This product is like new. At NexWave Games, like new means:
Additionally, all discs at NexWave Games are carefully inspected and assessed for quality. When discs arrive, we do not accept any that are so badly damaged that they are unlikely to work. We only accept discs with light scratches at most. Discs with scratches are then treated in our professional disc repair machine. By warming the disc and polishing it with soft brushes, these machines can remove a very thin layer from the disc. This removes the layer containing surface scratches and improves the disc’s readability. This ensures the disc works properly, even on consoles with ageing lasers that have difficulty reading games! Great news for the player.
ESPN NBA 2K5 for Xbox Original
ESPN NBA 2K5 for Xbox Original puts you in charge of an NBA team in basketball games where space and timing make a real difference. You move the ball around, draw a defender towards you and then look for an open shooter or a route to the basket. IsoMotion2 lets you perform dribbles, spins and fakes. Even close to the rim, you can draw an opponent out of position before shooting. A spectacular dunk only really helps if you grab rebounds at the other end and slow down the next attack.
In The Association you manage a team across multiple seasons. As well as signing players and choosing a lineup, you take their personalities and cooperation into account. Conversations with players affect team chemistry. Full Authority lets you simulate games while continuing to make strategic decisions. For a different perspective, 24/7 lets you create your own streetball player, complete training sessions and challenges, and earn new clothing and accessories. This lets you alternate between building a whole team and developing one player.
Up to four players can play on the same Xbox, each with their own Xbox controller. The ESPN presentation frames the games with camerawork and commentary. The original Xbox Live service ended on 15 April 2010; online matches and former online rewards are not offered here as working features.
Region and language
Our Xbox Original games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
ESPN NBA 2K5 for Xbox Original includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of ESPN NBA 2K5
Visual Concepts developed ESPN NBA 2K5 as the follow-up to ESPN NBA Basketball from 2003. It arrived in North America in September 2004 and in Europe in February 2005 for Xbox and PlayStation 2. Sega and Global Star Software collaborated on its publication. The title therefore belongs to the original Xbox generation, not to a later NBA 2K production for Xbox 360. Its players, teams and presentation capture the basketball world of that period, without the expectation of a current roster.
The ESPN partnership gave the sports series a recognisable television-style framework. With 2K5, Visual Concepts also developed the controls and team management. IsoMotion2 expanded the movements used for dribbling and play close to the basket. The Association made player attitudes and team chemistry part of decisions off the court. Managing a team therefore went beyond simply collecting strong players: responses to team members’ questions and concerns also mattered.
24/7 returned from the previous game with new training sessions, challenges and customisation items. This part connects professional NBA stars with streetball and a created player. ESPN NBA 2K5 thus preserves two approaches to progression used by the series at the time: leading an organisation over the long term and improving personally on the court. The later Shot Stick from NBA 2K6 is not part of this edition.
Similar games for Xbox Original
ESPN NBA Basketball is the direct predecessor and shares NBA games, ESPN presentation and 24/7 with ESPN NBA 2K5. In 2K5, IsoMotion2 provides more extensive dribbling and post moves, while team chemistry has a clearer role within The Association. The connection is therefore not just the teams: the alternation between professional basketball and your own street player also remains. The sequel develops both strands further.
NBA Live 2005 also lets you play NBA games and manage a team across seasons. EA additionally places considerable emphasis on All-Star Weekend, with a dunk contest and a three-point contest. ESPN NBA 2K5 distributes its extra content differently, with 24/7 and conversations about team chemistry. If you mainly want to experience the same basketball sport through different controls and presentation, this is a concrete comparison between two contemporary series.
NBA Street Vol. 2 shares the streetball atmosphere of 24/7, but builds its matches around three-on-three play, tricks and Gamebreakers. A well-built trick combination has its own reward within the match. In its regular NBA games, ESPN NBA 2K5 stays much closer to professional rules and team tactics. Its street content also sits alongside a more extensive path in which you manage a complete NBA organisation.
NBA 2K6 continues the same basketball series on the original Xbox and retains The Association. The Shot Stick makes selecting and performing shots an important new part of the controls. ESPN NBA 2K5 still uses its earlier setup with IsoMotion2. Both focus on preparing a shooting chance rather than simply sprinting towards the rim, but controlling the finish consequently feels different.
ESPN NHL 2K4, also known as ESPN NHL Hockey, shares the ESPN broadcast atmosphere and the combination of team matches with smaller challenges. On the ice, passing, positioning and choosing the moment to shoot are likewise important. However, the puck keeps moving and players change in lines, while ESPN NBA 2K5 builds attacks around dribbles, rebounds and the basket. The connection is sports tactics with television-style presentation, not identical sports controls.
