Just when you think a series has reached the mountain top, your knocked firmly on you’re a**! The incredible amount of detail put into this game is astounding. The animations, collision detection, graphics, immersion, game play, sound, presentation, player creation and NBA atmosphere are all here. When they said the animations and NBA moves were created for each specific player, they weren't kidding. Everybody from D. Wade to Eric Snow move and act as they're supposed to. The shooting is the coolest by far, because every player has their actual shot release. All the players’ specific shots are here! With free throws it’s funny, because you have to release Shaqs shot so late. Thankfully, free throws have finally become more difficult. Gone are the days where you lined up two lines and made 100%, how realistic is that? Visual Concepts should be commended for giving us a challenge. Basically when you’re playing, if you’re shooting with the Matrix, then you had better do a quick release. A lot of the players even move and dribble how their actual NBA counterpart does. This makes the create a player feature incredibly deep. For example, I created Michael Jordan and used Kobe’s shot for my attributes. Kobe Bryant’s shot is as close to MJ’s, so it was the logical choice. Basically he looks and plays like Mike. I’ve always wanted to be like Mike, and now I can. You really feel as though you’re controlling D. Wade, Chauncey Billups, Jason Kid, Steve Nash or Shaq, and yet, it goes so much further than that. Kobe’s fist pump! Lebron biting his fingers nails. Yeah, it’s safe to say that Visual Concepts have reached an unhealthy level with attention to detail, but thank goodness they did. The expressions and emotions the players have are great. Everything from a guy checking his shoe laces to the hilarious protests as they drop to there knee. The smiles and frustrations are all there. The emotions aren't just limited to the players. The crowd seems more alive and varied. Making substitutions on the fly while setting up a play is very cool. You see the players report to the scorer's table, the crowd moving about in the stands, the camera men taking photos, and meanwhile your flying through the air and throwing one down with the Flash! It really is a lot to take in, and it creates this incredible atmosphere that's finally coming together for this sport. The graphics are unbelievable to say the least. They didn't have to create better player models, but they went ahead and did it anyway. Better shadows and reflections grace both the players and their jerseys. The lighting reflects off the floor and onto the jerseys, it’s that detailed! As great as the graphics look though, they could benefit from a little improvement, but not much. I can't say it eough, but the jerseys really do look fantastic, as they move and sway. The sweat also made an improvement. It just looks more natural now, where as before it seemed a little overdone. The graphics are great and all, but the game play kills last years, because of the new physics and animation. The controls are tight and the flow is right. You really feel as though you’re playing the game of basketball. The dunking is highly addictive and a whole lot of fun if your D. Wade, Lebron, Kobe, Vince, or T-Mac. Boy let me tell you, it is so much better. The whole package helps the dunks out, because they look, feel, and sound emphatic! Some of them pack a lot of thunder and are fun to pull off. The first time you drive the lane with D-Wade, and throw down a bounce off the floor jam, you’ll be left with amazement! They are definitely a nice improvement over last year. I won't even talk about the post game, because I could go on all year about all the cool shots I pulled off with it. However It's so deep I feel as though I have to talk about it a little. You’ll have so much fun mixing the post up moves with the drop step, and then having the ability to use the shot stick. Its sick amounts of fun. I will say though, that the shot stick has improved 10 fold and that is a huge reason why. Spins, floaters, and up and unders are all here. The great shots have a lot of variety. If you mix the variety of shots with the actual player taking the shot, your left with seemingly thousands of great looking shots. The ball feels more natural as well, and the ball physics are also top notch. I've seen some pretty cool shots drop, roll, and bounce there way in. One of them seriously bounced and swirled around the rim for about 6 seconds, after an incredible shot I took with T-Mac. The steal button is very cool, because depending on your player’s proximity and skill he will dive, swipe, jump, side step, or put his arms up. It’s great to knock a ball loose and watch a couple guys dive to the floor. While the player is sitting on the floor he can't get up or it becomes a travel. Its great fun to jump in the way of his pass or bat it out of his hands while he tries to get rid of it. I recommend using the default X button to steal and dive, instead of the right analog stick. The stick is a little to context sensitive, and you may find yourself out of position. Trust me, don't use it, and just get down on defense with the left trigger. It’s all about the animation it seems, and It truly has opened up the game play. The 24/7 mode has improved and is a lot of fun, but still only a diversion to the great NBA simulation, that is NBA 2K7. The menus have all received a great update. They are sharp, crisp, and easy to navigate. It’s nice to be able to make substitutions while you’re in the middle of a game, and be able to watch as the player reports to the scorer’s table. The online tournaments and insanely deep leagues will keep you playing strong all the way till NBA 2K8. The customization will even let you use your game play sliders, and change player attributes. I love the fact that I can tone down Monu Ginobili, and Bruce Bowen, because Visual Concepts sometimes gives guys like them a little too much credit. The sliders are great because you can make the game anything you want to. I would recommend pushing the shooting, and blocking sliders up a little, as well as the computers defensive/offensive awareness. Basically you can make the game NBA Jam if you want to, or a tough as nails defensive affair with super low scoring. This feature really sets NBA 2K’s series apart from the competition, meaning it has none. Speaking of fast breaks, they are awesome. When you run the floor there are tons of options. You can do a regular pass or bounce pass to your man on the wing, and he’ll do the appropriate stop animation in order to get the shot off. You can also do a lead pass, and choose whether or not you want to use a bounce pass within that lead pass. With the lead pass, you’re player will run toward the basket and continue the fast break instead of slowing down. Very cool indeed! So many options to pull within such great environments. During the interview with 2K games, the developers said that last year they weren't able to model every stadium, but now each stadium will have there own unique look and feel. 2K6's arenas were basically last generation graphics mixed with new generation player models, so when I finally got to see the Miami’s, Detroit’s, and Chicago’s arenas I came away very impressed. They all have a different atmosphere, which is aided by a better lighting system and fully modeled venues. After all, the 2K team said ticket holders would be able to pick out their seats. All these great features wouldn't add up to a hill of beans that is EA's Live without some cool sound. The crowd reacts great to all the situations, and seem to follow the action more closely. More importantly, the players follow and react to the game. The sound of the ball, and I'm not kidding here, is highly realistic. Whether it’s from your dunks, dribbles, bounces, swishes, or you rattle that last second shot, they sound amazing. That's about it kids. I couldn't recommend this game enough over the years, but Visual Concepts has touched on something very special here with this game. I have been playing Visual Concepts NBA and NFL 2K series since they debuted on the Dreamcast in 1999. It saddens me to no end that we could be playing NFL 2K7 this year with this same attention to detail. EA’s NBA Live series will never be as good as NBA 2K’s. For those who want to say EA’s game isn't out yet, I have this to say. If you have a Xbox 360, then go play the NBA 06 demo out right now, and you'll have a pretty good idea of what to look forward to. I would have thought NBA 2K7 would score in the 9's, here on Gamespot. I can’t believe it didn’t, and how it scored lower than last year, I’ll never know. NBA 2K7 is almost a completely different game than NBA 2K6, and it was made better in every way. The bottom line is that NBA 2K7 has no competition. Not from NBA Live. Not from Anybody! As amazing as NBA 2K7 is, I can't imagine things getting any better. I honestly can't. If NBA Live scores higher than 8.2, then reviewers have not done their job properly. In my opinion the Gamespot review was rushed and uninformative. To say the game hasn't changed much was basically a flat out lie. Go get NBA 2K7 and soke in all it's glory as the best basketball simulation ever made. I'll go so far as to say that this is not only the best sports game ever made, but one of the best games ever created! NFL 2K5 is the other.
I am writing this review after playing about 4 or 5 hours of the game itself. I haven't tried everything out (such as online play), so not everything may be as accurate as you expect. I have to admit, I am impressed w... Read Full Review
NBA 2K7 is another installment of teh solid 2K sports series, and since NBA Live is the only other game available it is pretty much automatic for basketball game purchases in the next gen. ITS GRAPHICS have been impr... Read Full Review
