NBA 2K
| NBA 2K | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Basketball |
| Developers | Visual Concepts |
| Publishers |
Sega (1999–2004) 2K Sports (2005–Present) |
| Platforms | Various (see table) |
| Platform of origin | Sega Dreamcast |
| Year of inception | 1999 |
| First release |
NBA 2K November 10, 1999 |
| Latest release |
NBA 2K17 September 16, 2016 |
The NBA 2K series is a series of basketball video games developed and released annually since 1999. The NBA 2K series was exclusive to the Sega Dreamcast when it was first introduced by Sega to address EA Sports's decision to not publish any sports games. The series was originally published by Sega, under the label Sega Sports and is now published by 2K Sports. All of the games in the franchise have been developed by Visual Concepts. Its primary competitor in the marketplace is the NBA Live series from EA Sports.
History
The first four games of the series featured commentary from fictional announcers "Bob Steele" and "Rod West" (voiced by Bay Area sports radio personalities Bob Fitzgerald and Rod Brooks who works at KNBR 680 San Francisco. They also host a radio show called "Fitz and Brooks"), but since NBA 2K3 the game's announcing team has been something of a revolving door, featuring commentary from the likes of Bill Walton, Tom Tolbert, Kevin Frazier, Michele Tafoya, and Bob Fitzgerald. The color and play-by-play commentary in NBA 2K6, NBA 2K7, and NBA 2K8 is provided by Kevin Harlan and Kenny Smith, with Craig Sager providing sideline reports. Peter Barto is the PA Announcer. NBA 2K9 features commentary from Kevin Harlan and Clark Kellogg with Cheryl Miller as the sideline reporter on most versions of NBA 2K9 and NBA 2K10. Starting with NBA 2K11, Doris Burke replaces Miller as the sideline reporter on most versions of the game. On most versions of NBA 2K12, Steve Kerr joins Kevin Harlan and Clark Kellogg in the commentary booth. In NBA 2K16, Greg Anthony would replace Steve Kerr and join Kevin Harlan and Clark Kellogg in the game's commentary booth. In the PlayStation 2 versions starting with NBA 2K9, no sideline reporter is featured in the game.
In 2002, Sega implemented the American television network, ESPN's brand with their Sega Sports video games. The ESPN brand was used for three games, with the second game even being renamed ESPN NBA Basketball, until ESPN signed a 15-year deal with EA Sports.
In 2005, Sega sold the NBA 2K series along with Visual Concepts to Take-Two Interactive. The series is currently published by 2K Sports, a publishing label of Take-Two.
The series has been present on the seventh-generation of consoles starting with the release of NBA 2K6 for the Xbox 360 in November 2005.
The PlayStation 3 version of NBA 2K7 was the first version to support motion sensing controllers with a free throw shooting mechanic that has the player move the Sixaxis controller in a motion similar to a real free throw shot, but was discontinued for later games in the series.[1]
NBA 2K11 was the first installment in the franchise to have support for stereoscopic 3D screens, although this feature was made available via an update only for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions. NBA 2K12 became the first game in the series to have "built-in" support of 3D for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, and the first to include motion controls using the PlayStation Move. NBA 2K14 became the first game in the series to support the new-gen consoles, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
NBA 2K17 added some new features compared to the other games that the famous franchise released. The pre-game and post-game shows are still hosted by Shaquille O'Neal, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith. However, the sideline reporter has been changed from Doris Burke to David Aldridge. Additionally, the in-game sports broadcasters have been changed the cast of Steve Smith, Kevin Harlan, and Brent Barry. With innovative features implemented in NBA 2K17, the franshise continues to "stake its claim as the most authentic sports game"[2]
On November 22, 2016, a virtual reality NBA 2K title was released. Titled NBA 2KVR Experience, the game is a collection of basketball mini-games and is not apart of the main series. It is available for PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Samsung Gear VR.[3]
Installments
| Title | Developer | Publisher | Platforms | Release date | Cover athletes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBA 2K | Visual Concepts | Sega | Dreamcast | November 10, 1999 | Allen Iverson |
| NBA 2K1 | Visual Concepts | Sega | Dreamcast | November 1, 2000 | Allen Iverson |
| NBA 2K2 | Visual Concepts | Sega | Dreamcast, GameCube, PS2, Xbox | October 24, 2001 | Allen Iverson |
| NBA 2K3 | Visual Concepts | Sega | PS2, Xbox, GameCube | October 7, 2002 | Allen Iverson |
| ESPN NBA Basketball | Visual Concepts | Sega | PS2, Xbox | October 21, 2003 | Allen Iverson |
| ESPN NBA 2K5 | Visual Concepts | Sega | PS2, Xbox | September 28, 2004 | Ben Wallace |
| NBA 2K6 | Visual Concepts | 2K Sports | PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360 | September 26, 2005 | Shaquille O'Neal |
| NBA 2K7 | Visual Concepts | 2K Sports | PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360 | September 25, 2006 | Shaquille O'Neal |
| NBA 2K8 | Visual Concepts | 2K Sports | PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 | October 2, 2007 | Chris Paul |
| NBA 2K9 | Visual Concepts | 2K Sports | PS2, PS3, Windows, Xbox 360 | October 7, 2008 | Kevin Garnett |
| NBA 2K10 | Visual Concepts | 2K Sports | PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Windows, Xbox 360 | October 6, 2009 | Kobe Bryant |
| NBA 2K11 | Visual Concepts | 2K Sports | PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Windows, Xbox 360 | October 5, 2010 | Michael Jordan |
| NBA 2K12 | Visual Concepts | 2K Sports | iOS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Windows, Xbox 360 | October 4, 2011 | Michael Jordan/Larry Bird/Magic Johnson |
| NBA 2K13 | Visual Concepts | 2K Sports | Android, iOS, PS3, PSP, Wii, Wii U, Windows, Xbox 360 | October 2, 2012 | Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, and Blake Griffin |
| NBA 2K14 | Visual Concepts | 2K Sports | PS3, PS4, Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One, iOS | October 1, 2013 | LeBron James |
| NBA 2K15 | Visual Concepts | 2K Sports | PS3, PS4, Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Android, iOS | October 7, 2014 | Kevin Durant |
| NBA 2K16 | Visual Concepts | 2K Sports | PS3, PS4, Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Android, iOS | September 25, 2015 (Early Tip Off Edition) September 29, 2015 (official release) | Anthony Davis/Stephen Curry/James Harden/Michael Jordan/Tony Parker/Dennis Schröder/Marc and Pau Gasol |
| NBA 2K17 | Visual Concepts | 2K Sports | PS3, PS4, Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Android, iOS | September 16, 2016 (Early Tip Off Edition) September 20, 2016 (official release) | Paul George/Kobe Bryant/Danilo Gallinari/Pau Gasol |
References
- ↑ NBA 2K7 PlayStation 3 Features 2ksports.com
- ↑ "NBA 2K17". 2K Games. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
- ↑ Pereira, Chris (November 21, 2016). "A Standalone NBA 2KVR Game Arrives This Week". GameSpot. Retrieved November 22, 2016.