Aaaah, the sights and sounds of hockey; virtual hockey, that is. For those who think video games don’t have a place in today’s society, I submit Gretzky NHL 2005 -- a game that brings hockey to the masses when the National Hockey League doesn’t seem to be able to.

If Sony’s 989 Sports studio were any more in the shadow of EA Sports, they’d need a flashlight to find their shoes, or in this case, to lace up their skates. That being said, 989’s Gretzky 2005 closes the gap between itself and EA’s NHL-monogrammed franchise. One reason: they went to an outside developer -- Page 44 Studios -- to wash away the painful black eyes of the most recent NHL FaceOff games.

The game’s graphics are pretty tight. In-game character models, uniforms, and logos are faithful to their real-life counterparts. However, some of the mugs on those models could stand an appearance on Extreme Hockey Makeover. Hey, now there’s an idea -- a reality TV show involving petulant, spoiled, locked out hockey players… In general, the game’s animations are fluid to the degree that a gamer can suspend disbelief and just play the damned game. By contrast, the goalie animations are superb. Considering how much time is usually spent hovering around one goal or the other, this is an appropriate use of development time and animation data.

Paying good money for music to put in a hockey game is like asking U2 to open their current concert tour in your backyard (tucked right between the Webber Grill and, with apologies to the “Beverly Hillbillies,” the see-ment pond). The tunes are only heard during menu time and in short bursts within each arena, so 989 Studios plays it right by delivering a few “A-list” artists along with a competent selection of other groups to round out the play list. The question is does any of this music fit well at a hockey game? Well, it’d be pretty quiet without it.

Gretzky NHL 2005 packs in a huge number of gameplay modes (Practice, Tournament, Exhibition, Franchise modes); more than enough to keep any but the most avid fans satisfied. Bottom line, most of them are only average in terms of the punch they pack. What rises above is the game’s online play, simply because you can challenge other players across the ‘Net, and even do a little trash talking via a USB compatible headset. This is okay, unless you happen to be trash-talking to a retired forward from the former Soviet Red Army Team trying to recapture his glory days -- minimal impact, dude-ski.

Franchise mode has all the substance you’d ask for, even if it doesn’t wow with anything new or innovative. Track stats, set your team’s style of play, shuffle your lines, trade players, and track your team’s finances; all good. You can also create a team from the ground (and logo) up, and even put together your own arena to play in.

The game also contains something called Rivalry mode, where two teams can be pitted against one another in an attempt to create a rivalry. Stats are kept to see how the rivalry builds over a span of time -- or doesn’t. It’s new, but is it compelling? You be the judge.

Gretzky Challenge mode is perhaps the most compelling and satisfying mode in the game. There are little challenges to be met, such as scoring a hat trick or shutting out an opponent. Complete the challenges and earn extra points that can be used to unlock classic and alternate jerseys. Because this is the Great One’s licensed game, you also get a bunch of era-specific Gretzkys to skate with and against. There’s Oilers era, Kings era, Rangers era, and even Team Canada era. Unlock a Gretzky and you can tap into his nearly limitless scoring ability. In fact, work hard enough and you can field a team with all four Gs on one line. Like the Fantastic Four's ever-lovin’ Thing says, “It’s Clobberin’ Time!!”

As with all sports games, Gretzky NHL 2005 has a difficulty level that can be pre-set to help even novices have some fun. If it were possible, I’d set my game to “moronic” to help me play up to my potential (or bring the game down a notch). Oops, perhaps that’s a bit of the ol' T.M.I. (too much information)...

Scraped down to bare ice, Gretzky NHL 2005 is a pretty simple affair; one button to hit (hey, it’s hockey -- throw down the gloves, sucka!!), one button to pass the puck, one button to shoot the puck, and one button to dump the puck.

There’s a shot strength meter that builds up the longer you hold the shoot button. The bigger the shot, the smaller the accuracy, but it really helps the feel of the game to deliver a thunderingly huge puck shot on goal. Also, the game’s goalies don’t just Hoover up every shot that comes their way. A badly aimed but hard shot can sometimes bounce away leading to second chance goals.

Gretzky NHL 2005 has a few other innovative touches that separate it from its competition. The Give ‘n Go system (where the computer automatically passes the puck back to you) works very well and isn’t too hard to master. Also, hold down the shot button and you have the ability to aim a virtual bull’s eye at the net to help determine where the shot will go. This isn’t pure hockey, but it makes sense in a hockey game. Anything to help somebody with two left thumbs put the biscuit in the basket...

Gretzky NHL 2005 is also compatible with Sony’s innovative EyeToy USB camera. Want to skate with Gretzky? With EyeToy, it’s possible. Hockey fans will probably want to put NHL League President Gary Bettman and Players’ Union boss Bob Goodenow into the game so they can be checked repeatedly into the boards. Aaaah, now there’s an idea worth posting to NHL.com.