Hartford Whaler logo in NHL 06

[Perfect Zero]

I guess the real difference in EA and 2kx is that when you play EA, you either feel like you were given the win, or the game played "catch-up" in the last quarter of play, and you lost when you should of won. 2kx doesn't have that problem, it's either close all the way, or it's a blowout for both sides all game.

[pagan696]

NHLPA '94 (super nintendo) was the best, Pitt was pretty loaded too.

wether up north or in raleigh, either way the leauge should contract at least 8 teams to make the NHL better. bring down the costs too. even if it means making it a regional sport for up-north markets only, it make for a better overall pro sport. keep the minors spread all over to keep interest in the players moving up/down.

my 2cents.

[Sterling84]

NFL 2k5 is TWENTY times better than Madden 06

Ummm....no. No it isn't. Madden is so far superior it's ridiculous.

Ah, yeah, yeah it is. Get off the EA hype machine and look at a real sports game made by SEGA/2K Sports. THeir hockey is the best, their football is the best (thus the reason EA bought the exclusive NFL licence), basketball again the best.

there hockey is the best? the players skate like they have no joints way to stiff and the graphic's aren't even close. NHL 06 is the bomb! got if for christmas it's amazing! know i'm just waiting for Driver:Parallel Lines which comes out March 17th, 2006!

Graphics aren't everything. If you like EA hockey, you don't like REAL hockey!!! EA's goals scoring is too easy, the hitting is too often and too hard. The game is the hockey equivelant of NBA JAM. NHL 2Kx is a true hockey sim, even if the graphics are lacking, which they are not anyway.

NBA Jam

That's EXACTLY how I used to describe it.

And somehow the old ones (NHL 94 etc) were just as non-sim but didn't annoy anybody.

Plus, they insist on using those baseball announcer guys. Completely pulls me out of the hockey mood. 2K has Clement and Thorne (at least 05 and 04 did) and that alone almost makes the game perfect.

[Stampman]

I just hope somebody has the foresight to release a Winning Eleven-style football game in the near future. With full customization of the league, field dimensions (Canada, US, indoor), rules (remember when Madden used to allow late hits? I mean, it was a penalty, but now the action stops at the whistle, how lame) and all the stuff that used to be fun including logos.

Buying Madden at this point is like paying to go to a College bowl game. It just feeds the machine and perpetuates a corrupt system.

Well since EA is the only one making that sort of game for PC I really have no choice (well in a way I do--as I'm sticking with 2004, and the ease of 32 team custom franchises.)

Is it perfect? No, but it's still fun, and that's what I'm looking for in a game, fun.

I do find the process of creating a team and a league more fun than playing--I've created more helmets than I'll ever use--but it's a game and it's fun.

As to the full customization idea--the closest I've seen is Maximum football, which is for PC, not console--but who knows wwhen it'll ever come out--and apparently there's no franchise play--but more uni customization options than MAdden as well and CFL, NFL arena, or a mixture of rules.

Division Rivals looks cool too, if it ever comes out as well...

[SHaMROCK]

NFL 2k5 is TWENTY times better than Madden 06

Ummm....no. No it isn't. Madden is so far superior it's ridiculous.

Ah, yeah, yeah it is. Get off the EA hype machine and look at a real sports game made by SEGA/2K Sports. THeir hockey is the best, their football is the best (thus the reason EA bought the exclusive NFL licence), basketball again the best.

there hockey is the best? the players skate like they have no joints way to stiff and the graphic's aren't even close. NHL 06 is the bomb! got if for christmas it's amazing! know i'm just waiting for Driver:Parallel Lines which comes out March 17th, 2006!

Graphics aren't everything. If you like EA hockey, you don't like REAL hockey!!! EA's goals scoring is too easy, the hitting is too often and too hard. The game is the hockey equivelant of NBA JAM. NHL 2Kx is a true hockey sim, even if the graphics are lacking, which they are not anyway.

NBA Jam

That's EXACTLY how I used to describe it.

And somehow the old ones (NHL 94 etc) were just as non-sim but didn't annoy anybody.

Plus, they insist on using those baseball announcer guys. Completely pulls me out of the hockey mood. 2K has Clement and Thorne (at least 05 and 04 did) and that alone almost makes the game perfect.

The announcers are EVEN better now, here is the announce team history for the NHL 2Kx series...

NHL 2K (Dreamcast) - Bob Cole (PBP) Harry Neale (CC)

NHL 2K1 - **CANCELLED**

NHL 2K2 (Dreamcast) - Bob Miller (PBP) Mike Villani (CC)

NHL 2K3 (Xbox, PS2, GameCube) - Bill Clement (PBP) Gary Thorne (CC)

ESPN NHL Hockey 2K4 (Xbox, PS2) - Bill Clement (PBP) Gary Thorne (CC)

ESPN NHL 2K5 (Xbox, PS2) - Bill Clement (PBP) Gary Thorne (CC)

NHL 2K6 (Xbox, PS2) - Bob Cole (PBP) Harry Neale (CC)

[VitaminD]

NHLPA '94 (super nintendo) was the best, Pitt was pretty loaded too.

Absolutely, completely and totally right. I still bust out the old Super NES and play it from time to time. We played it for literally hundreds of hours through college. Buffalo and Washington were lethal.

[BJ Sands]

NHLPA '94 (super nintendo) was the best, Pitt was pretty loaded too.

Absolutely, completely and totally right. I still bust out the old Super NES and play it from time to time. We played it for literally hundreds of hours through college. Buffalo and Washington were lethal.

Actually, the Blackhawks were by far the best team in NHL '94. No question.

I'll always remember Ron Barr previewing the games. Good, but minimalist, times indeed...

As for the NHL '06/NHL 2k debate, I bought 06 and have mixed emotions. The game is fun and wide-open, but the defense has no idea what it's doing. So, I set all the defense's sliders up and kind of castrated (or so I thought) the offense. Doesn't matter. The average game is about 7-5. Fun game? Hell yeah. Realistic? No.

[FUNKAFIED]

NFL 2k5 is TWENTY times better than Madden 06

Ummm....no. No it isn't. Madden is so far superior it's ridiculous.

Ah, yeah, yeah it is. Get off the EA hype machine and look at a real sports game made by SEGA/2K Sports. THeir hockey is the best, their football is the best (thus the reason EA bought the exclusive NFL licence), basketball again the best.

there hockey is the best? the players skate like they have no joints way to stiff and the graphic's aren't even close. NHL 06 is the bomb! got if for christmas it's amazing! know i'm just waiting for Driver:Parallel Lines which comes out March 17th, 2006!

Graphics aren't everything. If you like EA hockey, you don't like REAL hockey!!! EA's goals scoring is too easy, the hitting is too often and too hard. The game is the hockey equivelant of NBA JAM. NHL 2Kx is a true hockey sim, even if the graphics are lacking, which they are not anyway.

NBA Jam

That's EXACTLY how I used to describe it.

And somehow the old ones (NHL 94 etc) were just as non-sim but didn't annoy anybody.

Plus, they insist on using those baseball announcer guys. Completely pulls me out of the hockey mood. 2K has Clement and Thorne (at least 05 and 04 did) and that alone almost makes the game perfect.

I must correct you on your 'baseball announcers' comment.

The NHL series for EA Sports has always used Jim Hughson, who did (and still does?, maybe a Canadian can help me out with this) Vancouver Canucks games on CTV Sportsnet. The color guy used to be former NHLer Darryl Reaugh, who did color for Fox Sports Southwest and Dallas Stars games. Craig Simpson now does the color for NHL 05 and 06, and he's a former NHL player.

EA's "MVP BASEBALL" series uses Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow who are the voices of San Francisco Giants baseball on KNBR in San Francisco. Hughson did do the PBP for the "Triple Play" series but he's a hockey announcer by trade.

So it was a hockey announcer doing baseball, not the other way around.

[Squeaks4]

Hello everyone. I hope you all had a good holiday. I got NHL 06 for Christmas and there is mode where you can play the original NHL 94 game. Anyway, I was scrolling throgh the teams and I came acroos the Whalers. The logo looked like a navy C or H with a sort of siver blade to the left. Has anybody else seen this? (I can't find any pictures.)

Can I break up the pointless EA/2k talk for a second and ask how you get to this mode in NHL 06? I just got the game and remember reading this post but can't seem to find it.

[CS85]

Best hockey games ever were Blades of Steel for nes and NHL 95 for sega genesis.

Best football game ever is madden 06. People hate it because they hate the qb vision, or fell in love with 2k5. Madden 05 was okay, but 06 is clearly better. ESPN 2k5 was fun, but it was too much work just to play one game. They had great ideas with the highlights and pre/postgame interviews, but there just wasn't enough to warrant being superior. It was better than Madden 2005, but not better than 06.

[Max Power]

The best hockey game was either NHLPA '93 or NHL '94. NHLPA showed highlights of other games between the periods, something that, to my knowledge, no other sports game has ever done- and that was on Genesis in the early 90's!!

Anyway, EA use to make the best sports games all around until the late 90's. Since then they've been hit and miss. NCAA football and MVP baseball have been great lately. NHL and NCAA basketball have been terrible. NHL 2k6 blows NHL '06 out of the water, as far as game play goes. NHL '06 does still own as far as graphics go. I don't buy games for graphics though.

So does anyone have a pic of the Hartford Hurricanes logo. I'm curious.

[Frankie]

Hello everyone. I hope you all had a good holiday. I got NHL 06 for Christmas and there is mode where you can play the original NHL 94 game. Anyway, I was scrolling throgh the teams and I came acroos the Whalers. The logo looked like a navy C or H with a sort of siver blade to the left. Has anybody else seen this? (I can't find any pictures.)

Can I break up the pointless EA/2k talk for a second and ask how you get to this mode in NHL 06? I just got the game and remember reading this post but can't seem to find it.

You can only play this mode in NHL 06 for PS2.

[BJ Sands]

The best hockey game was either NHLPA '93 or NHL '94. NHLPA showed highlights of other games between the periods, something that, to my knowledge, no other sports game has ever done- and that was on Genesis in the early 90's!!

I think Madden 95 or 96 had highlights, too.

[Squeaks4]

Thanks for the info Frankie...little weird it is only for the PS2 but oh well...

BJ Sands

On a side note, I have to ask, is that girl in your icon the crazy spelling bee champion chick?

[illinirox1]

I suspect that NHL2k6 is much more accurate to the actual feel of the game than NHL 06 is. I realize that they didn't have much time to actually implement the changes in the NHL this year, but it seems like a severe throw-in to have the trapezoid behind the net and some added animations. The penalties are also still called like a mid-90's Devils-Flyers game, i.e. not at all, even with the sliders jacked up all the way. Also the shot totals are way off. I will freely admit that I pretty much suck at the game, but there is no way Florida should outshoot Buffalo 65-20 with 10 minute periods.

I was just playing the game and also noticed the shots were off. So I started counting, after reading your post yesterday. I think the "shots" stat is not SOG, but shots, period. Including when a player is checked while shooting. I think that EA was lazy and just counts every time the computer makes the decision to shoot.

'06 still has cooler craphics, though, and the skill stick. That's why I got it.

[IceCap]

The best hockey game was either NHLPA '93 or NHL '94. NHLPA showed highlights of other games between the periods, something that, to my knowledge, no other sports game has ever done- and that was on Genesis in the early 90's!!

I think Madden 95 or 96 had highlights, too.

NHL 06 does this as well. Also, I've now played both, NHL2K6 is an ok hockey game, but NHL '06 is, IMO, just a better overal game.

The best hockey game has to be NHL 02...or was it 03? It was the one with Olan Nolan on the cover. I wish I had keept that game...

[steiny_ramone]

The best hockey game was either NHLPA '93 or NHL '94. NHLPA showed highlights of other games between the periods, something that, to my knowledge, no other sports game has ever done- and that was on Genesis in the early 90's!!

I think Madden 95 or 96 had highlights, too.

NHL 06 does this as well. Also, I've now played both, NHL2K6 is an ok hockey game, but NHL '06 is, IMO, just a better overal game.

The best hockey game has to be NHL 02...or was it 03? It was the one with Olan Nolan on the cover. I wish I had keept that game...

it was NHL 01 that has nolan on the cover. That one was pretty sweet. i have it for PC.

[IceCap]

The best hockey game was either NHLPA '93 or NHL '94. NHLPA showed highlights of other games between the periods, something that, to my knowledge, no other sports game has ever done- and that was on Genesis in the early 90's!!

I think Madden 95 or 96 had highlights, too.

NHL 06 does this as well. Also, I've now played both, NHL2K6 is an ok hockey game, but NHL '06 is, IMO, just a better overal game.

The best hockey game has to be NHL 02...or was it 03? It was the one with Olan Nolan on the cover. I wish I had keept that game...

it was NHL 01 that has nolan on the cover. That one was pretty sweet. i have it for PC.

Whatever year it was, it ruled. The announce team is funny as hell.

Best. Hockey. Game. Ever.