Game: NBA 2k14 Developer: Visual Concepts Publisher: 2K Sports
Release Date: Out Now Available On: PC/PS3/360 Version Played: PS3/p>
The NBA 2K series has completely taken over as the most prominent NBA franchise in the last 3 years. This year will determine whether it keeps that stranglehold as we see the release of EA’s first NBA game in several years. Can the game remain it’s legendary status with an all new control scheme?
NBA 2k14 looks better than ever. The animations are a lot smoother and more plentiful in variety. Player physics are a lot more realistic with different sized players reacting different depending on the size of their opposing player. The commentary has seen a huge upgrade this year with a lot of new interactions between commentators Steve Kerr, Kevin Harlan and Clark Kellogg.
The great presentation of the NBA 2k series is continued here. half-time shows are as entertaining and varied as they’ve ever been and the soundtrack consists of a great collection of Hip Hop beats and fits the demographic perfectly.
For a third consecutive year, the main passing and shooting mechanics have been completely revamped. The right stick now handles shooting. The left trigger controls when you pass. Unfortunately this will mean that series veteran will be forced to learn a new set of controls from scratch. Whilst the new control scheme is easier to access and more welcoming for new players, it’s hard to say that it is a good thing for the people who play your game most to relearn everything.
Thankfully the offence and defence are as good as ever. Passing is incredibly smooth as always and you never cough up the ball unless its through your own fault. You never feel like anything in this game is cheap which is incredibly rare for sports games. Once you have the new controls down then you’ll feel right back at home.
Path to Greatness mode featuring LeBron James is the newest and most interesting mode. It combines a series of modes. There are scripted events, which put LeBron in a ton of interesting situations. Your main goal is to be able to put yourself in the best position when dealing with dealing with free agencies. You’re able to replay all of these events after in order to achieve better scores and unlock other games. There are bigger obstacles to get past if you want to take out major championships. It is clear here that this was clearly a chance for the developers to let loose and implement a bunch of new ideas. Whilst it isn’t all perfect, it’s an extremely creative idea that was a ton of fun.
Path to Greatness is by far the biggest addition to NBA 2k14. My Player returns and is just as good as ever. The new control scheme helps this out a ton but the content inside is largely the same as the past few years. This is great for newcomers to the series but you’ll have to force yourself to get through it again. Almost identical interviews and scenarios take place.
Unfortunately there isn’t much more to do beyond what is listed. It feels like NBA 2k14 actually features less modes than in previous years. There are no Jordan challenges or Legends modes and these are the type of things that we know and love the NBA 2K series for.
NBA 2k14’s presentation and gameplay are sublime as usual. Unfortunately there isn’t a lot to see here for series veterans however we’d suspect that the next-gen versions will have a lot more on offer for those who wait.
