. I can't figure out how to adjust that PP length thing for online games.

[RallyMonkey]

Sudz wrote:
James_E wrote:
I'm a bit one-timer happy myself right now. Sorry if I pissed you off with it last night Sudz. I don't think all my goals were one timers though, even if I tried alot.

I had some cool goals against Zeppo, off of shots from the point.

I really have to learn how to play defense. I run around like a headless chicken getting all my players out of position.


no...not you. i was involved in a 12-6 game that was chock full o' 1-timers.

and what the f*** is the deal with the D hanging out OUTSIDE the offensive zone? i use my points often and having them set up outside the zone is making that impossible.


Glad i'm not the only one noticing this. Many times i've had the puck in the corner and tried to send it back to the points only to see my Dman standing there jerking off over by the penalty box...WTF is up with that? Maybe a team strategy setting needs to change or something but it can be quite frustrating at times.

Tim


As a hockey coach and avid hockey gamer, this is my largest issue with the game. I teach my wings (on my real team, please don't think i'm talking to my virtual players--------other than the usual "skate you slow piece of S**T) to break the zone and look for a scoring chance. If it's not there, turn and look for the D or swing the net and look for the opposite D if the slot doesn't open up. Too often my D are just outside the zone and i get called for off sides. I can live with it because the rest of the game is just so damn sweet, but the few times this happens cause me to want to slam the controller into my head.

[Sudz]

"Too often my D are just outside the zone and i get called for off sides. I can live with it because the rest of the game is just so damn sweet, but the few times this happens cause me to want to slam the controller into my head."

yep.

huge issue in my opinion.

[pk500]

>>>Some of those sweaters were burning my retinas!!!!!!!<<<

LOL! I don't know which was worse -- the 1917-18 Ottawa rugby-shirt striped sweaters with the cat-sh*t-colored pants, or the 1982 "Team Burger King" Vancouver unis with the bright yellow-gold sweaters and pants.

Both were hideous!

Take care,
PK

[tsunami]

I also think Db was right about that money goal he mentioned.

Isn't that bullsh*t...I'm kinda pissed I found that. Now when I need a goal I know what I'm instictively gonna do. CRAP.

I missed this...what money goal are we talking about?

[tsunami]

One thing that bugs me is that anyone in the league will drop the gloves...anyone. Sucks.

This is definitely a problem...I had a game where Lecavalier and Sergei Samsonov squared off TWICE in a span of about 10 minutes. Absolutley ridiculous! I guess there might be some "revenge" factor since you do see fighters square off more than once in a real NHL game. But, I'm not giving Sega the benefit of the doubt with this one, especially considering the players involved.

I usually turn fighting off in games, and I think I'll do the same here from now on...especially if it's going to cost me my best players.

[tsunami]

"Too often my D are just outside the zone and i get called for off sides. I can live with it because the rest of the game is just so damn sweet, but the few times this happens cause me to want to slam the controller into my head."

yep.

huge issue in my opinion.

I agree...it's been a problem since the beginning of this series. I'm not sure how that escapes the developers time and again and why it is seemingly never addressed of fixed.

[dbdynsty25]

Tsu, from page 4:

Back to NHL...I have found a money goal. If you don't want to hear it...don't read this:

As LW was scrumming along the boards with a defenseman, he got out of the scrum with the puck and let loose with a cannon from right next to the boards, about 15 feet from the end line at an almost impossible angle. Sure enough, 4 out of the 5 times the puck went top shelf and beat the keeper.

[pk500]

Tsu:

I guess I'll separate from the rest of the pucks' purists when it comes to the fights: I love them.

It's the "gamey" part of the game that I really like. Zeppo and I played some really exciting hockey between the disconnects last night, and that was big fun. But the two scraps we had were fun as hell, too.

Fighting was dopey in past hockey video games. But the fighting controls in ESPN NHL 2K5 provide more freedom and more options than any other console pucks game I've played, so the occasional fight is fun. I don't want six scraps in each game, but one or two fights per game are a riot!

As for you cats having a bunch of brawls, are you using the right stick for cheap shots often? You must be, building the aggression of your players to boiling point in a hurry.

Take care,
PK

[TRI]

If anyone disagrees with this please chime in.

All you gotta do is check the NL Pitching stats this year...the Braves are first in ERA.

First in the league in ERA (tied w/ St. Louis)
2nd in the NL in Wins
3rd in the league in OPS.

No other NL teams, or ML team for that matter is in the top three in those categories except St. Louis (which you happened to discard as not having enough pitching for the playoffs). I don't get it man...the two teams you say don't have enough pitching are in the top three in the three most important pitching categories statistically.

Back to NHL...I have found a money goal. If you don't want to hear it...don't read this:

As LW was scrumming along the boards with a defenseman, he got out of the scrum with the puck and let loose with a cannon from right next to the boards, about 15 feet from the end line at an almost impossible angle. Sure enough, 4 out of the 5 times the puck went top shelf and beat the keeper.

Turn the shot accuracy slider down.

[tsunami]

4. do the cpu teams play like their real life counterparts?


4. Not really...it's pretty generic. There doesn't seem to be much variation from team to team.

This is one of my biggest beefs with this game. None of the teams seem to play any differently than the others. None of the players seem to pay any differently than the others. There doesn't seem to be any differentiation in skill level among teams or players. I don't notice any difference between an All-Star caliber player and a fourth line player, other than speed. And speed seems to be the biggest difference maker in these games. This isn't anymore apparent than in the jump from the Pro to the All-Star levels. The first thing you will notice is how much faster all of the CPU players are than yours. It's an obvious speed cheat which results in the CPU being tougher to play and getting an advantage.

Along the same lines, the CPU only seems to try to score in the same fashion every game, regardless of team or difficulty level. So, every game, regadless of teams or players, feels the same. Overall, the experience feels very bland since there is no difference no matter who I choose to play.

Obviously, I realize that I can play online or multiplayer, but I that is not always an option. And, unfortunately this game doesn't have the best feature of NL 2K5...the VIP system.

[pk500]

>>>This is one of my biggest beefs with this game. None of the teams seem to play any differently than the others.<<<

Agree 100 percent.

>>>None of the players seem to pay any differently than the others.<<<

Disagree 100 percent.

Play with or against Vancouver, for example. Bertuzzi will be an absolute BEAST along the boards, crushing guys to get the puck or being nearly impossible to dislodge the puck from when he's protecting the puck.

Same with Lemieux. He will dipsy-doodle through the offensive zone and make better passes than a fourth-line center.

Jagr is a terror in this game, too. He's very tough to stop due to his combination of skill, balance and strength, which I think this game simulates well in his case.

I don't think there's enough differentiation among all players, for sure. But to say there's none is exaggerating. The bruisers will crush more than the small guys, and the exceptionally gifted skaters will create more scoring chances than the fourth-liners.

Take care,
PK

[tsunami]

Tsu, from page 4:

Back to NHL...I have found a money goal. If you don't want to hear it...don't read this:

As LW was scrumming along the boards with a defenseman, he got out of the scrum with the puck and let loose with a cannon from right next to the boards, about 15 feet from the end line at an almost impossible angle. Sure enough, 4 out of the 5 times the puck went top shelf and beat the keeper.

Thanks...I missed it since it was mixed in with some baseball stuff.

I'll check it out and see what I get with it. I do have my shot accuracy turned way down for both sides, so we'll see if it can be recreated with these sliders.

[tsunami]

Disagree 100 percent.

Play with or against Vancouver, for example. Bertuzzi will be an absolute BEAST along the boards, crushing guys to get the puck or being nearly impossible to dislodge the puck from when he's protecting the puck.

Same with Lemieux. He will dipsy-doodle through the offensive zone and make better passes than a fourth-line center.

Jagr is a terror in this game, too. He's very tough to stop due to his combination of skill, balance and strength, which I think this game simulates well in his case.

I don't think there's enough differentiation among all players, for sure. But to say there's none is exaggerating. The bruisers will crush more than the small guys, and the exceptionally gifted skaters will create more scoring chances than the fourth-liners.

Take care,
PK

I'm just not seeing it...I have no more fear of a "skilled" player than I do of a fourth line player (that is if they ever see the ice - have to change the fatigue sliders). The only players I fear are speed players since they are able to weave around my defensemen and quickly charge the net. So, yes, gifted skaters will create more scoring chances since they are faster and quicker. I do not see any playmaker type players at all. I have also played against some "power forward" type players and have not noticed them play anymore physically than other smaller players. Everyone seems to play on the same level. At least that has been my observation.

Anyone else noticing any distinct differentiation among the types of players (ie. skill or power or defensive)?

I'll be playing some more games in the next few days and I'll see if anything jumps out at me.

[TRI]

4. do the cpu teams play like their real life counterparts?


4. Not really...it's pretty generic. There doesn't seem to be much variation from team to team.

This is one of my biggest beefs with this game. None of the teams seem to play any differently than the others. None of the players seem to pay any differently than the others. There doesn't seem to be any differentiation in skill level among teams or players. I don't notice any difference between an All-Star caliber player and a fourth line player, other than speed. And speed seems to be the biggest difference maker in these games. This isn't anymore apparent than in the jump from the Pro to the All-Star levels. The first thing you will notice is how much faster all of the CPU players are than yours. It's an obvious speed cheat which results in the CPU being tougher to play and getting an advantage.

Along the same lines, the CPU only seems to try to score in the same fashion every game, regardless of team or difficulty level. So, every game, regadless of teams or players, feels the same. Overall, the experience feels very bland since there is no difference no matter who I choose to play.

Obviously, I realize that I can play online or multiplayer, but I that is not always an option. And, unfortunately this game doesn't have the best feature of NL 2K5...the VIP system.

Are these problems not also present in NHL 2004 and yet you seemed to love NHL 2004? Could it be that you see these problems because this is not an EA hockey game?

[pk500]

All I know is that I'm very well aware of when Bertuzzi is on the ice against me. Same with Jagr.

In theory, you're right. There's not enough differentiation in play styles among "regular" players. But I definitely notice guys like Bertuzzi and Jagr, and I also notice less-talented crushers like Mike Grier and Georges Laraque being able to nail more guys in the corners than someone like Saku Koivu.

Take care,
PK

[dbdynsty25]

That is one thing that I like about EA's offering last year. They had superstar players and those guys were considered "heros" at the end of the game. Whether it gave them a ratings boost or what, it made them the guys you had to focus on stopping in the close game. The better players were definitely better (more accurate shooting, passing, holding onto the puck, etc.). They had the little shield icon to tell ya who the stars were and you had to try to shut them down or else give up a pretty sure goal if they have a good look from the slot.

EDIT: TRI...I just noticed you mentioned it not being in 2004...it IS. And I normally am an EA Hater. I just like EA's game a little better.

[tsunami]

4. do the cpu teams play like their real life counterparts?


4. Not really...it's pretty generic. There doesn't seem to be much variation from team to team.

This is one of my biggest beefs with this game. None of the teams seem to play any differently than the others. None of the players seem to pay any differently than the others. There doesn't seem to be any differentiation in skill level among teams or players. I don't notice any difference between an All-Star caliber player and a fourth line player, other than speed. And speed seems to be the biggest difference maker in these games. This isn't anymore apparent than in the jump from the Pro to the All-Star levels. The first thing you will notice is how much faster all of the CPU players are than yours. It's an obvious speed cheat which results in the CPU being tougher to play and getting an advantage.

Along the same lines, the CPU only seems to try to score in the same fashion every game, regardless of team or difficulty level. So, every game, regadless of teams or players, feels the same. Overall, the experience feels very bland since there is no difference no matter who I choose to play.

Obviously, I realize that I can play online or multiplayer, but I that is not always an option. And, unfortunately this game doesn't have the best feature of NL 2K5...the VIP system.

Are these problems not also present in NHL 2004 and yet you seemed to love NHL 2004? Could it be that you see these problems because this is not an EA hockey game?

NO it could not. I am not biased towards one game company or another. I could care less if some 10 yr. old programmed a game in his basement...if it's a good game it's a good game. I don't care who makes it. By the same token, I could assume that you do not see these things because you have a loyalty to Sega games. Is that a logical or valid assumption? No. Which is why I don't question a person's opinion with hints of bias or brand loyalty.

IMO, NHL 2004 on PC represented teams and players more accurately, especially the different types of players. They even went out of their way to signify which players were what type of player (ie. shooter, banger, speed guy, etc..) with little icons over their names.

Did they get it 100% right? Of course not. But I think their effort last year (and hopefully improved this year) offered a better differentiation among teams and players.

Why does brand bias always have to come into question?

[tsunami]

That is one thing that I like about EA's offering last year. They had superstar players and those guys were considered "heros" at the end of the game. Whether it gave them a ratings boost or what, it made them the guys you had to focus on stopping in the close game. The better players were definitely better (more accurate shooting, passing, holding onto the puck, etc.). They had the little shield icon to tell ya who the stars were and you had to try to shut them down or else give up a pretty sure goal if they have a good look from the slot.

EDIT: TRI...I just noticed you mentioned it not being in 2004...it IS. And I normally am an EA Hater. I just like EA's game a little better.

Exactly! But for me it has nothing to do with whether EA made it or not. I could care less who made it. IMO it had better gameplay and features like those mentioned above that made it a better game for me. That is the main reason I am excited about this year's version.

But, did that stop me from buying Sega's game and trying it out?