I'm a long time fan of the NBA 2K series, but I haven't played a basketball video game since 2002. I think the best basketball sim I have ever played was NBA 2K2 on the dreamcast.
I'm looking for game recommendations right now. Obviously, the two candidates would be ESPN Basketball 2005 and NBA Live 2005.
I put a premium on realism, and I would always choose a game that's more "realistic" over one that's more "fun". In other words, I want a basketball simulation.
I want a game where the team FG% should usually be between .380 to .550. I definitely do NOT want games where medium-range jumpshots are a a lost cause, and all the teams end up getting 60 to 70 pts of their points in the paint (that was my problem with NBA2K2). And obviously, I do not want a game where everyone from Earl Boykins to Shawn Bradley to Reggie Miller doing windmill dunks all the time. In fact, the less spectacular dunks, the better. A realistic game ought to have no more than one spectacular dunk per quarter. And of course, I do not want a game where I can consistently score 55 points every single night on 24-38 shooting whenever I play LeBron James, Tracy McGrady, or some other superstar.
Had NBA2K2 featured more medium range jumpshots and far less points in the paint, I would've considered it a perfect game. I don't know what has happened to the ESPN Basketball or the NBA Live series since that time.
Now, I'm sure that none of these games can offer all that I want out of the box. However, I'd like a game where the sliders and/or ratings can be tweaked to the point that I can have the simulation I want.
Any recommendations for a particular game that fits my specific needs? Would people just recommend that I wait for next year, and go 3 straight years without playing a basketball game?
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