If it's not out by now where you are, it should be by tomorrow or Thursday at the latest.
Only played one game so far, then the shuffleboard mode in the skybox sucked me in for like 30 minutes. So far so good...for me, hockey games have always been a little less entertaining than football and basketball games. Just feels to me like you have less control over what's going on. But I'm digging it, especially for the 20 dollar price.
The "new fighting engine" feels pretty stiff to me, but when it's not the main focus of the game I guess I can't expect something as detailed as a UFC game for just that one part. As in the other ESPN games so far this year, the commentary is pretty good but the crowd reactions are kind of annoying...loud as hell one second, almost silent the next. And as usual, the XBox version lets you use your own music, which is great.
Compared to NFL 2k5's Crib, the Skybox doesn't have quite as many bells and whistles, but like I said above, the minigames in there might keep you occupied for longer than you expect.
Dunno if I'd recommend it if it wasn't 20 bucks, but I have little doubt this is the best hockey game available since Sega's has always been a little better than EA's, which is the only serious contender. Now I'm just waiting for the NBA game shows up in a month...that's the one I'm looking forward to the most.
Hockey fans need to get this game. The game plays really well. Its not the one check equals one guy on his ass like EA games, it is a lot more realistic of a game. The mini games in the skybox is fun, the party mode is freaking awesome, and the skills competition stuff is a lot of fun as well. The only complaints that I have is the fighting is a little tough, and in the unlockables they have a lot of old franchises but NO WHALE!! WATSUPWITDAT!
Lisa: Poor predicatble Bart, always picks rock Bart: Good ole rock, nothing beats that
Yeah, I picked it up last night and must say it's well worth the $20. I'm born & bred on EA's NHL series, so this is my first foray into another brand's hockey series. I appreciate the more realistic checking and puck handling and found it much more challenging than the last EA title I played. The ESPN presentation with Thorne/Clement was a bonus, too. Definitely room for improvement, but it's certainly a no-brainer purchase for $20.
Bought it last night on the it's-$20 bandwagon. Man, I could _easily_ have dropped another $160 last night on Phantom Brave, DW4: Empires, Star Ocean 3 and Street Fighter Anniversary... too few hours in the day.
I'm still megahooked on NFL 2K5, but this is on my to-do list. First impressions after a quick game were good.
"I'm convinced that Alan Keyes' Renew America is simply a front group for people who got fired from their local Arby's for coming into work drunk." -- Jesse Taylor, Pandagon
Just rented it the last few days and I like it. It's weird playing something other than EA at first but no big deal. I like the skybox and I love the skills competition. Gameplay is good and once you tweak the settings you feel right at home. Commentary is good, which I would definitely expect with the ESPN label no matter what the price tag. I don't know if I'd totally convert to this series yet, but as others have mentioned you can't go wrong for $20.
Vampiro gave a tomstone piledriver to the Midget Blue Monkey
This immediately and unequivocally makes him PUBLIC ENEMY #1