Basketball, the american past-time that is much loved but seldom converted to a video game successfully. NBA 2K16 is a step in the right direction.
Most sports games aren’t really known for their story mode, but NBA 2K16 changes all that. Directed by, Spike Lee (yes.. SPIKE LEE), you start off as a High School student playing his last season before being hounded by college scouts from every notable college with a grade-A basketball program.
The career mode is fantastic and Spike Lee shapes the story in his own unique style… unless you just wanna play basketball. Then not so much. Especially in the initial stages of the story mode, you just get a couple of minutes of game-time. You get more as you upgrade your player, but every time you get benched, that might just be the end of the (basketball) game.
Once you’re done with the Spike Lee bit, you’re on your way to gaining fans, training and developing relationships with fellow NBA stars to up your ability scores, and your rep – which then leads to more time on the court.
While I am a huge fan of the new career mode, some true hardcore 2K fans my find it a bit overbearing. I admit, the cut scenes can be a bit long winded. As an RPG fan this made the game more fun for me, but it can get a bit draggy for classic sports fans .
On the court though, gameplay is smooth and seamless. Although it does require practice and timing to get the shots down just right. The ‘shot meter’ is represented by a small circle on the bottom of each character. You have to hit the mark on the meter every time you shoot. As each character’s meter fills at a different speeds, it takes time to get to know your character, and your team. Of course, you can upgrade your skills as you go along to make your player better, and can acquire different players to make your team stronger.
While many have praised the graphics I’m afraid I have to disagree. While they hold their own on the court, career mode cutscenes are a different matter altogether. It really bugged me that fingers looked a little distorted, facial expressions could be better and cloth texture was really quite bad. But hey, this is first and foremost a basketball game no?
Sticking true to the standard we’ve come to expect from 2K Games, NBA 2K16 does not disappoint. It’s a great basketball game that will give you hours of fun. And if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like for ballers who’ve risen from the ghetto to become superstars… here’s your chance to live the dream.