The
NBA 2K series is a series of
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of 5 players try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a
10 foot high hoop under organized rules...
video games developed and released annually. Beginning in 1999, The NBA 2K series was an exclusive to the Sega Dreamcast. The series was originally
publishedA video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
by
Segais a multinational video game software and hardware development company, and a home computer and console manufacturer headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan...
, under the label Sega Sports and developed by
Visual ConceptsVisual Concepts is a California-based video game developer best known for developing Sega Sports' 2K series of sports games. After the success of the series, they were picked up by Sega and became a wholly owned studio with Sega, usually termed a first-party developer...
.
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's working 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 WaltonWilliam Theodore "Bill" Walton III is a retired American basketball player and current television sportscaster. The “Big Red-Head”, as he was called, achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards...
,
Tom TolbertByron Thomas "Tom" Tolbert is a retired American professional basketball player and a radio sports talk personality in the San Francisco Bay Area. He played a total of seven seasons in the National Basketball Association.-Basketball career:Tolbert graduated from Artesia High School in Lakewood,...
,
Kevin FrazierKevin Frazier is currently the weekend host of Entertainment Tonight as well as correspondent. Formerly, Frazier worked as an anchor at Fox Sports Net and later ESPN, where he hosted SportsCenter as well as a multitude of NBA themed programming .Made guest appearances on...
, Michelle Tafoya, and Bob Fitzgerald. The color and play-by-play commentary in
NBA 2K6,
NBA 2K7, and
NBA 2K8 is provided by
Kenny SmithKenneth "The Jet" Smith is a retired National Basketball Association player and current TV basketball analyst, primarily for Inside the NBA on TNT...
and
Kevin HarlanKevin Harlan is an American television sports announcer. The son of former Green Bay Packers executive Bob Harlan, he currently broadcasts NFL and college basketball games on CBS. Harlan is also a play-by-play announcer for the NBA on TNT...
, with
Craig SagerCraig Sager , is currently a sportscaster for TNT and TBS. Sager is a graduate of Northwestern University. He has previously covered sports for CBS and CNN. His nickname is "America's Sideline Reporter."...
providing sideline reports. Peter Barto is the PA Announcer.
NBA 2K9 features commentary from Kevin Harlan and
Clark KelloggClark Clifton Kellogg Jr. , known as Clark Kellogg, is the lead college basketball analyst for CBS Sports and former player in the National Basketball Association.-High School:...
, with
Cheryl MillerCheryl D. Miller hall of famer is a former college basketball player, coach and sportscaster. She is currently a sideline reporter for NBA games on TNT Sports and also working for NBA TV as a reporter and analyst having worked as a sportscaster for ABC Sports, TBS Sports and ESPN as well...
as sideline reporter.
In 2002 Sega implemented the American television network,
ESPNESPN is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day....
's brand with their Sega Sports video games. The ESPN brand was used for 3 games until ESPN signed a 15-year deal with
EA SportsEA Sports is a brand name used by Electronic Arts since 1993 to distribute games based on sports. Formerly a gimmick inside Electronic Arts sports games, that tried to mimic real-life sports networks, calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as...
.
In 2005 Sega sold the
NBA 2K series along with Visual Concepts to
Take-Two InteractiveTake-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is an American publisher, developer, and distributor of video games and video game peripherals. The company's headquarters are in New York City, United States, with international headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Development studio locations include San...
. The series is currently published by
2K Sports2K Sports is a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., and it is a publishing company comprising of one development studio, Visual Concepts. The games developed and published under the 2K Sports label concentrate on sports, high-profile licensing, and specialty products...
, a publishing label of Take-Two.
The
PlayStation 3The PlayStation 3 is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment, and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series...
version of
NBA 2K7 was the first version to support motion sensing controllers with a
free throwIn basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...
shooting mechanic that has the player move the Sony SIXAXIS controller in a motion similar to a real free throw shot, but was discontinued for later games in the series.
In 2008 2K sports released the newest version of the NBA 2K series, NBA 2K9. Featuring Shot Stick 2.0, Living Rosters, and Association 2.0. These new features are all apart of the new era of sports gaming. Living Rosters is very similar to the feature in
NBA Live 09NBA Live 09 is the 2008 installment in the NBA Live series developed and published by Electronic Arts. It was released on October 7, 2008. It features Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs on the cover in most markets NBA Live 09 is the 2008 installment in the NBA Live series developed and published...
, updating daily rosters on to the console. For Xbox 360, users can download through 2kshare or through the official 2K rosters updates. Living Rosters provide players with the most up-to-date roster in the NBA along with an 2k insider tracking player development and updating player ratings with each released roster update. Now players can simulate the most up-to-date basketball game. Before the Living Rosters released, players were stuck with old and outdated rosters.
Association 2.0 features NBA.com as the main option. Players can track stats and player development through NBA.com via 2ksports.
Shot Stick 2.0 is another new feature in NBA 2K9. Show Stick 2.0 allow players to change their shot in midair. Users can flick the analog sticks (i.e. shot sticks) to change the motion of the players in the game. While a player is flying through the air in the game, you can change his shot and avoid the shot blockers, displaying a nifty move maneuvering around the shot blocker to make the shot.
Games in the franchise
| Title |
Publisher |
Cover |
Release Date - Platform |
Innovation |
| NBA 2K NBA 2K is the first installment of the NBA 2K series. It was published by Sega Sports and developed by Visual Concepts. The cover features Allen Iverson.-Gameplay:...
|
Sega Sports |
Allen IversonAllen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies....
|
Dreamcast: November 10 1999 |
|
| NBA 2K1 NBA 2K1 is the second installment of the NBA 2K series. It was developed by Visual Concepts and published by SEGA . It was the first NBA 2K game to feature online multiplayer and the first game to feature street courses instead of playing a game inside the stadium in the first game, famous street...
|
Sega Sports |
Allen IversonAllen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies....
|
Dreamcast: November 1 2000 |
Network mode for internet play |
| NBA 2K2 NBA 2K2 is the third game of the 2K series. It was still developed by Visual Concepts and published by Sega Sports. It was ported to the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and the Xbox. It was released on October 24, 2001 on the Dreamcast and later ported with PlayStation 2, Nintendo...
|
Sega Sports |
Allen IversonAllen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies....
|
Dreamcast: October 24 2001
PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony. The PS2 console is the sequel to the original PlayStation console. The successor to the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 2 forms part of the PlayStation series of video game...
: January 12 2002
XboxThe Xbox is a video game console produced by Microsoft. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market, and competed with Sony's PlayStation 2, Sega's Dreamcast, and Nintendo's GameCube...
: February 27 2002
GameCubeThe is Nintendo's fourth home video game console with Wii being fifth, and is part of the sixth generation console era. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 and predecessor to Nintendo's Wii....
: March 20 2002 |
|
| NBA 2K3 |
Sega Sports |
Allen IversonAllen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies....
|
GameCube: October 7 2002
PlayStation 2: October 8 2002
Xbox: October 9 2002 |
|
| ESPN NBA Basketball 2K4 |
Sega Sports |
Allen IversonAllen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies....
|
PlayStation 2: October 21 2003
Xbox: October 22 2003 |
NBA player face scans, 24/7 mode, Isomotion |
| ESPN NBA 2K5 |
Sega Sports |
Ben WallaceBen Camey Wallace is an American basketball player. He currently plays in the National Basketball Association with the Detroit Pistons. Nicknamed "Big Ben", he plays the center and power forward positions, and is listed at and . He has won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award four times, a...
|
Xbox: September 28 2004
PlayStation 2: September 30 2004 |
Association mode |
| NBA 2K6 |
2K Sports 2K Sports is a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., and it is a publishing company comprising of one development studio, Visual Concepts. The games developed and published under the 2K Sports label concentrate on sports, high-profile licensing, and specialty products...
|
Shaquille O'NealShaquille Rashaun O'Neal , frequently referred to simply as "Shaq", is an American professional basketball player, rapper, and actor. He is widely perceived as one of the most dominant players in the history of the NBA. Standing at 7 feet 1 inch, 325 pounds, he is one of the largest players to...
|
PlayStation 2: September 26 2005
Xbox: September 26 2005
Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft, and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles....
: November 16 2005 |
Shot stick controls |
| NBA 2K7 |
2K Sports |
Shaquille O'NealShaquille Rashaun O'Neal , frequently referred to simply as "Shaq", is an American professional basketball player, rapper, and actor. He is widely perceived as one of the most dominant players in the history of the NBA. Standing at 7 feet 1 inch, 325 pounds, he is one of the largest players to...
|
PlayStation 2: September 25 2006
Xbox: September 25 2006
Xbox 360: September 25 2006
PlayStation 3The PlayStation 3 is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment, and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series...
: November 13 2006 |
Signature animations, 2K Reel Maker |
| NBA 2K8 |
2K Sports |
Chris PaulChristopher Emmanuel Paul is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Hornets of the National Basketball Association. He serves as team captain of the franchise....
|
PlayStation 2: October 2 2007
PlayStation 3: October 2 2007
Xbox 360: October 2 2007 |
Blacktop mode, Hotspots, Lock-on defense |
| NBA 2K9 |
2K Sports |
Kevin Garnett Kevin Maurice Garnett is an American professional basketball player who currently plays at the power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association . After having a successful high school basketball career at Farragut Career Academy, he decided to forgo college and entered...
|
PlayStation 3: October 7 2008
Xbox 360: October 7 2008
PlayStation 2: October 7 2008
PCMicrosoft Windows is a series of software operating systems and graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces...
: October 21 2008 |
Association 2.0, Living rosters, 2K Insider |
| NBA 2K10 NBA 2K10 is a basketball video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. It was released on October 6, 2009 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and PSP and on October 12, 2009 on PC. It will be released on Wii on November 9, 2009. Kobe Bryant is the cover athlete of the game...
|
2K Sports |
Kobe BryantKobe Bean Bryant is an American shooting guard who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career and made instant headlines when he decided to go directly into the NBA upon graduation...
|
Wii: October 19 2009
PlayStation 3: October 6 2009
Xbox 360: October 6 2009
PlayStation 2: October 6 2009
PC: October 12 2009
PSP: October 6 2009 |
|
NBA 2K8
- Features a Slam Dunk Contest
The Slam Dunk Contest is an annual National Basketball Association competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. The contest was inaugurated by the American Basketball Association at its All-Star Game in 1976 in Denver, the same year the slam dunk was legalized in the NCAA...
& Three Point Contest mode similar to EA SportsEA Sports is a brand name used by Electronic Arts since 1993 to distribute games based on sports. Formerly a gimmick inside Electronic Arts sports games, that tried to mimic real-life sports networks, calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as...
NBA Live series. (only on next generation version)
- Features Chris Paul
Christopher Emmanuel Paul is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Hornets of the National Basketball Association. He serves as team captain of the franchise....
on the cover.
NBA 2K9
- The first Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of software operating systems and graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces...
release of the NBA 2K series.
- Features Kevin Garnett
Kevin Maurice Garnett is an American professional basketball player who currently plays at the power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association . After having a successful high school basketball career at Farragut Career Academy, he decided to forgo college and entered...
on the cover.
- First game to feature live roster updates from the 2K Insider rather than periodic roster moves available for download.
- Uses Steamworks for authentication and update.
- The ability to imported draft classes was canceled for this edition as the College Hoops 2K series began its hiatus. A limited feature to edit draft classes was used in its place.
NBA 2K10
- The first PlayStation Portable and Wii release of the NBA 2K series, and the first on a Nintendo system since NBA 2K3 for the GameCube
The is Nintendo's fourth home video game console with Wii being fifth, and is part of the sixth generation console era. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 and predecessor to Nintendo's Wii....
.
- Features Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American shooting guard who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career and made instant headlines when he decided to go directly into the NBA upon graduation...
on the cover.