NBA 2K16 offers more reasons to want to stick with a one or two teams when you start playing. Simply put, NBA 2K got a lot smarter. You can see Da Czar’s fingerprints on it. The introduction of freelance offenses and improved AI make playing with and against each team a more unique experience. I found myself unable to easily jump between using different teams because of the differences in schemes and personnel. Working one’s way up from the bottom provides better context for every moment in MyCareer, thus making one of the strongest single-player modes in all of sports-gaming even more immersive.

 

The on-court action veterans have come to expect remains. Characters flow gracefully across the court, whether it's to back down a defender in the post or cross them up at the top of the key. Animations string together effortlessly, capturing pro basketball games beautifully. And it's the attention to detail that makes NBA 2K16 so fun. Like previous years, each athlete has their own unique way of shooting that players must study, so Kevin Durant's shot will vary greatly compared to someone like Kevin Martin.

 

If NBA 2K16 has taught me anything, it's that getting real-life NBA players to act in your game often brings with it hilarious results. Mostly, it means bearing witness to the range of a guy like Detroit's Andre Drummond, who has exactly one tone of voice for every mood that he's trying to convey, whether it's outraged, jubilant, or cajoling: a bored monotone of the sort that you often hear players use with the media. Far from detracting from the overall experience, however, I think it actually adds to it, if only because it never fails to crack me up. Better teams will be harder to earn coveted 10-Day contracts for, and vice versa.

 

Those who have played NBA 2K’s MyCareer mode know that it’s the closest thing to a professional sports RPG available on the market. NBA 2K16 takes things to the next level with a more gripping back-story, an increased number of cutscenes, an easier to comprehend player attributes system, and more dynamic dialogue options. Instead of playing the non-existent Rookie Showcase, a single extended exhibition game that determines where one’s MyPlayer is selected in the draft, players go completely undrafted. Gone are the days where one is forced to play for a team that he or she hates before forcing a trade to a new team in blatantly unrealistic fashion. After nearly half of the 2014-2015 NBA season is over, players have the opportunity to choose a team to try out for, each with various performance goals based upon that franchise’s needs and interests.

 

My GM has undergone some minor changes, mainly reducing the need to spend virtual currency. New interactions with the franchise owner add an extra level of realism, they will often demand you beat a local rival and ask you to change the game plan, but interacting via text conversation seems a little archaic. For anyone wanting to manage every aspect of a team through multiple seasons, this is the way to go. If you don’t want to deal with trades or contract negotiations, MyLeague is the better option as it allows you just to play a season with no bells and whistles.

 

As mentioned above, there are a few things that 2K16 does very well. The game’s overall presentation is top notch and features a pretty good soundtrack. Visually, it’s also in the upper tier in terms of graphical quality on iOS. While no one’s ever going to confuse it with its current console brethren, 2K16 on iOS is still a pretty impressive feat that’s worth mentioning.

 

The MyCAREER mode is also a highlight, allowing you to create a player (like yourself, for instance) and take him from a rookie showcase against real life 2014-15 rookies, through the NBA Draft process and into the association. Unless you absolutely ace the showcase, you have to work your way up the rotation based on your performance and how good you are as a teammate. You can also check out fan reaction on social media, answer challenges from other players, deal with endorsements and more. As career modes go, this is a good one.