May 12^th, 2004 (12:00am) - ESPN Videogames today announced the launch of the highly-anticipated ESPN NBA 2005, to will be released in Fall 2004. The king of the court returns as ESPN NBA 2005 promises basketball hoopsters an extraordinary experience that can be described as; the next movement in virtual basketball. ESPN NBA 2005 challenges previous basketball standards by introducing a multitude of new, unique graphical and gameplay enhancements never before seen in sports video games.

"Old foundations that we set when we released our first basketball game are being renovated with new exciting standards for the next generation of sports gamers," states Greg Thomas, President of Visual Concepts, the producers of ESPN Videogames. "To succeed in basketball, one must elevate their game higher than the competition and that’s the same in the virtual arena. As sports gamers advance to the next level of the game they expect more detail in the graphics, responsiveness to gameplay controls, and new appealing features. Even with such high expectations, I believe fans of video game basketball will be wonderfully surprised at the new standards we’ve set in ESPN NBA 2005."

Supporting online game play for both Xbox and PlayStation, ESPN NBA 2005 delivers intense hardwood action as court awareness and enhanced team movement take have an integral role in the successful execution of plays. Pioneering a new standard in artificial intelligence and player motion, ESPN NBA 2005 heightens the senses of the computer-controlled player with the exciting debut of Reactive Court Sense. This new technology allows CPU players to independently react to the human player’s opponents actions, creating a more in-depth, natural response system that further blurs the line between virtual and real courts.

The boundaries of gaming reality are further pushed as ESPN NBA 2005 jumps into the Next Movement, the a unique momentum movement system that allows players’ performances to be directly influenced by their physical make-up and ability. This creates a more realistic portrayal of team and game dynamics. These elements will determine if whether a player can run up the court on a fast break quick enough or make a tough basket from the top of the key.

Visuals and graphics reign supreme in ESPN NBA 2005 as new lighting effects, hyper-realistic court reflections, self-shadowing, and stunning lifelike player faces and expressions adorn the television screen. ESPN NBA’s dribble system makes a triumphant return with IsoMotion2 touting exciting improvements to this revolutionary feature. The popular 24/7 feature gets an upgrade with the addition of over 100 new items, new timed mini games, and multi-player games.

The high-drama excitement and authenticity of ESPN NBA 2005 continues with new ESPN integration elements. ESPN-style press camera angles, follow cams, and stat overlays are implemented, adding to this unrivaled basketball experience. Enhancing the true ESPN feel are the voice talents of sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya and Hall of Fame legend Bill Walton, bringing all the exhilarating on-the-court action.

ESPN NBA 2005 and other ESPN Videogames titles are produced by Visual Concepts - Sega’s sports studio. For more information, log on to http://www.espnvideogames.com.