ESPN NBA 2K5

"A Slam Dunk or a Bust?"

The NBA Live Series and the NBA 2k Series has had their battles over which the better baseketball game is. Both have their pros and cons but does ESPN NBA 2k5 live up to the hype? Or will EA sports finally step their game up and bury ESPN NBA? We'll see..

Graphics:

The graphics on this game are fabulous. From head to toe, everything is so detailed. From the biggest superstar like Shaq down to the scrubs like Milt Palacio, you can recognize every player's face. The animations for dunks and shots are exceptionally well done. The arenas look very realistic and adding detail to the fans doesn't hurt. Coaches also look real.

Overall: 10/10

Gameplay:

What can I say? The NBA 2k series is always a step ahead of the NBA Live series and this year is no different. Iso Motion Version 2 is new but is it improved? The crossover is now basically useless so it is a lot harder to break down the defense. The game flows like how it is in a "Spurs vs Heat" game. It's not a fast break game constantly. The sliders are a huge "yes" for most basketball fans as if you don't think the game is realistic, you can simply change them to your preferences. Or if you are a huge fan of streetball, you can raise the ball handling slider all the way and raise the dunk slider all the way up and have Shaq pulling some AND 1, or Earl Boykins dunking.

Overall: 10/10 One of the best for a basketball game.

Sound:

NBA Live has always had a better selection of music, but does it change this year? ESPN NBA has a nice selection of music from artists you probably never heard of. The commentary on the other side, is awesome! Adding Bill Walton makes ESPN NBA 2k5 entertaining yet realistic at the same time. Having someone like Kenny Smith criticize is just not the same as Bill Walton saying something like "This is a disgrace."

Overall: 8/10 I'm not complaining on this one. Should of, Could of, Would of been better. But I guess we'll have to wait until next year.

Replay Value:

NBA Live 2005 has the whole complete All-Star weekend package, but does ESPN NBA fight back? They sure do! 24/7 mode is new and improved. The sad thing is the Dunk Contest in NBA Live has so much hype in it that the 24/7 mode is just horrible. The Franchise Mode is revamped and now there's a chemistry mode. I find chemistry mode very useless but some people may enjoy it. The franchise mode has depth to it as there's weekly training to improve your players. The CAP(Create A Player) in this game however, still sucks. The only good point of it is that now you can create your own shoes.

Overall: 9.5/10

Final Score: 9.5/10 which rounds up to 10/10.

Make sure to buy this game if you're a real basketball fan. If you like Pistons vs Spurs basketball, this game is for you. If you like Mavs vs Kings basketball, be sure to pick up NBA Live 2005. Both are great games.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/17/05