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Canwest News Service
The NBA 2K franchise has been winning championships over EA's long running NBA Live franchise for years and taking home the basketball video game crown. This year is 2K's 10th anniversary and the expectations for its latest instalment are exceedingly high – the game has always improved with each new iteration.
This year, the two most noticeable gameplay additions are the My Player and NBA Today modes. My Player lets you create and control a player throughout his entire career, much like EA's Be a Pro mode. The new NBA Today streams news, events and schedules of what's happening in the real NBA and incorporates it into the game's commentary and presentation.
With all these great additions, can the 2K franchise possibly get any better?
The Good
* Once again, 2K delivers a realistic and exciting basketball simulation. Much of the gameplay has been tightened up. The biggest change is that using the turbo button causes players to fatigue, making it much more realistic. Meanwhile, calling plays (setting screens, picks, or post-ups) has been expanded, while being simplified to a touch of a button.
* The controls have improved, making complex moves much easier. Lock-on defence controls feel more natural, and offensive dribbling moves (crossovers, spin moves, step backs, etc.) are painless to pull off.
* The new My Player mode works well for the most part. Although there are minor issues (the player rating system stinks), it's a fun way to work your player up from the D-league to the NBA.
* This year's game feels even more authentic with more signature player and team characteristics incorporated into the game. You'll see LeBron James performing his ritualistic pre-game chalk throw; Richard Hamilton doing his side dribble on free-throws; or Shawn Marion shooting with his awkward two- handed technique.
* 2K10's great presentation makes you feel like you're watching a broadcast game. Commentators Kevin Harlan and Clark Kellogg deliver solid broadcast-style commentary that is some of the best in the sports game business.
* Equally cool is NBA Today: If Kobe drops 50 points this season, the announcers will mention it that week. Or if a player gets into a slump, the conversation will reflect that. making the commentary seem less repetitive.
The Bad
* Nagging issues from previous years continue to plague the franchise. Players still miss easy layups, frame rate issues cause annoying slowdowns, and there are some buggy animations that can make players' movements look unnatural.
Final Word
Although there are still issues that prevent 2K's NBA franchise from reaching elite status, this is still the best basketball sim on the market.
Dose.ca
