Nhl 2004 or espn hockey?

[STL FANATIC]

Ok, guys, I'm pretty sure it's been discussed before, but I think I'm about to pick on of these up soon, and I'd like to know which is better. I'm getting it for PS2. Also, which one is easier to get roster updates?

[STL FANATIC]

Where can you download these rosters, and what are they options with jerseys?

[-kj]

NHL Depot is a good spot to download stuff, I have the link at home.

I just picked up NHL 2004 earlier this week.  I know the stuff posted on here was leaning towards ESPN, but I've played the EA games for years, and know the brand so well.

The visual presentation in EA is AMAZING.  The game play, however, is much more complex.  I'm used to being able to stick to mostly four-button play, with the extra buttons (L1, R1, etc) being used for special stuff.  But now there's just too much available to do--poke checking and hooking being different buttons, etc.  The first few times I played it on "Easy," I was just getting creamed.  I downloaded an AI update that someone had put together for the Dynasty mode which made it much more fair, and the game play much more balanced and realistic.

They seem to have made it a little more difficult to extract the images from the graphics files, though it can still be done.  Unfortunately, I haven't found any templates for jerseys and equipment yet, or I'd've probably tried to put a few teams in there.  It looks like they simplified the way that the jersey files are laid out, back closer to how it used to be in 2002 and earlier, rather than the more complicated 2003 version.

Did I mention how visually stunning the game is?  It's amazing.

[Discrim]

ESPN, i'll tell ya, it's solid in the features department-good franchise mode, lots of historical uniforms, several historic teams including the 91 blues, the all star skills challenge, and just a plopload of stuff. I'd check Thunderpuck for info if i were you....matter of fact, i did. anyways, the gameplay got screwed up somewhere in the transition of changing developers, so teams will be taking like 90% one-timers, goalies are rated in a way that they are homogenized(basically, all goalies will more or less play the same way), and another thing about the netminders: the 'Super goalie' turned me off from EA's NHL series, haven't played that since the 2002 game. Supes arrives in ENH at the two hardest levels...just check a replay of a hard slapper (you don't see the puck going in the glove, it 'teleports' inside it). most of it can be edited, again refer to TP.

If you ask my opinion...wait, you did, sort of...anyways, i'm gonna actually go out on a limb and suggest you consider Hitz Pro...no joke. I won't try to screw you over, a complete sim it's not, but the game itself plays a damn good game of hockey. plus, the sliders can be edited to either be the all out arcade game it started out as, or be as simlike as they could get it...and again, for more than i can throw your way, refer to TP. The goalies here...just beautiful! What i wanna know is how the keepers in an 'arcade' game are more realistic than their counterparts in the two 'sims.' it's not even funny...just rent and compare, is my final verdict.

[STL FANATIC]

Thanks guys. From what I have read all over I'm leaning towards ESPN. I'm looking for a complete sim as possible, and what I read says that it is best at that. I do plan to rent before buying though.

Again, thanks for the help.

[Phil]

As far as graphics editing though, from what I can tell and know from personal experience, EA's NHL series is the way to go. The EA Graphics Editor from nba-live.com works for the NBA Live series as well as the NHL series (built for both), and the templates, tutorials, etc, and just the graphics modding community in general seems to be more established for EA.

I'm an EA Sports guy. Never have bought another brand, except a couple of Nintendo 64 games like 1080, Griffey Slugfest, and Blitz 2001, and I never will (unless EA goes out of business or I have a seriously bad experience.

[dwertman]

We rented an X-Box and NHL Rivals 2004 a month ago,and it was quite choice.So we had to buy and X-box lol.

[STL FANATIC]

Now I'm back leaning towards EA because I seem to see more roster downloads maybe, I dunno...

[-kj]

Can you do the editing for the PS2?  I didn't notice the first time I read your post that you're getting the PS2 version; I'm using the PC version of EA.

[STL FANATIC]

Yeah, as much as I'd love it, I don't think I'm gonna be able to edit graphics much either way. I can't do PC, cuz companies are too ignorant to try it on the Mac.

Right now I seem to like everything ESPN offers best. I will apparently need to play with the settings a little, but it seems to me like I want ESPN. The only question is being able to get updated rosters, and for how long.

[Discrim]

Right now I seem to like everything ESPN offers best. I will apparently need to play with the settings a little, but it seems to me like I want ESPN. The only question is being able to get updated rosters, and for how long.

Well STL, i'll help you out a little, got some slider settings a couple weeks ago while trying to find settings that let me spend my hour playing instead of editing, so here we go:(edit-i forgot whose they are, but they're not mine, i'm not that patient with editing and such.  these settings seem to work best on teh hardest level, idk why...anything not listed, i figure it's up to you)

Game Speed - 1

Period Length - 8 mins

Penalties - 5

Fighting - 3

Puck Friction - 5

Ice Friction - 5

Freeze Puck time - 1

Glass Breaking Frequency - 2

Human goalie skill - 3 (although I've just lowered it to 2)

CPU goalie skill - 0

Human defense skill - 3

CPU defense skill - 3

Human offence skill - 10

CPU offence skill - 9

All speed burst sliders - 3

Human/CPU fatigue effect - 10

Human/CPU fatigue recovery - 2

Human/CPU hitting power - 3

Human shot accuracy - 10

CPU shot accuracy - 7

Human pass accuracy - 9

CPU pass accuracy - 7

Human/CPU pass speed - 8

Human pass interception - 8

CPU pass interception - 6

Human rebounds - 6

CPU rebounds - 8

Human shot blocking - 9

CPU shot blocking - 7

Human puck retention - 4

CPU puck retention - 2

Human puck control - 5

CPU puck control - 3

now if i remembered what ratings to give M-A Fleury and the other rookies, i'd set ya.  As i forget at the moment, just check the best hockey sites ya know and go from there.