NBA 2K6

"Simulated basketball at it's best"

Graphics- 9/10

NBA 2K6 has THE best basketball graphics ever used on a console. From the facial reactions, to the glistening sweat, you can't help but be overwhelmed by the realism of the game. This game pushes the envelope when it comes to graphics. The crowds are in beautiful detail and the light reflections on the floor are just too nice to not notice. Never in a basketball game have I seen the jersey's move so smoothly. Speaking of which, I love the jerseys! The many Hardwood Classics jerseys give the fans a reason to play the game, as well as the secondary jerseys. Before this game came along, I was skeptical about playing in specific arenas because certain teams {like Chicago and Charlotte} are not really good to play. After seeing the attention to detail in Detroit's arena, I had to see what else I was missing. Another thing I noticed was the use of Mo-cap. Yeah, I know that the previous 2K titles have also used this tool, but I noticed something different. The dunk animations are much more realistic as well as entertaining. The alley-oops are done way better, along with the jump shot and lay-up animations. You have to give Visual Concepts its props on this game.

Game play-9/10

If you've played any other 2K game, then you know what to expect. Put the camera on the “broadcast” option and there you have it- a real simulated exhibition game. At times, I thought I was watching a real game. The controls are damn near perfect. The new feature, Shot Stick, makes the offensive/defensive controls that much more realistic. Another new thing, Dual Player Control, is also a great tool, but I had difficulty using it to my advantage. For instance, on a fast break I could not get my small forward to charge to the rim so I could perfectly time an uncontested alley-oop. I forgive you, VC. The AI is just about the same, in my opinion. The defensive tendencies of the CPU controlled players are pretty much hit or miss, although I will admit it is a little harder to draw a charge. I love how they did the free throw shooting this year. It's simple: pull back and release. It's about as easy as the NBA Live shooting. There's also a new game mode called “24/7: The Road to the EBC. I only need one word to describe this: “blah”. I have some emotional scars from the previous installment. After getting really deep into the mode, my game data crashed and every time I restarted it, it would do the same. Perhaps it's just me, but I'm not taking any chances at all. Oh yeah, you get to play against some celebrities…wow.

Sound- 7/10

If you like the recycled sound bytes from the older games, you'll love this. All right, the commentary is different. It's done by Kevin Harlan and Kenny Smith, and it's pretty good. Yeah, it has its flaws, but hey, we're humans, are we not? The crowd sounds are the same, which aggravates me a lot. Can we have a realistic crowd atmosphere next year? The crowd will get into it if you come from behind a get a small lead. They will also die if you are down big. Just like last year. Nice job, VC. A neat feature that is included is the ability to use custom soundtracks. The problem is that it will clash with the in game audio already provided, so use wisely. Maybe if you adjust the sliders, it will work. I'm too lazy to do it though.

Overall-9/10

In short, this is a great addition to the 360 lineup. If you are a basketball fan, buy this game. If you love simulation over arcade style game play, buy this game. If you don't have anything else better to do, buy this game. Walking away from this game is a big mistake.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/21/06