People that don't like this year's rendition of NBA 2K5, just flat out don't understand the game of basketball.

User Rating: 9 | ESPN NBA 2K5 XBOX
There has never been a game that plays truer to the real thing than 2k5. I should know, I am a coach's son who was All District for 3 years, All City twice (Dallas), All County twice, All Area MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year by the time I left high school (I played 5A ball btw). I went on to play a year of college ball at Southwest Texas State before ankle problems forced me to retire early. So I know the game of basketball, and I know it well. Every single gripe I ever had about a previous Sega NBA game has pretty much been addressed in this new game. First off, let's talk graphics. 2k5 looks fantastic! Player models (and coaches) look better than they ever have. I'm a Mavs fan, and they absolutely nailed the likeness of Dirk, Finley, Stackhouse, and coach Nelly. It's uncanny. The other players look just as good too. All the players heights and weights are portrayed accurately and have a respective effect on gameplay. Shaq is a big, strong boy so he has a much easier time backing down a defender, just as it should be. One of the biggest improvements this year is the player animations. The motion capture is the best yet and at times, you're eyes will actually be fooled into thinking you are watching a real game. The most impressive aspect of the animation is how it is contact sensitive. In other words, when a player goes up for the shot, if he is bumped in the air, the animation will change to reflect that accordingly. If a defender leaps toward a player taking a 3 pointer and realizes he might foul him, he'll withdraw his hands and try to duck under without making contact. If a player attempts to block a dunk but jumps too late and the offensive player is already up in the air, the defensive player will cower and try to avoid getting landed on. Players dive for balls, fight through picks, loose their balance, and get pushed to the ground. You can tell VC spent a lot of time in this area and it's paid off. Also, players away from the ball now move around more and don't just stand around like robots. Next, let's talk sound. I've always felt sound is taken for granted in games. It can be one of the most immersive aspects of a game if done right, and I've always felt this series has suffered from mediocre sound. I mean yeah, it had the squeeky shoes but the crowds were never very dynamic. The home crowd never seemed to get worked up and loud enough during big runs or quite enough when they are getting beaten. Well, I'm very excited to say they got it right this year. The home crowd gets much more rowdy when things are going their way, and when I end the drought with a Dirk 3 pointer from about 25 ft, they get reeeeaaaal quite, reeeeaaal quick. Also, during quieter moments, you'll hear a fan shout something out like "Don't let em get down low like that!" or "C'mon guys, work for a better shot!". Kudos to VC for working on the sound. If there can be anything negative said about the sound, it's that they let Bill Walton in the announcers booth. I do like having Stuart Scott doing the pregame though. Ok, on to gameplay. Man o' man, where to begin. First off they fixed the issues I had with rebounding last year. In 2k4 I felt that despite properly blocking out, the offense would get way too many rebounds and put backs. In this years edition, that has changed. If the defensive player blocks out and has position, 9 times out of 10 he'll get it, unless he's completely outsized. Just as it should be. Plus, there is a rebounding icon that gives you an idea of were the ball will land so you can position your player accordingly. BTW, did I mention there are now over the back fouls? I've been waiting for this foul to be implemented forever and when I tried to jump over Miami's Dwyane Wade with Dirk, it was a beautiful thing to see him get slapped with the call. It doesn't happen too often, but it's in there. VC has really bumped up the defense this year too. I love how the ball defender will turn his body in an attempt to force the ball carrier a certain direction. Stealing and jumping into passing lanes is totally realistic and completely intuitive. It's all about anticipation. I literally feel like I have the same control in these areas as I did when I played the real game. Double teaming is now just a click of the left shoulder button and works beautifully. Just like in the real deal, double teaming can be a risk. Sometimes you'll get a steal and sometimes you'll get burned. You have to know the right time to call for it. Blocked shots are not as plentiful as last season, and that's a good thing. It was waaaay to easy to block a shot before, but now you have to time it just right and your position must be correct in order to successful swat the rock. Taking charges is handled by holding down the Y button, but you must anticipate correctly otherwise the offense player will fly right by you. I've been able to force an average of about 2 to 3 charges a game, which is completely realistic. One of the things IGN mentioned in their review was that the AI opponents don't shoot enough 3's. Huh? The Knicks shot about six tre's on me, but outside of Allen Houston, they have no real 3 point specialist, so I felt that was pretty accurate. Then I played Miami which have many more threats on the court and in 3 consecutive games they heaved up 8, 11, and 12 against me respectively. That tells me the frequency of 3 point shooting differs from team to team depending on how many good shooters they have. That's not a flaw, that's realism folks. This isn't that arcadey piece of crap from EA where all you do is dunk and shoot 3's. VC is concerned with realism and I think they're getting better with each subsequent version. On to the offense. I'm a huge fan of isomotion and I was glad to see it back. People that complain about charging calls aren't using it properly. You can kill a move in mid motion by pulling back on the thumbstick. You have to watch your defender closely just like in the real game and if he anticipates your move, you have to immediately pull back on the thumbstick. I've played over a dozen games so far and have only gotten 4 charging calls against me, and I use isomotion like a mad man. Passing seems to be more accurate now and I love how you can fake or lead a pass. However, they remapped the icon passing to a different button (black), and it took me some time to get used to it, I kept pushing the wrong button. Once you get proficient with icon passing though, you'll be dishing the rock better than Bob Cousy. Shooting the ball is a whole experience unto itself and a beauty to behold. On open shots, players fully follow through and flip their wrist with complete authenticity. One of the biggest additions this year is how your player will adjust his shot depending on how the defensive player is guarding him. Double clutches, mid-air redirections, reverse layups, up and unders, they are all here baby and in glorious detail. I've chained together some absolutely fantastic moves that literally made me jump up in disbelief. I drove Finley around the corner of the free throw line, bumped into a defensive player, spun around him, head faked, then went up and under Shaq's smelly armpit for a layup. I can't explain to you how awesome it looked. Dunks are as exciting and flashy as they have always been, but the real treat this year is the low post game. It's been completely revamped. Once again, you can string together some really wonderful moves here that will leave you bewildered. The only problem though is that there seems to be an animation bug that sometimes will hiccup and your player will sort of warp to a new animation, but it's not that big a deal and doesn't affect the gameplay at all. It just looks weird. So, in conclusion, I absolutely love this game. It's a HUGE improvement on last years game which was solid in it's own right. If VC will keep this foundation and just continue to tweak things, then I'm scared to think what they could eventually pull off. True enthusiasts and people who have played the game will fall in love with all the nuances 2k5 has to offer and it's obvious that at least some of the developers at VC really understand the game of basketball. If you are one of these people you will enjoy and excel at this game. However, I could see where the normal off the street person might get a bit frustrated and confused by it's depth (ie...IGN reviewers). If you don't know the ins and outs of basketball, you may not get the most enjoyment out of this game and I would suggest getting EA's NBA Live for a faster and easier pick up and play experience. However, If you are a lover of round ball like me then I have one thing to say......BUY THIS GAME AND BUY IT NOW!!!!