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ESPN NHL 2K5 for PlayStation 2
ESPN NHL 2K5 for PlayStation 2 combines ice hockey matches with running a club. On the ice, you find space for a pass, move the puck past a defender and try to beat the goalie with a well-chosen shot. Intense Contact Control lets you pressure opponents through physical contact and disrupt their skating path. That also requires restraint: if you miss the puck or abandon your position, the attack can simply pass you by.
Franchise takes your attention beyond the next result. You negotiate contracts, assemble a coaching staff and monitor prospects through scouting. Developing players in the minor-league teams also receives attention. A signing therefore needs to fit your plans and available money. You can guide a team across several seasons, while individual matches and skills events leave room for shorter sessions. Those events let you practise shooting accuracy, puck control or a skater's speed, for example.
Party contains fifteen ice hockey minigames with objectives different from those of a normal match. Up to four participants can take part. Three or four local players require a PS2 Multitap and a controller for each person. A regular two-player match can be played with two controllers. The ESPN presentation, with commentary by Gary Thorne and Bill Clement, connects club management and matches to the atmosphere of a sports broadcast.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 2 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
ESPN NHL 2K5 for PlayStation 2 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of ESPN NHL 2K5
Kush Games developed ESPN NHL 2K5 within the sports organisation around Visual Concepts. The game appeared in North America in 2004 and reached Europe in early 2005. Sega and Global Star Software were involved in publishing and distribution. The number in the title therefore belongs to the hockey year, while the regional release dates differed. On PlayStation 2, this instalment followed ESPN NHL Hockey and continued the partnership with the sports broadcaster.
Development focused both on the ice and on the organisation surrounding it. Intense Contact Control gave physical defence its own place in the controls. The expanded Franchise, meanwhile, let you use scouts and coaches to discover and develop talent. This gave the roster significance beyond the players taking part in the most important matches at that moment. Negotiating monetary contracts linked personnel decisions to the club's longer-term policies.
Party brought another approach into the same release: short objectives and puck-based minigames alongside full matches and seasons. The ESPN styling held the different elements together as a recognisable television product. The series' business environment subsequently changed, and sequels appeared under the 2K Sports name. ESPN NHL 2K5 preserves the combination from this period: an extensive club campaign, separate skills events and the contemporary ESPN presentation. Its original online components are not offered here as a currently functioning service.
Similar games for PlayStation 2
NHL 2K7 shares ESPN NHL 2K5's attention to positioning and defensive control. In the later game, ProControl and Pressure Control provide further ways to direct player behaviour. ESPN NHL 2K5 also has its own emphasis through the fifteen Party minigames and ESPN broadcast. The similarity lies in combining individual actions with team decisions; the extra activities and the way a match is presented differ.
NHL 2K9 likewise connects directly controlled hockey matches to a Franchise in which you follow a club over a longer period. The PS2 version offers a choice between controls using the standard action buttons and a layout making greater use of the shoulder buttons. ESPN NHL 2K5 has its own contact controls and Party collection. Both therefore offer more than a single match, but the control choices and short challenges around the main competition take different forms.
NHL 2001 on PS2 also offers NHL teams, directly controlled matches and a season in which player decisions matter. Its separate shootout lets you practise scoring attempts without playing an entire match. ESPN NHL 2K5 develops longer-term club management further through scouting, coaches and player development in minor-league teams. Their shared foundation is ice hockey with a recognisable competition; decisions between matches and additional challenges make the main difference.
NHL 2003 also combines a longer Franchise with hockey on the ice, but uses Dynamic Deke and the GameBreaker meter to give attacking actions a clear reward. ESPN NHL 2K5 instead gives additional attention to disrupting opponents through Intense Contact Control. Both demand good positioning and timing when you have the puck. The difference becomes apparent as an attack develops: through a built-up bonus in NHL 2003 or through contact and team movement in this 2K release.
NHL 06 shares the idea of directly controlled matches and long-term club development with ESPN NHL 2K5. EA's Dynasty connects several seasons to transfers, staff and finances. On the ice, NHL 06 uses the right stick for special shots, while ESPN NHL 2K5 gives contact actions and defensive disruption their own place. Both have extra options for short sessions, but the ESPN game's fifteen Party minigames form a separate collection with their own match rules.
