Ahhhh, the great long running 2k series. How its managed to be rated an 8.5 here, a 9.5 on ign and continuously praised by many ignorant basketball fans, i have no clue. What really pisses me off about the last 3 or 4 releases from the nba2k seriess that they try too hard to perfect the presentation while the gameplay is what needs focus. I'm a diehard basketball fan, love to play it ( and pretty good) and know pretty much all there is to know about bball. I am not lying when I say that this is game is as far as being realisitc if not the complete opposite. For one thing if your trying to make the presentation spot on, with the "new improved" commentating, the playoff atmosphere, etc., why not actually watch a real fuc kin game 2k. Seriously I'm not here to rant ( this is my first review here actually), but I'm amazed on how hyped this game is by the masses. The mechanics are pretty decent but when you're playing a game, mainly against the CPU, its almost impossible not to yell a couple times before halftime. The flow of the game is just too unbalanced. Some fast breaks play out smoothly but others seem lackadaisical and uneven. Half-court offenses freeze up and usually result in either your teams star ( if they have one) or another guard taking a jump shot or driving in with little time left on the shot clock. Teams offensive systems aren't resembled well and mainly is a neapolitan of screen-shoot, screen-pass-shoot, or post ups (occasionally). And speaking of post-ups, the moves are there but the smoothness and realness just isnt. Most players have the same post up routines and dont share enough of their own trademarks. The CPU rarely posts and its almost a given that they score at least 50 or more points in the paint. Defense is probably the most frustrating things in the entire game itself. Playing one-on-one from the 3-point line and up is nearly impossible, even with some of the most skilled defenders. Either a screen breaks it up too easily or somehow the ballhandler finds a way to break away and make a play (they almost always do.) What disrupts my enjoyment from this game is even when i know what the opposing team is doing or what play theyre about to run, I do my best to stop it and more than 70% of the time they still manage to succeed, and making the play look ridiculous in the process. I guess I could recommend playing online or against a friend but those options arent always available. I've watched and played way too much bball to know 2k is doing something wrong. Theyre rehashing each previous years games mechanics and graphics and justslightly tweaking them into the following years release. Its just a minor rebuff and polish system and its fooling millions of consumers each year. I'm no "fanboy" or NBA Live fanatic, I just want a real bball game. Adding Jordan and his legend buddies was just the same, only a couple more teams added and no more MJ situations, just regular ol' exhibition games. Im not saying this game doesnt have potential, but I fear the NBA 2k series is following in the footsteps of the long successful series of Madden NFL. "If they make it, they will most surely buy it." And another thing 2k, fix the commentating and on-court presentation. The commentators are an almost given repeat robot record player when it comes to saying **** during a game. I'm not one to quote examples or anything, but c'mon even real-life commentating isnt the greatest but this is far, far from that. Nothing is said about specific players when they score or make a play, its always what they did last year and little tidbits about them, well actually only the more popular players. There is no fluidity in what the commentators are saying and its mainly generic one-liners and then its on to the next play. I've started to turn them completely off but it still doesnt make the game any better. The movement of each player on the court is similar and most offensive and defensive sequences dont run the way youd usually want them to. Rebounding is always the same, inside contact with shooters and off ball players isn't replicated well and almost always is the same no matter how big or small the person size. There isnt enough variation in what players can do when they have or dont have the ball. Ive watched too much basketball to notice that when it comes to scoring in 2k, even the most skilled players have trouble scoring they way they usually dont in real life. There arent enough foul calls and when there are calls theyre out of place and sometimes completely unavoidable. The teams benches are all the same, no specific player routines, just generic animations and cheers. All players start with generic team warmups but once they check into the game they never put them back on. When a player is checking in and waiting hes always standing and never sitting. The crowd is never realistic in games but 2ks is by far the worst along with Madden. They all look lifeless and are constantly cheering even when there isnt anything going on. Their reactions are dull and unimpressive and they all look like claymated zombies. The last NBA Live release was unimpressive to say the least but its presentation annihilated 2ks and still does and they are still out of material. The PA are almost all the same and pretty much everyone doesnt resemble its real life predecessor. So all in all 2k needs much improvement, to put it lightly. AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! ALMOST DONE.... So to keep it short, 2k has all the gloss and icing but no filling, no creme, not the whole nine yards, maybe four and a half. The frustrating thing is it could be an amazing game, but it focuses too hard on the things that really dont need much improvement on. I wish I had some experience in gaming software but whats the use, Ive given up the 2k franchise and am now awaiting the next Live release. I've wasted too much money on a repeat game and havent found much improvement and each ones release. I'd say the last decent NBA 2k game I played was NBA 2k8. Its sad to say but I hope 2k works more on Bioshock Infinite and holds off on NBA 2k this year. Final Verdict: 5.0 out of 10 / not enough realism/ poor presentation/ too similar to previous releases. Oh yeah , 2k youre killin a lot of fans out there, Fix Dirks and Kobes game, they look nothing like the real game they both possess.
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