EA vs ESPN ----> NHL 2005

Null · 08-17-2004, 01:44 PM

well, reviews and comparisons are coming in...

Which will you be getting?

EGM Scores -
EA NHL 2005 [ 6.0 ; 6.0 ; 7.0 ]
ESPN NHL 2005 [ 8.5 ; 8.5 ; 8.0 ]

Price -
EA [ 49.99 ]
ESPN [ 19.99 ; clear winner ]

Gamepro Comparisons -

Hockey Authenticity
*EA - The expected action-packed, arcade feel.
*ESPN - More realistic and true to the sport, but harder [Winner]

Career mode
*EA - RPG-like "video-game" approach
*ESPN - Fantasy hockey feel to building roster and staff [Winner]

Fighting
*EA - No meters; can opt in; great feel [Winner]
*ESPN - Great new redesign with tight new controls

Online
*EA - Tournaments and head to head only.
*ESPN - Clear winner - usuals plus leagues and even Party mode! [Winner]

Arcade mode
*EA- Free4all mode lacks creativity
*ESPN - Party mode mini-games absolutly rock! [Winner]

Skating/controls
*EA - Needs tuning- spastic, jerky feel
*ESPN - Butter-smooth and natural; handles instinctivly [Winner]

Checking
*EA - Difficult to line up and connect - needs tuning
*ESPN - Wins by a hair- hits connect easier but lack bone-crunching feel [Winner]

Graphics
*EA - Unbeatable gorgeus arenas, scary-real player faces and movements [Winner]
*ESPN - Respectable but lacks wow power.

Commentary
*EA - Same tired, no-name duo in the booth-EA needs to hire some pros
*ESPN - Gary Thorne and Bill Clement - hard to top the voices of hockey [Winner]

So which will you all be getting? my mind was made up after owning both NHL 2004 and ESPN hockey last season. ESPN was clearly better, and now with better online modes and a 19.99 price; damn, no way im saying no to that.

and i also expect some of the canadians here to come say thoes arent the voices of hockey. and i understand that but it was the magazine that said it, not me.

My choice. ESPN. Will i be seeing any of you online with me?

[Edit] For Joeiss, this is from Gamepro...

Espn's franchise mode is reaping the benefits of a stronge overhaul; the focus is on building your team and staff, so you can hire/fire coaches, move prospects between the minors and majors, squabble over contracts. Your minor-league team is now a fully functional team istead of just a holding pool, and scouting plays a much bigger role as you assign scouts to regions around the world, then take several different looks at promising players, even running them through some drills. It feels much more like a fantasy-sports approach, the kind of thing that sports nuts can really get lost in.

Release dates:
EA - 9.14 for PS2 // 9.20 for Xbox
ESPN - 8.30 for both PS2 and Xbox

Typhoid · 08-17-2004, 02:07 PM

About the commentators for EA. They arnt no-name commentators. The EA hockey games are made in Vancouver, and the commentators for all EA hockey games have been the Vancouver Canucks commentators. It doesnt bug me, probably because i always associate their voice with hockey anyways.

( You do know each team has its own commentators right? 2 guys dont do each team in Canada...)

The guys for the Canucks are Jim Hughson, and Jeff Garret, it used to be Jim Hughson and Don Taylor ( Don Taylor is the guy who would make the "funny" comments in the games.)

But meh. Just plain Meh. I like EA hockey games, i always have.

But i think i'll pick up both.

Im picking up EA because i love ea, and im picking up ESPN, just because its gonna be like $30 cdn...

Null · 08-17-2004, 02:10 PM

well no one said they werent involved with the sport. but as far as the hockey world is consirned, they're no name. same with any teams personal announcers.

i never minded EA's untill they got the goofy color comentary guy who made all the lame ass jokes thro the whole game. got sick of it then.

And it took me a while also to get over my EA attraction, i never wanted to let go of the EA brand name but once switched i havnt looked back yet. i felt like i was actually playing hockey again. instead of an arcade game.

Typhoid · 08-17-2004, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Null

well no one said they werent involved with the sport. but as far as the hockey world is consirned, they're no name. same with any teams personal announcers.

Every commentator is no-name to a city that doesnt listen or watch that particular team. I cant tell you ANY other teams commentators, because i dont listen to them, so thenn they are no name to me. Its geographical. And i think they pick the Canucks guys because geographically, they have to drive down the street to do the voice acting, instead of spending tons of money and flying " name brand" hockey announcers ( please name me some)

As the hockey world is conserned then Null, name me some top notch hockey announcers, and what team they announce for.

Null · 08-17-2004, 02:20 PM

lol. your missing it.

its not ANY teams.

Gary Thorne and Bill Clement are ESPN's announcers. thats a sports channel, a cable sports channel. they cover EVERY team, and whatever games they're assigned to they go and do a game a night thro the playoffs, US wise they're considered some of the best in the hockey world.

Now canada's announcers im not sure of. but im pretty sure i hear the same announcers covering different teams during 'Hockey Night in Canada'. They're not team specific, they're general announcers. thats what im talking about when i say the 'hockey world'

Don Cherry and his skinny sidekick, even tho they dont announce games, they'd be considered some of the best hockey analists? in the hockey world. They arent for any one team. they're for hockey in general.

No body knows any one elses personal team announcers except thier own city and fans.

Typhoid · 08-17-2004, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Null

lol. your missing it.

its not ANY teams.

Gary Thorne and Bill Clement are ESPN's announcers. thats a sports channel, a cable sports channel. they cover EVERY team, and whatever games they're assigned to they go and do a game a night thro the playoffs, US wise they're considered some of the best in the hockey world.

Now canada's announcers im not sure of. but im pretty sure i hear the same announcers covering different teams during 'Hockey Night in Canada'. They're not team specific, they're general announcers. thats what im talking about when i say the 'hockey world'

Don Cherry and his skinny sidekick, even tho they dont announce games, they'd be considered some of the best hockey analists? in the hockey world. They arent for any one team. they're for hockey in general.

No body knows any one elses personal team announcers except thier own city and fans.

Ive never heard of those first two commentators, possibly because i dont have satalite, so i dont get ESPN. And yes, Maclean and Cherry are well known, but they arnt Commentators, they are analysts, like you said.

And CBC i think has a few that do games, but you must remember, they dont do EVERY Canadian game, just 2 of them ( sometimes 1) every Saturday, i still have no idea who they are, because they only announce a mere fraction of Canuck games.

You do know, *cough* up here in Canada, we do have more than one channel that carries hockey. I think each Canadian team only has maybe, 7 games on CBC a year, ( not including playoffs) so the majority of games are announced by...yes.....the home team commentators.

Jim Hughson and John Garret do the announcing for Sportsnet Pacific, thats a sports channel too. The channel just happens to only carry Canuck games.