NBA 2K16

First off, the game succeeds in its quest to allow gamers to have the realistic NBA experience with the minor details also getting upgraded. The commentary is fresh as always and there is no repetition. Even the menu has been redesigned. 

The visuals have been upgraded and the players look realistic like always but this time, they have also scanned their bodies. This feature allows the entire body of a specific player to be uniquely different from any other body and even their tattoos are detailed. The courts have been remodeled to perfection and new animations have been added including photobombs. 2K also decided to scan the crowds, cheerleaders and the coaches as they look realistic like never before. 

But NBA 2K wins the bout this year with their improvement in gameplay. The home court advantage is apparent whenever you are up against, let's say, Boston Celtics. During the high school phase, the AI have low overalls and you can notice how at the end of games, school announcements are being made. While the college basketball experience is as real as it gets. 

MyTeam mode, NBA's answer to FIFA's Ultimate Team mode returns this year but the only major change is the customization aspect. Returning this year are the MyGM and MyLeague game modes, which have both received a major overhaul. This time around in MyGM mode, players can set prices, add extra features to the arenas and make profits amongst many other changes. MyLeague is similar to the MyGM mode but it has more multiplayer components and allows more flexibility to players and they can even relocate their team freely.

Online gameplay this time around is a sad let-down. It took me an hour to find a match-up. During my third match, it got disconnected for no reason whatsoever. Many gamers have complained about the matchmaking bug. So, 2K should come up with a patch to fix this issue. 

NBA 2K16's major flaw is the very same feature they used to hype this year's release. When 2K Sports and Visual Interactive announced that this year's installment would feature a story mode in MyCareer, it got 2K fans on their feet. Every now and then, sport games experiment with storylines and sometimes, they excel brilliantly like Fight Night Champion for example. Sadly, NBA's Livin' Da Dream falls flat. While the efforts of famed director Spike Lee are evident, the fact that you can only play a couple of high school and college matches and very few NBA matches during your rookie career is extremely disappointing. And what makes it worse is that the cut scenes are extremely long and they basically dominate the whole experience while the finale did get me a bit emotional, I expected more gameplay rather than a massive storyline. 

Overall, NBA 2K16 is by far the best basketball game out there in the market and while the story mode drags it down a little bit, the captivating gameplay is good enough to get you hooked. So, whether you are a rookie or a pro, get your NBA 2K16 copy and start dunking.

Fardeen Zareef is in a war with carbohydrates but his love of Doritos overwhelms him. He also does not know how to use Twitter and loves to game. Message him your love/hate at https:// fb.com/fardeen.zareef