Bringing with it another head-to-head showdown between ESPN and EA, ESPN NBA 2K5 has been shipped to stores full of new content and with a fantastic simulation-style basketball experience that is graphically appealing.

Game play:

The game play of 2K5 is as always an improvement on last year’s version. The primary gameplay change in this years’ 2K5 is in the form of a new physics/momentum system. Movement of the players across the court is very true-to-life which gives a completely new feel to this years game. 2K5 have also improved on the realism of game play from last year, as players will now catch passes in stride which overall makes the game more fluid, much like a real game of basketball.

Maybe the most welcome new addition to this year’s game is the inclusion of the playbooks, which allows you to assign four different, sometimes complex plays to the D pad. The plays can be from a simple player move to a complicated set of moves, but most importantly, the plays do work and your AI team-mates do a good job at setting up and running through your plays with relative ease.

Franchise mode has returned with some improved features. As the coach, you affect the team and the chemistry within it both positively and negatively. You will be in control of the training regime and weekly meetings with the team members, where you are able to answer players’ questions from a choice of answers. All these have to be carefully considered and chosen as they will make or break the team morale.

Graphics:

Graphically this game is superb. The detail given to not only the players but the crowds and the courts make you feel you are on the sidelines watching a game on TV. The physical and facial detail given to each player is eerily accurate down to the tattoos the players have, the ripples in their jerseys and the sweat marks that appear as the game progresses. This year the crowds actually add something to the game, both in their slightly higher detail and that they are much more animated than ever before.

Sound:

The sound effects in the game are very good. The court sounds are great, from the sound of the trainers on the wooden floors, to the grunts and shouts of the players. The crowd involvement has increased and their chanting and cheering really adds to the atmosphere making it sound almost like a real game. One of the advantages of playing this game on the Xbox is the ability to include your own soundtrack if the one included is not quite to your taste, although it is a good soundtrack to shoot hoops to.



The announcing is unfortunately not up to the previous standards seen in the 2K series. The commentary from Bill Walton doesn’t show his personality as well as it could and he does become a little repetitive, especially if you played last years NBA 2K title.

Longevity:

Unfortunately, Live has been omitted from the European version of this game, which would have opened this game to many more hours of basketball entertainment, as long as you’re a basketball fan. As no two games will ever be the same this game can offer a near infinite amount of play time and I think many people will be playing this game until next years version.

Overall:

ESPN NBA 2K5 is overall an excellent basketball game. It offers loads of gameplay, unmatched animation and graphics which are second to none, but no game is ever perfect. 2K5 does have its weaknesses, however the strengths of ESPN 2K5's on-court gameplay significantly outweigh its few weaknesses and unfortunately for European gamers the biggest being the omission of LIVE multiplayer.