COLUMN: NBA 2K16 is worth the money
The NBA regular season tipped off just about a month ago, but NBA 2K season is in full swing for third and fourth generation console users worldwide.
In the 17th installment of this gaming franchise, NBA 2K16 delivers on many levels and continues to be the best choice on the market for basketball gamers.
I’m here to say that it is more than just a $60 roster update like many sports games have become. If you like a good, strategic basketball simulation, then you’ve come to the right place.
Visuals and gameplay
The graphics have already been pristine ever since it made the leap onto next gen consoles and they have only been perfected over the past three years of releases. Brand new player-scanning models have this game looking as realistic as it can be.
It’s like LeBron James is right there in your living room, taking his pair of free-throw shots just a few feet away from you.
New and updated player models combined with improved presentation and updated commentary makes one feel as if they’re watching a game broadcast on live television.
Kenny Smith joins Shaquille O’Neal and Ernie Johnson on the 2K pre and postgame show, giving off NBA on TNT vibes, which goes hand-in-hand with the updated audio commentary of Clark Kellogg, Greg Anthony and Kevin Harlan.
One thing of note is this year’s game also seems to have increased in difficulty. This branches from a more realistic feel to the controls. No longer can a player just run in circles to confuse the defense and call plays at random.
This time around a certain level of basketball knowledge and strategy is required. If you plan on calling the same play over and over, the game will adapt and you will not be successful.
The Spike Lee influence
I would not be doing this series justice if I didn’t at least mention director and avid New York Knicks-fan Spike Lee’s involvement in the development of this game.
Lee was given complete artistic control in revamping the fan-favorite MyCareer mode, where the gamer can make his or her own player, get drafted and become an NBA legend for years to come.
MyCareer in 2K16 really plays out like a narrative even more than it did last year, with added dialogue and scenes, it kind of feels like an animated short movie at some points in gameplay and I’m sure that was the intention of developers with the addition of Lee.
Cleary story is at the forefront of importance here. After all, the slogan for the game mode this year is: “Be The Story,” and that is exactly what a gamer can do this year.
Choices on choices on choices
It’s clear this year’s version of the game comes with a seemingly endless slew of choices, even going as far as having of four different cover athletes grace the front of NBA 2K16.
James Harden of the Houston Rockets, Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors are on different copies of the game’s standard edition.
NBA legend Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls not only makes an appearance as a playable character in the game, but he also is on the cover of the appropriately-titled Jordan Edition if fans are willing to go the extra mile and pay the $79.99.
A bit of history
Initially developed by Visual Concepts and distributed by Take-Two Interactive in 1999, the NBA 2K series began as a competitor and of EA Sport’s longstanding NBA Live series.
The latter would go on a four-year hiatus between its 2009 release NBA Live 10 and it’s first release on fourth generation consoles NBA Live 14.
Since its return NBA Live has been mediocre at best and has simultaneously allowed 2K to take over as the clear favorite amongst gamers and basketball fans alike. With two years of low reviews, NBA Live should be a better game, but it simply is not.
Glitches, repetitive commentary and an abysmal online server makes NBA Live a forgettable yet once-great basketball video game franchise.
That’s as much mentioning as NBA Live will be getting in this review.
NBA 2K has only been getting better and more realistic with each subsequent release; it’s clear they are the only basketball franchise currently on the market that actually cares about what its fans think.
Soundtrack
This might seem like an unnecessary subhead for this review, but I’m the kind of guy who looks back upon old games (and especially sports games) and remembers the songs featured on the soundtrack. Those are where the memories come from for me.
Curated by DJ Premier, DJ Mustard and DJ Khaled, the game’s soundtrack features 50 songs, more than previous installments by far, from a plethora of artists ranging from Wiz Khalifa to the Ramones and everything in between.
The use of the various songs featured in gameplay and in the menu screens makes for an enjoyable and entertaining gaming experience.
A little variety never hurt anyone and that is certainly the case with 2K16’s lengthy soundtrack this time around. Listen to some hip-hop, funk, punk, and pop songs while you ball out on newbs.
The verdict
If you’re a basketball fan with either a PlayStation Four or an Xbox One and has an extra 60 bucks lying around, go out and buy NBA 2K16.
Don’t waste your time and money in waiting and giving the NBA Live series one last shot at redemption for the past two years of ineptitude — just buy 2K and enjoy yourself.
You will not be disappointed, I promise.
