ESPN NBA 2K5

The first thing you��re going to notice about this game is how unbelievably gorgeous it is. ESPN��s football title beats Electronic Arts�� graphically, and this one is no different. Unfortunately, ESPN doesn��t throw in a slam dunk contest, like EA does, but as the man says, no harm no foul. You��re still getting solid gameplay here.

With great player models and a more accurate sense of movement, ESPN NBA 2K5 is a solid basketball game that feels great to play and looks incredible. If you played ESPN NBA 2K4, you��ll note there are new passing and shooting animations in the latest version. The flourish of a well-executed fadeaway is all the more satisfying when it looks authentic. IsoMotion2 technology��if nothing else, Sega loves its jargon��improves player locomotion, giving the user more control than last year. From the mesh-textured uniforms that dampen with sweat to the ESPN cut-scenes replaying on the highlight reels, 2K5 creates the illusion you��re participating in a real game, and it is sweet indeed.

Some small things in 2K5 feel unnecessary, like the game��s ��street�� mode. It��s not particularly bad, it��s just that it plays a lot like the normal professional games, except with a different look, fewer rules, and no refs. After experiencing games such as NBA Ballers and NBA Street, which take many, varied, and wacky liberties with basketball, the ESPN ��street�� mode comes off as dry and feels as though 2K5 is trying to be everything��which is entirely too much��at once. It would have been more useful if the development team had dedicated its resources to coming up with a great-looking slam dunk contest��one that��s playable online��as a certain competitor did.

Hype and Hoopla

Expect a nice amount of content in ESPN NBA 2K5��s online mode, including the 24/7 mode, which has more than 100 items to collect this time around. Real-time statistics and the standard buddy list features help to keep you in contact with all the other ESPN loyalists out there. Yep, all 12 of them (just kidding guys).

08 OUT OF TEN

PUBLISHER: Sega // DEVELOPER: Visual Concepts // PLAYERS: 1-4 // LIVE: Yes // MSRP: $19.99 // ESRB: E

Copyright © 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Xbox Nation.