NBA 2K16: Review, Gameplay Videos, Features and Impressions

Brian MaziqueSep 25, 2015

Year after year, the NBA 2K series sets the bar as high for its game as any franchise—no matter the genre. The game was stacked with so many features last year, it felt like seven games in one. With NBA Live offering some semblance of competition, 2K Sports and developers Visual Concepts have added even more to this year's title.

Does it all work like a well-oiled machine? In a word: yes.

Oh My God, That Looks Real

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image provided by 2K Sports

Visually, NBA 2K has progressed to a level most games only hope to reach. Screenshots like the one that is featured at the top of this article and below don't require any filters or touch-ups. Simply pause the game at just about any point and you can catch a glimpse of photo-realistic player renders and lifelike environments.

Over the last two years, the series has nailed most of the players with a few guys routinely missed. Most—if not all—of those guys have been accurately captured in NBA 2K16.

Check out the Dallas Mavericks' Deron Williams and the Los Angeles Clippers' Jamal Crawford. Both have received clear upgrades.

image provided by 2K Sports

It's not just faces, it's body types as well. In the past, NBA 2K has been raked over the coals for having players too muscular or too skinny. In NBA 2K16, heavier guys are represented well and there's an overall distinction between the different body frames in the league.

Look at the Memphis Grizzlies' Zach Randolph compared to the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry.

image provided by 2K Sports

We've talked about how the game looks standing still, but how about the way it looks in motion? It's almost just as solid in the animation department. While there are a few weird sequences around the backboard, most of what you see is a myriad of realistic physical interactions that push this year's game blissfully close to virtual reality.

Oh My God, This is Realistic

One of the issues with NBA 2K15—and there weren't a ton—was the unrealistic amount of made jump shots we saw in the game. Essentially, if you had an above-average shooter and you released the shot at the right time, you'd never miss an open look from three-point range.

That just wasn't realistic, and it made head-to-head games more like three-point contests with some dunking mixed in.

Forget everything you did in NBA 2K15 because NBA 2K16's made-to-miss shot determination is entirely different. To put it plainly: You will play simulation-style basketball, or you will lose...a lot.

It's just that simple. Bad shots rarely go in, and great shots don't always fall. That's the way basketball is in real life, and you really get an appreciation for that concept when you play head-to-head with another person.

Watch as you or your opponent are penalized for bad shots and poor passing. I played online against a guy who had the Cavs. Missed shots quickly turned into transition opportunities. If LeBron James had the ball in the open floor, he was almost unstoppable, and that's the way it should be.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the improved offensive and defensive logic. In this year's game, the teams automatically run sets that mirror the real-life coach's philosophy. Translation: you don't have to call plays every trip to get your team to play to its strength or to put the right players in position to score. Nino "Da Czar" Samuels deserves a ton of credit for this, as he was instrumental in the development of the game's freelance offense.

The defense doesn't get left out. Now your players will react more intelligently when defending pick-and-roll, impeding the path of cutters and keying on a hot player.

I went on a little run with Pau Gasol, and before the quarter was done, he was being doubled on the low post. Much like Da Czar did with the offensive side of the ball, Scott O'Gallagher's influence and knowledge about defense has augmented gameplay in this aspect.

Overall, the gameplay team, led by Mike "Beluba" Wang and also featuring Zach Timmerman and a host of other talented individuals, has produced the best gameplay the sport of basketball has seen on a video game.

If you haven't played it, you have to get your hands on the sticks to understand how good this game plays.

Now Presenting...More Awesomeness

Presentation has always been a big deal for the NBA 2K series, and this year's game doesn't let up. Greg Anthony replaced Steve Kerr as the third man on the announce team. To be honest, I was worried that this aspect of the game would be thrown together and that the commentary would lose its conversational value.

Well, that's not the case. Anthony's dialog is just as organic as Kerr's was; in fact, it's more emotionally balanced as there aren't as many misplaced reactions.

The pregame, halftime and postgame shows are all done nicely, though I wish the highlights were a little more guided, and that the commentary was more specific. Then again, who am I kidding? How many sports video games even have a pre, post and halftime show?

The halftime and postgame player interviews are still in, but some of the content has been used for the last three years—which is slightly disappointing. However, there's a new piece that shows cutaway interviews with players at dead balls in the first half. That's a nice touch.

Overall, the visual and audio authenticity in this game are amazing.

Options? Yes, A Lot of Them

It's difficult to know where to begin when discussing the various ways to play NBA 2K16. There's Play Now, which is traditional exhibition games with all 30 NBA teams, both All-Star squads and/or any of the 47 classic teams and 25 Euroleague clubs. That's 104 teams in all.

There's the new Play Now Online mode, which lets you play a soccer-style promotion and relegation system with head-to-head matches. And yes, that's just as awesome as it sounds.

Blacktop returns with no real additions, as does the Play With Friends team-up option. The popular MyPARK streetball mode is also back. Aside from Play Now Online, those are just the modes that are relatively unchanged.

There are also four returning features that have undergone massive improvements and a brand new mode that could be the biggest of all the options. I told you there were a lot.

MyGM and MyLEAGUE now allow you to relocate teams throughout North America with the option to re-brand the entire franchise. When I say re-brand, I'm not talking about some cookie-cutter team editor. The tool in NBA 2K16 is the best team editor since NCAA Football's Team Builder application.

Like in Team Builder, you're able to upload any image as a logo (stay classy, 2K community) and completely redesign uniforms, arenas and courts. Take a look at the trailer:

What's even better is that the same editor is now also available in MyTEAM. The mode that blends card collecting with fantasy sports concepts and gaming is now allowing you to truly make your squad your own.

The new additions to MyTEAM don't stop there. There are also several new challenges and modes to keep you entertained and earning virtual currency that can be used in several areas of the game.

One of those modes is the ever-popular MyCAREER mode.

Every year, there's a new storyline that helps to immerse gamers in their own world of single-player, campaign-style hoops. This year's story was written, directed and created by Academy Award-nominated director Spike Lee.

I don't have many issues with NBA 2K16, but the biggest one I have is with the MyCAREER mode. Lee's influence and character direction feels forced and doesn't mesh well with the core principles of the mode. MyCAREER is supposed to be about writing your own story, but instead it feels as though you're too chained to Lee's script.

It begins with the face-scanning process, which has seen little to no improvements. Last year, it was very difficult to get through the scan process as the system was ultra-sensitive. Even when you did, many people were horrified by monster-like images based on the system's malfunction. Some people—like myself—had decent renders, but there wasn't enough consistency.

This year, the scans are easier to perform, but the renders are far from accurate. Mine was so inaccurate, I just decided to create a fictional guy as opposed to trying to squint and pretend that the render looked like me.

Once the MyCAREER portion of the game begins, the voice acting is pretty awesome for all of the characters—except your guy. There's some issue with the translation of the scanned render and it makes your character look aloof throughout many of the cinematic scenes.

Your character begins his journey in high school—which is great—but the high school games are bland as they don't feature an announcer. It takes about a quarter or so before the novelty wears off, and I was left wanting more from this aspect of the story mode.

Don't get me wrong, there are some really cool elements to MyCAREER this year—especially once you get past Lee's heavy-handed influence on the mode. But it's not one of the better examples of integrating cinema screens and storyline in a sports game.

Last but not least, the new 2K Pro-Am mode could be headed for huge things. You're able to take your MyPlayers online to compete in competitions with full stat tracking. Best of all, that same amazing creation tool allows you to completely customize your Pro-Am team.

If the face-scanning portion of this puzzle is straightened out, 2K Pro-Am in NBA 2K could become the first sports video game to make a huge impact in the booming ESports industry. In addition to all of these goodies, 2K also boasts a solid player and roster creation tool again this year.

I create a legends roster every year, and there were a few cosmetic requests the creation community had for developers. We wanted to be able to make guys taller than 7'2" and add a headband, more hairstyles, tattoos and goggles.

I guess two out of five isn't bad. You can now add headbands and a huge number of hairstyles, but the other three options might have to wait another year.

We couldn't let you go without talking about server stability, right? I mean, this is an NBA 2K game.

Consider this an incomplete assessment, but through about nine hours and a few online related concepts, I've had absolutely no problems. I really can't believe I said that in my out-loud voice, but it's true.

The online competitions I've played have felt like offline games. If this persists, it's hard to imagine anyone having a major bone to pick with this game.

The Bottom Line

The few missteps/omissions in NBA 2K16—even the MyCAREER issues—are the equivalent of a minor scratch on the hood of a Rolls-Royce. It does very little to diminish the value of a classic.

I don't believe there's such a thing as a perfect game, but NBA 2K16 comes about as close as any game I've ever played.