NBA 2K6

"As a Live Fan, its Sad to Say, this is the best Basketball Game Ever Made!"

Introduction - I have always loved Basketball, and been playing basketball games consistently since NBA Live 95. I've played every 2K game since the the first one but never really enjoyed them out side of 2k1-2. But with Live constantly letting me down this Generation, I had to see could 2K6 do what 2K3-5 couldn't and get me to put Live away.

Gameplay- In Any Sports game, the Gameplay is what counts above all else and this year 2K got it as close to perfect as they could get. I guess we can thank EA for that. If EA hadn't purchased exclusive right everything Foot ball related, 2K wouldn't have created an all-star development team to produce 2K6.

First there have been a lot of changes, no longer is shooting as simple as pressing a button. Now there is the shot stick were you mimic the motion used during real shooting with the right analog stick. You pull back and release, it takes some getting use to but it ends up feeling very natural.

I know what you're asking yourself, "If the Right Analog Shoots, how do you do crossovers?" Well all those moves have been mapped to the Left Stick with the addition of the aggression button. Now when you want to do a Special juke move hold down the aggression button formally know as turbo and move the stick. Back for a step back, and a 360 to do a spin, etc... This may seem pointless but actually makes breaking down the defense and passing to the open man or cutting man much easier.

Next is the Strip and Rip Stick, no original I was worried about how this would work considering it is never good to have the shooting button the same as the steal, but I was surprised that there have been no problems what so ever. The right stick allows you to decide where and how you want to reach for the ball.

Next is player tendencies, this feature came from the new member of the 2K all-star production team that worked with Inside Drive. Now you can adjust the tendencies of the players in the game. Think Kobe doesn't shot even enough? Adjust his tendencies, think Shaq is playing to much like Garnet, adjust his tendencies so he will stay down low. This REALLY helps to add realism to the game.

Finally there is dual player control. Now granted this is a feature that was down MUCH better in NBA Live. This allows you to control one player while another runs a special play of your choice. It was better in Live because you could actually play off the ball instead of having the computer do everything.

Association - This mode keeps getting better and better, not only does it have Name Recognition for CAP and random rookies, it supports Imports from College Hoops. It also has Team Chemistry, hire and fire of head and assistant coaches, trainers, etc...

Also the game has a Name Database so if your CAP's name is in there the game will say it.

There are some problems though, the CAP mode is very basically and doesn't offer nearly as many options as Live which is upsetting considering I've seen better CAP modes in PS1 games.

24/7 - Some say it is better, but personally I believe it has gotten worst. It used to be a road to the NBA single player campaign. But now it is nothing more than a Street Ball Game. Personally, If I wanted to play NBA Streets I would, so I could care less about a streetball mode. The only good think in my opinion is that it helps you learn the new controls.

Graphics/Sound - The Graphics.... Ah what can I say, they are INCREDIBLE!! The only problem is they are a little shinny. But 2K has fixed all the problems that kept me from enjoying the other games. First the faces really look like the players. Last year my 2 Favorite Players Tim Duncan and Vince Carter looked like complete crap, but this year they got it right. Almost all the players look just like there real selves. Also the animation has been fixed so the players no longer walk around like Robots and monkey's or at least not as much.

The Sound is MUCH Better than last year, even with the lost of the ESPN licence. Because of this 2K has gone a more TNT route with its commentary and it is great. Shoot anything is better than Bill Walton.

Play Time/Replayability - As a Sports game, and a great one at that 2K6 has infinite Replay value in just the normal game modes. But with the all New 24/7 and much improved association, you will probably still be playing this game after the season is over.

Final Recommendation - NBA 2K6 is the most realist and best Basketball game on the Market. So if you are tired of the rest, go out and buy the best.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/04/05