Taking the game to the next level

Basketball leaps into the new generation of consoles with what is easily the most authentic basketball game ever. From the visuals to the mannerisms and playing styles; the game looks almost lifelike. Not only does Lebron James look like Lebron James, he behaves and plays like him too, bringing the game to life like never before. Most games make the same mistake when it comes to realism and end up concentrating only on a few top players, however NBA 2K15 seems to have an immense amount of details for even some of the non-mainstream players.

Moving on to the gameplay, it feels less arcadey than some previous basketball games and is a refinement of the NBA 2K formula. The jump shot power bar is something that always keeps you on your toes as it changes depending on your player and where he is standing. The games physics and collisions are pretty close to real life with smaller players getting bumped around and falling over at times when matched up against some of the heavier players in the league.

The game’s main focus is the MyCareer mode which takes a more cinematic approach to the usual career mode. The game mode however is riddled with tons of load screens which hurts the immersion a little and quite frankly gets annoying after a while.

But take nothing away from the game mode as it is the best representation of a rookie’s career in the NBA and his rise to stardom. As you play, you earn credits for your performance which can be used to buy some upgrades. There’s also an option to buy these credits with real money to speed things up for those with less time on their hands.

The game also comes with a MyTeam mode, which is pretty much the basketball version of FIFA Ultimate Team. You can open packs to get new players, trade with others across the globe in your quest to build your dream team.

One of NBA 2K15’s most talked about features prior to launch was Face Scan, the ability to scan your face using the Xbox One/PS4 camera’s to create your in game player. Unfortunately the feature’s implementation is far from some scary and horrifying results for facial scans. Safe to say it doesn’t work, don’t bother with it. While NBA 2K15 isn’t perfect, it’s just about as close as a sports game can get and there is no doubt that if you are a basketball fan, this game is a no brainer.