which game will have better presentation?

[Dork]

i am going to get one of these Hockey games this yr ..i know it will either be NHL 2004 or ESPN..i havent played EA's since 2002 for the PC which i thought was great mostly because they had the import faces feature which added great depth as i was able to create myself and my friends in the game..
however, presentation is a big deal to me, i loved the cut scenes in the NHL series..does ESPN have nice cut scenes? and a nice overall TV appearance?...i have not played ANY 2k series hockey yet...i hear it is much better than EA's however like i said i enjoyed 2002 for the PC very much..and i hear EA also has a new fighting engine which shoudl be great..
does ESPN have the same old fighting that most other hockey games have (I.e. playes just throw down and punch punch punch until someone falls)..
like i said ive never played any sega hockey games..ive liked the EA's of the past i thought they were fun games...just dont know which one to get now..i guess i will wait for the game to actually come out and check out the reviews..

[Randor2000]

Re: which game will have better presentation?

Well last season was my first on the Segasports NHL series and I was a little dissappointed with the presentation. I still however chose it over EA's game simply because I can't stand the completely over the top game play. Don't get me wrong the EA hitfest can be fun but as a Devils fan I like to see trapping and low scoring games. (sorry folks it's gets results) However, it seems that with the new ESPN facelift that has gone into these games this year ESPN NHL is looking amazing as far as presentation. I find it hard to believe ANY game will beat the amazing commentary on ESPN NHL. Gary Thorne and Bill Clement are the best in the Business. The cutscenes and wipes have all been beefed up and look great. Not to dump on NHL 2004 because it has always been a very good series and last year I actually felt it beat NHL 2k3 in terms of flow of play and controlability, however, with that said, I want something that stays true to the sport I love without all the EAtrax that have gotten really annoying. So in my, and i stress "MY" opinion, if you're a casual hockey fan and want some hard hitting and the standard, which isn't a bad thing, EA presentation with the licensed music and what not, go with NHL 2004. If you lean more towards simulation and defense or want the feel of a real hockey telecast with the ESPN presentation, go with ESPN. I'll be going with the latter.

[Randor2000]

Re: which game will have better presentation?

Well last season was my first on the Segasports NHL series and I was a little dissappointed with the presentation. I still however chose it over EA's game simply because I can't stand the completely over the top game play. Don't get me wrong the EA hitfest can be fun but as a Devils fan I like to see trapping and low scoring games. (sorry folks it's gets results) However, it seems that with the new ESPN facelift that has gone into these games this year ESPN NHL is looking amazing as far as presentation. I find it hard to believe ANY game will beat the amazing commentary on ESPN NHL. Gary Thorne and Bill Clement are the best in the Business. The cutscenes and wipes have all been beefed up and look great. Not to dump on NHL 2004 because it has always been a very good series and last year I actually felt it beat NHL 2k3 in terms of flow of play and controlability, however, with that said, I want something that stays true to the sport I love without all the EAtrax that have gotten really annoying. So in my, and i stress "MY" opinion, if you're a casual hockey fan and want some hard hitting and the standard, which isn't a bad thing, EA presentation with the licensed music and what not, go with NHL 2004. If you lean more towards simulation and defense or want the feel of a real hockey telecast with the ESPN presentation, go with ESPN. I'll be going with the latter.

[Randor2000]

Re: which game will have better presentation?

Well last season was my first on the Segasports NHL series and I was a little dissappointed with the presentation. I still however chose it over EA's game simply because I can't stand the completely over the top game play. Don't get me wrong the EA hitfest can be fun but as a Devils fan I like to see trapping and low scoring games. (sorry folks it's gets results) However, it seems that with the new ESPN facelift that has gone into these games this year ESPN NHL is looking amazing as far as presentation. I find it hard to believe ANY game will beat the amazing commentary on ESPN NHL. Gary Thorne and Bill Clement are the best in the Business. The cutscenes and wipes have all been beefed up and look great. Not to dump on NHL 2004 because it has always been a very good series and last year I actually felt it beat NHL 2k3 in terms of flow of play and controlability, however, with that said, I want something that stays true to the sport I love without all the EAtrax that have gotten really annoying. So in my, and i stress "MY" opinion, if you're a casual hockey fan and want some hard hitting and the standard, which isn't a bad thing, EA presentation with the licensed music and what not, go with NHL 2004. If you lean more towards simulation and defense or want the feel of a real hockey telecast with the ESPN presentation, go with ESPN. I'll be going with the latter.

[Spear]

Re: which game will have better presentation?

I think that ESPN will have a better presentation IMO because of the ESPN graphics and overlays.

[Spear]

Re: which game will have better presentation?

I think that ESPN will have a better presentation IMO because of the ESPN graphics and overlays.

[Spear]

Re: which game will have better presentation?

I think that ESPN will have a better presentation IMO because of the ESPN graphics and overlays.

[feedmeccc]

Re: which game will have better presentation?

[feedmeccc]

Re: which game will have better presentation?

[feedmeccc]

Re: which game will have better presentation?

[WAZ]

Re: which game will have better presentation?

Yes, ESPN does have the same old fighting engine. If that's what you're in it for, you'll be disappointed.

But otherwise, ESPN has the superior AI and physics, and going by every single piece of media I've seen on both games, it also has -- HANDS DOWN -- the superior presentation over EA.

But YOU be the judge here. Here are some movies which show off the presentation (right-click and save as):

http://dynamic5.gamespy.com/~sega/es...vingshot01.wmv

http://dynamic5.gamespy.com/~sega/es...heckover01.wmv

http://dynamic5.gamespy.com/~sega/es...onetimer01.wmv

http://dynamic5.gamespy.com/~sega/es...NNHL_intro.wmv

http://dynamic5.gamespy.com/~sega/es...nhanced640.wmv

And some screens:













I can't speak much for EA. From what I've seen, it looks a lot like 2003 presentation-wise (for better or for worse). Same cutscene style, and Jim Hughson still commentating. I think the faces look much worse and I absolutely despise hearing Jim Hughson's annoying voice for the 8th straight year. Beyond that, I won't judge EA's presentation.

But take what we've got of ESPN and judge from there.

[WAZ]

Re: which game will have better presentation?

Yes, ESPN does have the same old fighting engine. If that's what you're in it for, you'll be disappointed.

But otherwise, ESPN has the superior AI and physics, and going by every single piece of media I've seen on both games, it also has -- HANDS DOWN -- the superior presentation over EA.

But YOU be the judge here. Here are some movies which show off the presentation (right-click and save as):

http://dynamic5.gamespy.com/~sega/es...vingshot01.wmv

http://dynamic5.gamespy.com/~sega/es...heckover01.wmv

http://dynamic5.gamespy.com/~sega/es...onetimer01.wmv

http://dynamic5.gamespy.com/~sega/es...NNHL_intro.wmv

http://dynamic5.gamespy.com/~sega/es...nhanced640.wmv

And some screens:













I can't speak much for EA. From what I've seen, it looks a lot like 2003 presentation-wise (for better or for worse). Same cutscene style, and Jim Hughson still commentating. I think the faces look much worse and I absolutely despise hearing Jim Hughson's annoying voice for the 8th straight year. Beyond that, I won't judge EA's presentation.

But take what we've got of ESPN and judge from there.

[WAZ]

Re: which game will have better presentation?

Yes, ESPN does have the same old fighting engine. If that's what you're in it for, you'll be disappointed.

But otherwise, ESPN has the superior AI and physics, and going by every single piece of media I've seen on both games, it also has -- HANDS DOWN -- the superior presentation over EA.

But YOU be the judge here. Here are some movies which show off the presentation (right-click and save as):

http://dynamic5.gamespy.com/~sega/es...vingshot01.wmv

http://dynamic5.gamespy.com/~sega/es...heckover01.wmv

http://dynamic5.gamespy.com/~sega/es...onetimer01.wmv

http://dynamic5.gamespy.com/~sega/es...NNHL_intro.wmv

http://dynamic5.gamespy.com/~sega/es...nhanced640.wmv

And some screens:













I can't speak much for EA. From what I've seen, it looks a lot like 2003 presentation-wise (for better or for worse). Same cutscene style, and Jim Hughson still commentating. I think the faces look much worse and I absolutely despise hearing Jim Hughson's annoying voice for the 8th straight year. Beyond that, I won't judge EA's presentation.

But take what we've got of ESPN and judge from there.

[Nivek]

Re: which game will have better presentation?



One word: SICK!

[Nivek]

Re: which game will have better presentation?



One word: SICK!