Somehow, developer Visual Concepts finds a way to make every year’s iteration of the NBA 2K series better than the last. While keeping the formulas that have been successful in the past, they have always ironed out bugs from previous games while also adding new features. NBA 2K16 is no different. The first thing you notice after booting it up is how much more effort went into the expansive menu system than last year. NBA 2K15 wasn’t a bad game by any means, but as the first basketball game for the newest generation of consoles, it definitely felt like a majority of the development time went into making the in-game visuals look as good as possible, while the menu systems were an afterthought. This year however, every menu gives you all the detailed information you could ask for.

 

For example, opening up a player card not only show you their stats, contract, and morale, but now even has a color-coded injury chart showing you were players are susceptible to injury such as a big man’s back or your back-up point guard’s knees. Team logos are even animated for replays and important moments in the game. NBA 2K16 is an interactive sporting soap opera, and it's quite brilliant in that regard. Visual Concepts have been leading the line in terms of narrative framing for career modes for some time, but last year's next-gen version saw them really ratchet things up in terms of context and plotting for MyCareer, upping the stakes by giving you a nemesis to measure yourself against, a mute team buddy to give you inspiration and a kick up the arse when warranted, and interactions with coaches, GMs and the press.

 

While some fans may be sad to see the other games gone, those who are fans of the basketball series have to be thrilled, and NBA 2K16 will provide no reason to believe otherwise. So does NBA2K16 live up tot he hype and to it’s predecessors? We dig into the nut and bolts of the latest game to come from 2K Sports to find out if it’s worth a purchase this year or if you’re better off with the version of the game you already own. The best thing about it is that, while trickier to master, fundamentally solid defending can now be achieved by little more than carefully standing your ground. As long as you are not mismatched, you can defend via a collection of very basic inputs based upon a reading of the game rather than an intensive knowledge of the finer points of the control scheme.

 

Of course, like on offence, there are an array of subtle controls to make your defence even more effective, but the emphasis on the fundamentals really does make this a much more fluent experience. MyTeam, MyGM and MyLeague are all great modes, putting you in the managerial chair for a slightly different experience away from the court (although you6re still free to play matches). MyLeague is new, allowing you to take control of all 30 teams if you wish in one or even up to 80 seasons, in which you control essentially every facet of the league. It6s basically a league free-for-all, and it can be a lot of fun for someone looking for a little more power than what the likes of MyGM offer.

 

My favorite mode in the NBA 2K series has always been MyGM, and it retains the top mantle in this year’s game. It does a wonderful job of creating off-court drama within your organization, and I just love the managerial aspect of controlling my team’s finances and inner-workings. Between MyLeague, MyGM, MyCareer and multiplayer modes like MyPark and the more tradition types -- all of which have functioned admirably online, I should note, though MyPark has been less busy than I would prefer, in my experience -- NBA 2K16 is as fleshed out as a sports game gets these days. Sure, there's still the microtransaction creep of Virtual Currency, and that's still annoying. But for those who only pick up the new edition of a sports franchise every few years when there's some notable and positive changes, I feel confident that 2K16 is one that fits that bill, hinkiness and all.

 

Lastly, NBA 2K16 features a MyLeague mode where you can set up the NBA season/franchise experience as you want it. You can limit the frequency of blockbuster trades, import Euro-league teams, and customize the schedule. Aside from the ability to make the league you want, MyLeague plays much like myGM mode, without all of the business and personality management. Technically, NBA 2K16 does a lot of things right. The animation in the gameplay looks great. Occasionally, the ball will kind of pinball around on a rebound, but for the most part the movements seem natural and each player feels like they have their own style and variation.