I don't know about the shot-stick or music but this is the best basketball game this year or any other. PERIOD.
Excellent graphics (the best this generation has seen yet in a sports game), paced and REALISTIC gameplay. No back to back triple doubles or 70 point games here LeBron. You cannot score a single point here WITHOUT passing the rock at least once (unlike a certain other "superstar"). Oh, and no ballerina's present. Our athletes like to run, not skate. Street-ball in 24/7 get's better every year (although I think 2k4's was better than 2k5) and this iteration in 2k6 is the best yet. For even more comp, take your boy online and compete against other's creations- full court, half-court, one on one. Shaq does EXACTLY what he's supposed to- he's the man in the paint but pretty useless from more than 8 feet out (again unlike Live 06 where he's got a pretty decent mid-range shot if left open). Dwayne WILL RARELY, if ever, be dunking on both 'Sheed and Big Ben in this game. Oh, and multiplayer? Everyone has a DEFINED role integral to the team's success- try to be a maverick and YOU WILL get shut down after a few. Do the math people. The Live Series is more and more becoming the successor to the NBA JAM and HOOPZ series with every passing year and the 2K Series has long-since taken over where NBA Live 2000 left off (NBA 2K Dreamcast was a classic). Although it's not perfect, 2k6 IS THE GENRE-DEFINING B-BALL GAME TO END THIS GENERATION.
One point- I read one EA fanboy's comment that the graphics in Live06 kill 2k6. That comment alone shows he (as well as a lot of these fanboys) haven't really seen the game in action- a blind man riding backwards could tell you NBA 2k4 utterly smokes Live 06 graphically, and thats not even talking about this years 2k6. ANY reviewer on ANY site will tell you that. Hell my grandmother would tell you that. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM people! Stop playing yourselves- you end up sounding like 2 year olds. I've played both and I can tell you, as a videogamer, basketballer and hardcore NJ Nets fan (season tickets baby) this IS the best basketball game around. Keep up the good work VC... just need to tweak that shot-stick :) and get some better music.