VIDEO GAME REVIEW Hockey fans, take heart

'ESPN NHL 2K5' offers a new and highly entertaining party mode.
By JIM SCOTT
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The NHL season may be on hold because of the owner's lockout, but "ESPN NHL 2K5" should help entertain hockey fans until the puck drops again.
The series has earned top marks over the last three years and "ESPN NHL 2K5" furthers the effort with new features and improvements that outweigh a few minor flaws.
For $20, "NHL 2K5" offers standard quick game and franchise modes as well as the best online hockey, an expanded Skybox mode, international hockey tournaments and a great new party mode.
Franchise mode gives you the freedom to hire coaches and scouting personnel, make trades, sign free agents and draft players.
"NHL 2K5" has top-notch graphics. From dekes to body checks, the animations are all beautifully rendered.
While a bit repetitious, the play-by-play and color commentary provided by Gary Thorne and Bill Clement is as good as it gets for a sports video game.
What's new
"NHL 2K5," rated E and available for Xbox and PlayStation 2, offers a new and highly entertaining Party Mode, a collection of mini games which includes a hockey skills competition.
"NHL 2K5" is an incredibly realistic simulation because of its remarkable controls and a perfect balance of offensive and defensive game play.
"NHL 2K5" has fine tuned the computer's artificial intelligence to increase goal scoring.
On defense, new "Intense Contact" features let you initiate various hooks and slashes as you move toward a skater. There's a catch -- it draws far too many penalties.
The more you antagonize your opponent, the higher the new Tension Meter rises. Higher tension leads to faster action and more fights.
Fighting has been improved as well with a new stamina meter to keep the fisticuffs from turning into button mashing drills.
Three and a half stars out of four.