NBA 2K15 Review

The best baskeball games series, NBA 2K15 is back and is being released for the old and current gen consoles. After an introduction last year on how the game could look on the PS4 and Xbox One, this year's offering looks to top even that.

NBA 2K15 looks to re-solidify its position on the court and show why its one of the most realistic games to be released. This is the 2nd time we see the NBA series come to the current PS4 and Xbox One consoles, so have they managed to use it to its full potential?

Gameplay
Having had experience with the previous title, NBA 2K14, I instantly noticed some of the changes that were implemented, most noticeably the shooting. I felt that that the shooting system has now become a lot more balanced and accurate compared to before as in previous versions, the shooting system relied heavily on the players attributes as well as knowing the release of the player's shot. It did have some annoying issues such as; when you time the release perfectly, but it still ends up missing or you have an okay release and it somehow goes in. This made things a little too difficult to grasp and sometimes seeming completely random. This time 2K mixed it up a little and made those slight changes that improved it greatly. The way the shooting system now works is easy and efficient by calculating the probability of you making your shot, along with any real life situations that you may encounter such as a defender guarding you closely. When in the shooting position, a white bar appears which increases and decreases, ultimately the bigger the bar the more likely that your shot will actually go in.

A number of factors determine whether a shot goes in or not.

One of the most anticipated and popular modes; MyCareer has also been changed up. This time round, you start off as an undrafted player who gets an opportunity to choose and play for one of a select list of teams. However the player only gets a 10 day contract, and within that time slot he’s got to prove he’s worth being in the team’s roster. You’ll also have a mentor who will talk to you every now and then pre game or post game. How you answer them and press conference interview questions defines your character’s personality and the team’s chemistry. In between games you can practice in the gym to find out timing on your shots or working on your go to move. Throughout MyCareer you earn badges through games that define your play style. For example constantly setting up screens will get you the Brick Wall Badge”

SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAM DUNK!

MyGm thankfully doesn’t require online connection like MyCareer, which relies on storing data on the cloud. MyGm is a mode where you control an entire team, make franchise decisions and lead your chosen team to the playoffs and beyond. Making a solo return to grace the front cover, this year’s MVP Kevin Durant proved to be tremendously helpful according to Senior Producer Rob Jones. Kevin Durant’s expertise at his own craft already makes him a superstar, but apparently he is also a passionate gamer having clocked more than 70 hours in NBA 2K14’s Career Mode. According to Rob, being a passionate gamer he can help out with keeping things consistent along with giving another view as a fan of the franchise.

Graphics/ Sound
NBA 2K15 has also improved on its realism, which is visible when heading into a game. The addition of over 5000 animations might be why. Actions such as taking it to the hoop, receiving contact or player reactions based on a situation now brings the game more to life. With the facial expressions there to illustrate whenever the player is in pain, happy, sad or angry. There’s also some voice acting where the NBA players lend their voices that get shown during post-game interviews and during half time. I wouldn’t say it works too well however as the quality sometimes vary and some sound quite monotone.

Pharell Williams himself giving that fist bump of power.

NBA 2K15 decided to go "Happy" with their soundtrack after allowing Pharell Williams to be in charge of the music. In the past, NBA 2K traditionally had hip hop soundtracks, however this time with Pharell making the decisions, the game now has the most varied and incredibly diversified track list ranging from the modern trends to old-school jams. I love the variety of tracks there are this time round especially some of the old ones. There are some really good bangers amongst them.

Online Gameplay
MyPark is an interesting mode to play but gets hindered by the occasional unstable server that causes disconnections and other issues. When you enter the mode the player gets asked to pick one of 3 cities to represent. Choose wisely as this decision is permanent, unless you are prepared to throw away your ranking level. The game is a bit harsh on newcomers especially if they are on the court against other higher ranked players. It’s pretty much like amateur basketball players, playing against NBA players. It’s pretty hard to defend well when there are slight delays as to when you want to switch from your defensive stance to sprinting back with the ball handler to pressure his shot. So most of the time, it just depends on who scores the most.

Final Verdict
If you are a fan of sports then NBA 2K15 is a must have, heck I'd even recommend it to gamers of other genres as it contains elements that would appeal to them, speaking mostly about the RPG style of the MyCareer mode as you rise from a zero to a hero. The servers for the game are sadly not on par with its quality as a whole. Its quite rage inducing at times and can take away from how good the overall package is.

Gameplay = 9.5/10
Graphics/ Sound = 9/10
Online Gameplay = 6/10

Final We Know Gamers Score = 8.1/10
Agree with what I've said? Maybe you have a different opinion? Let us know in the comments or catch me on twitter - @AbbieD77

Find us on the social media channels below:
www.facebook.com/weknowgamers
www.twitter.com/weknow_gamers
www.youtube.com/weknowgamerstv