Espn's new version is a worthy upgrade to the series but still lacks some polish that should have been there.
User Rating: 8.9 | ESPN NHL 2K5 XBOX
Having played the heck out of 2k4 last year I was pretty excited for what was being offered in this year's version. Although it didn't turn out exactly as I was hoping it is still by far the best hockey game around...and only 20 beans to boot! The only gripes I have on the game is the unnacceptable drops in framerate on certain plays. I've played at least a dozen games so far and noticed the problem most on face-off's. Other than that I haven't seen any real drops in framerate which is a good thing. The franchise mode is definitely better than last year's. That being said I really do think it could have been better. Don't get me wrong...it's still a great mode and a welcome tweak to the game. All in all it's a worthy upgrade to the series. I do see some room for improvement and would have like to see some other fixes that weren't addressed with 2k4. You can lose buying this game if your a true hockey fan. If you don't like the way the game plays on default there are numerous sliders that actually WORK and make the game that much more enjoyable! 
