NBA 2K15 - Game Review

Picture this: You are just about to play a game that will decide which team is going to chase your signature in the NBA Draft. Your performance will decide which end of the spectrum you will be – either the #1 draft pick or sometime after the no.20 pick. You’re under pressure to perform. You play as well as you can in what is actually a tough match.

After the game, a few executives from various franchises ask you a few questions which you must answer to stand a chance to be selected by them. There may not be right or wrong answers as each player has his own identity, but they do matter. And in the end, you are selected in the NBA draft to start your career. Depending on your performances with the team, you could either just be a bench player, the sixth man or even grab a spot in the starting line-up – all while actually shutting down trolls on social media and grabbing endorsements with big brands.

Welcome to NBA 2K15’s MyCareer mode: The mode that allows you to be the star you were destined to be or the has-been that could have been. The mode that allows you to create a custom player, start out as a rookie and convert him into a superstar.

The newest installment of NBA 2K has its many pros and cons, but it’s one hell of an enjoyable ride – even for a beginner who has never played a game in the series before.

Gameplay

The first aspect of the gameplay that strikes you is the shot meter. The power of the shot is shown by a colour-coded meter at the player’s feet and tells you whether the player is going to make the shot or not; it shows red for a badly timed shot that will miss the target, yellow for a higher percentage of nailing the shot which could be a hit or miss and green to tell you that it is 100% going in.

The controls allow for a smooth transition between player movement and shooting (especially with the controller). The game is pretty real in that even a perfectly timed shot (but yellow on the shot meter) means that you could still miss. Nobody’s perfect after all.

Defending a player is slightly easier. Apart from the arrow pointing in the direction of your man, you are allowed to pressurise him while simultaneously “getting in his face” by spreading the player’s arms. Stealing the ball off an opponent (again, dependent on both players’ skills) can be a little tough though. Repeated attempts will lead to reach-in fouls.

What stands out in the game is the ability to control the offense with the touch of a button. Calling pre-set plays, getting assistance in the form of pick-and-rolls, isolation plays and general off-ball movement sets the tone for making this more of a team game than relying on individual player skills to get the job done. Nevertheless, with a number of combinations available, you can build your offense the way you like it – be it by getting a man free for a shot or driving to the rim.

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Graphics

6000. That’s the number of new animations available on NBA 2K15. From more realistic players to a better environment to jerseys which move and mimic player movements, this is the real deal! Players look a lot more lifelike, especially when you look at the more popular players on the roster (or even the legends).

The game also allows users to scan their face using the PlayStation or Kinect camera to virtually render their faces in the game. Although this has a few glitches, if done correctly, the feature is very neat and allows a user to literally get into the game.

Replays during the game (with a Director’s Cut option) make your moves look a lot better, sometimes with a little extra information (Eg. your vertical jump after a monster dunk) or just focusing on your player while the rest fades to black and white. The team squads graphics could be improved though, but the graphcis during the game are top notch and you hardly see any glitches.

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Game modes

NBA 2K15 has a number of game modes. Apart from MyCareer (explained earlier) and the usual ever-existent modes like playing exhibition games, full seasons or playoffs, there are some other Single/Multi Player modes.

• MyGM: Ever wanted to manage an NBA team? Here’s how you play off the court; from negotiating contracts to running the stadium – everything is in your hands.
• MyTEAM: This is a collectible card game with virtual card packs of players, coaches, jerseys etc to help you build a super team. This can be played online withother players or offline with various tournaments and challenges.
• MyPARK: This is where you take your custom player from MyPLAYER, join one of three online communities (each of which has its own specialized boost) and play with other players in 2-on-2, 3-on-3 or even 5-on5 streetball games.

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Issues

The biggest problem players face when they play NBA 2K15 are the online serves disconnecting a number of times. Most of the times while playing MyPARK or saving progress online, the game is disrupted with constant issues that sometimes do not save your progress (in some cases, even the Virtual Currency). When you play MyCareer – one of the main modes on NBA 2K15, it does irritate you when you can’t save your progress, especially after a good game.

Playing online pick up games results in players getting disconnected a lot, resulting in the game getting paused for a few seconds to wait for them to attempt to rejoin. This interrupts the flow of the game and ultimately forces you to quit and go back to playing offline. 2K Sports has promised to improve the online gaming experience.

But when the online mode does work, NBA 2K15 is one of the best sports titles of the year.

Verdict: 4/5

You can buy the game here: NBA 2K15 for PlayStation, X-Box and PC.

Note: This review was done for the PS3 version of the game.