Apparently referred to as “the Michael Jordan of Japan” – oddly appropriate given the regional cover of NBA Live 2002 – he’s the first player from the Land of the Rising Sun to make it to the NBA. Perhaps the most interesting of all international cover players is Yuta Tabuse, who appeared on the cover of NBA Live 06 in his native Japan. 07 had a German cover with Dirk Nowitzki, 08 and 09 an Italian cover with Andrea Bargnani, and Luol Deng graced the covers of NBA Live 08-10 in the United Kingdom. Tony Parker appeared on the French covers of 2005 and 06, while sharing the 07 and 08 cover with Boris Diaw. Pau Gasol would replace Lopez on the Spanish cover from NBA Live 2005-10. The Spanish national team is also unlocked in that release, but is hidden content in other regions. EA resumed the practice of international cover players with Raul Lopez in NBA Live 2004. Of course, MJ is a somewhat different example of a regional cover, as he obviously doesn’t represent Japan. His in-game model was also used on the cover of the Japanese version of NBA Street, rather than the illustration of Stretch Monroe. In any event, it’s odd that Steve Francis was the primary cover player for NBA Live 2002, while MJ was relegated to a regional release. I’m not sure of the actual licensing arrangement there, but someone who worked on the game could no doubt shed some light on the matter. When I found it on eBay, I originally thought that it was a bootleg, but it does seem to be the official cover. Similarly, there was a Japanese version of NBA Live 2002 featuring Michael Jordan on the cover, wearing his new Washington Wizards jersey. It’s a cover that many people, me included until it was pointed out, tend to be unaware of. NBA Live 2001 saw the first international cover player, with Arvydas Sabonis appearing on the Lithuanian release. The only variations in cover art came between platforms or when games were repackaged as classics, and with the latter, the featured players didn’t change.
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While NBA Live 96 featured Shaquille O’Neal on the PC and PlayStation covers, and a shot from the 1995 Finals on the Super Nintendo and SEGA Genesis covers, those designs were standard for both North American and international releases.
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Series such as NBA Live tended to be uniform in their covers. It wasn’t until NBA ShootOut 98 and Total NBA 98 that both versions had similar artwork, featuring Hakeem Olajuwon. Similarly, the cover of Total NBA ’97 displays the title on a basketball texture, while NBA ShootOut ’97’s cover features Eddie Jones. NBA ShootOut features Sam Cassell on its cover, while Total NBA ’96 simply has a rendering of a generic player. A prominent example that I’ve previously mentioned is the original NBA ShootOut for PlayStation, released as Total NBA ’96 in PAL regions. In the early days of basketball games, it wasn’t unusual for games to have different cover players and artwork, or even titles, depending on the region and/or platform. They’ve resulted in the international editions of games becoming collector’s items due to their novelty, and are of course interesting trivia notes.
Both EA Sports and 2K Sports have sought to appeal to local markets with regional covers that feature a player from the country in question (or in a pinch, have some connection with said nation). After all, the reveal of the cover player generally signifies the beginning of a new game’s preview season, tipping off weeks and months of discussion about what we’re hoping to see from an upcoming release.Īs basketball games have increased in popularity, cover players have become selling points and an indication of a game’s brand strength, if not necessarily its quality. The player on the box and the title screen may not always have much of an impact on the game beyond pre-order cosmetic items in career modes and a card in the team building modes, but they’re nevertheless a talking point. This week, I’m taking a look back at the history of international cover players for various basketball video games.Ĭover players are an aspect of basketball gaming that has become more important over time.
You’ll also find old NLSC editorials re-published with added commentary, and other flashback content. Check in every Wednesday for retrospectives and other features on older versions of NBA Live, NBA 2K, and old school basketball video games in general.
This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! In this feature, we dig into the archives, look back at the history of basketball gaming, and indulge in some nostalgia.