On Sept. 29, 2K Sports released their annual basketball game, “NBA 2K16.” Once again, fans could control the most recent versions of their favorite teams, from playing as Lebron James on the court, to trading for Carmelo Anthony as the General Manager of a team. While 2K kept the basics of the game the same from last year, it is vastly improved in the complexity of game modes.
Visually, the game is fantastic. The game makes actual NBA stars come to life in the game. From LeBron James’ determined face, to James Harden’s unmistakable beard, everything looks vibrant and fully formed. The court looks remarkable as well. The floor boards shine with a virtual wax, and the lighting gives the feel of being at an actual NBA game.
Gameplay stays the same, and for good reason. Other than a couple of reaction hiccups, the game is smooth to control and fun to step into. The learning curve can be prohibitive, as there are many things to learn to have a full grasp on the controls, but the exhibition mode is great practice before competing online.
In terms of variety, there are many different options to choose from in the game. There is My Career mode, which allows players to create a character and take him on a journey through his NBA career. My GM mode makes players the General Manager of an NBA franchise and gives them all the choices that come with that position. My Team mode gives players virtual collecting cards, allowing them to make up a team from those cards and compete against other people from around the world. The 2K Pro-Am is new. This takes the My Career mode created player and places him onto a full, 5 player team online, either with strangers or friends, and lets them compete for dominance.
My Career mode starts off rather disappointingly as a player first must slog through a story from famed director Spike Lee. Titled “Livin’ Da Dream,” the created player starts out as a high school senior, works through college recruitment, the NBA Draft and the player’s rookie season. It is unfortunate that during this story mode players cannot makes choices about what the character does. The character makes his choices and the player has to live with the consequences, whether the player like it or not. For example, the in game character decides whether or not to finish college before going to the NBA, and the player has no influence on this decision.
Once “Livin’ Da Dream” concludes, however, players can take full control of their creation, from signing with a new team, to choosing how to spend off days. This is the most in depth My Career mode ever, which should make players reluctant to bypass any day via simulation. Rather, it is best to play through each day to tackle all the variables and challenges manually.
My GM mode is still highly entertaining. Taking the depth of last year’s iteration, 2K took it a step further, fully fleshing out what had already been a very elaborate game mode. It keeps the tasks set to the general manger by the team’s owner, and still forces the players to balance a team’s chemistry and talent. The opposing general managers still offer unreasonable, one-sided trades, which is frustrating and something 2K needs to address. Scouting feels improved, as there is a more realistic grasp on a player’s potential, without seeming to spoil too much. Overall, 2K did not need to mess with this mode much, and so it is still as fun as ever.
With My Team mode, players can spend in game currency that can be used to purchase better cards. This in game currency can be acquired one of two ways. First, players can compete, earning coins for different feats during the games. Second, players can perform what are known as “micro transactions,” spending real world money for the in game currency. This makes for an unbalanced experience for those that either don’t want to, or can’t afford the micro transactions. Players seem to be ranked based upon wins, and so those that do not play often, but spend money on high level cards, will have a huge advantage.
Also, as with any online game, opponents can quit at any time, and often do. While this gives the remaining player a win, it still steals from the fun of competition.
Overall, NBA 2K16 is exactly as advertised: an improvement over last year. While “Livin’ Da Dream” could have been much better, it is not enough to discourage players from picking up where they left off the season before. This game gets 4 stars out of 5.
