It’s time for some NBA…
It’s been a long time since I last played any basketball game, let alone one from the NBA series. I actually can’t recall the last one I played, but it was probably somewhere during the PS2 era. Yes, that long ago..so I was interested to see just how far the game has come since those days, but what would I find?
2K previously released a free taster of this year’s game in NBA 2K17 “The Prelude” which basically is a small portion of the career mode, but it’s well worth a look if you are thinking of picking up the main game. I’ve played both and it’s a good test to see if the game is truly for you and it gave me a quick catch-up with how the series has evolved since I last played it and I was impressed with the results.
MyCareer feels like a back-to-basics approach, which is a good thing in my book. While the gameplay feels tighter and more refined than it ever did before, I was genuinely shocked to see how far the series has come on in the years. The controls are intuitive, but easy to get to grips with…while character animations looks fluid and while there are times I wish I could fast-forward through the banter to the actual gameplay, I understand that the sportsmanship is just as important to fans as the game itself, which is both represented well.
The visuals have taken a big leap too, I didn’t see what last year’s game looked like in the flesh, but this looks like a nice improvement. The players look believable in their actions and reactions, while the court and crowd are detailed nicely. There is a 6GB patch to install before you play, which will take a while depending on your connection. It’s a shame that it’s quite large for such an early patch, but patience will be well rewarded it seems. Commentary is also impressive and believable, while the soundtrack between matches is pretty decent too.
The Verdict
While some may be annoyed with the initial 6GB patch before you begin, it’s worth it for the final product. NBA 2K17 is the best basketball simulation I have ever played and yes, there’s always room for improvement…but this year reduces the list of those dramatically and reintroduced me to the series after such a long time away, leaving me wondering why I stayed away for so long. NBA 2K17 will be hard to beat, even by it’s own successor next year. 2K have given themselves a tough challenge now and I for one, can’t wait to see them try and outdo themselves.