I have been a fan of Basketball games for a long time. NBA Jam was the starter for me, but the one that totally got me hooked on what potential the 3D inspired console generation could do was Total NBA ‘96 when it came out on the Playstation back in 1995 (most sport games ALWAYS come out the year before) The saddest thing is I an even remember where I was at the time when I bought it and that I went to GAME in Blackpool to price match it. Yeah, I was Scottish and thrifty even back then (and yes, they did find it legal tender, thanks for asking)
Nearly two decades have passed since then and we are now blessed with one major company dealing with the NBA franchise. Acclaim, Sony and even the mighty EA have fallen by the wayside in favour of the 2K series, which shows just how revered a franchise this has become, especially when you get really cool music people involved (Pharrell Williams this year if anyone’s bothered)
This isn’t to say that certain elements in NBA 2K15 haven’t been a by-product of what EA have done in the other franchises that it manages to cling onto. There’s 2K Sports’ own version of Ultimate Team, called simply MyTeam, but the thing is that it seems to be a whole lot easier to manoeuvre which makes it more of a joy to use, rather than it being a slow, barely working pain in the buttocks, which from experience I know FIFA to be and that makes the whole thing better for the player when it is kept under a leash and doing what it is told to.
I’ve mentioned Pharrell Williams already, but let me say this much, the selection of tunes on this bad boy is one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. Snoop Dogg and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers (Suck My kiss no less) are tunes you WANT to be in the game, not some unrecognizable piece of Europop garbage that came out of some random person’s iPod and gets stuck in your head for days, with only therapy helping to get rid. As most who play sports games and FUT in particular will know, having good tuneage breaks the monotony, rather than thinking “Oh God, not that again” so to have a very decent selection makes a bigger difference than you think.
Now lets get onto the game itself. The most cool, but least useful feature is the ability to use your PS Camera or Kinect to put your face in the game, much like what used to happen in the last gen before it was dropped like bad smell, but to be fair, the way the tech has moved on makes things look a little better than it used to. It’s more for the My Career and My Park sections of the game, which is an advancement of what came in last year’s game. You have the story of getting into the small teams after the draft this time, but your rise or fall to fame is all dependent on how you do. It is a very immersive and well thought out game mode. My Park has been expanded and now has three factions which each focus on a specific game style, allowing for loads of people to get involved. Overall, the sheer amount of things that are crammed into this game is scary.
You now also have the addition of 2KTV, a weekly show that lets you get more information about the behind the scenes aspects of the game and is actually put together rather well. I have to say that some of the things it has as features are pretty interesting, so it doesn’t feel like a cheap and nasty add on. NBA Today does exactly what it says on the tin and gives you all the scores for both pre season and the actual NBA year. Finally, the other “My” options allow you to be General Manager and to create your own league, changing rosters, drafts, season length and all sorts, so you have to say that this is a very in-depth game for one sport.
As for the actual court game itself, it is still one of the most rewarding hoop games you will play. You need to get the time in the game to get the most out of it. It is a very good idea to use the 2KU videos and also going through the training court in MyPlayer to really learn how to get to grips with it all, as there is a lot to take in. If you don’t you will be decimated (I should know) but if you learn it all and get the feel for it then you will really get so much enjoyment from NBA 2K15. It is truly something so joyous to get your hands on with and it is simply put one of the best sports franchises available on any platform right now. The only franchise that even comes close is Sony’s MLB The Show series, but I would actually say this is better because everything that it has comes together in such a brilliant way that you can’t help but get immersed.
The atmosphere is incredible, the gameplay is tricky to master, but great to use when it all comes off. The list of things you can do and the addition of things to keep it fresh throughout the year is testament to what you can achieve when a franchise is put on a console properly. My only gripe would be limiting the cut scenes to a safe 30 frames a second, but that is me being so incredibly picky. This is the best sports game of the year, hands down and an essential for all of you US hoop fans without even thinking about it. It’s so good that (and I need to be careful) it puts FIFA to shame. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go courtside. The Pistons need me…… well, once I can really play it the way I should they will. They just don’t know it yet.
Look, just get it already….!!!
