“NBA 2k15”—2k Sports—for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and iOS

7.5 out of 10

By Henry Erlandson ’16
THE ROUNDUP

“NBA 2k15” excels in online experiences for the average basketball gamer while improving on many inherent problems from past games.

But it fails to make a lasting impact visually from “NBA 2k14.”

Upon playing my first game, I noticed some stand-out changes.

Players do not get fouled as easily when I pump faked, there is a new type of shooting meter, defense is lethargic, there are more consistent foul calls, passing has to be more precisely chosen, and rebounding is now an immersive feature for the player because of its new mechanics.

Anyone who has played past 2k games knows the quirky problems and frustrating patterns in the gameplay, but much of that is fixed in “NBA 2k15.”

Defense is harder and requires more discipline because player movements are sensitive and allow opponents open shots if defenders don’t correctly predict where the ball will go.

Also, the new shot meter surprised me as a change that I liked quite a bit because it actually allows the fate of the shot to be placed in the fingers of the player without them being helpless in the outcome.

The addition of a new feature called face-scan enables the player to scan his face using the Kinect.

This creates for an immersive feel in the game while playing in certain modes, such as MyPlayer.

The new face-scan plays perfectly into the game’s theme of it being your turn to play against the stars of the league and create a dynasty built around the skills of a player who looks very similar to you.

The changes made in online modes were a huge, great surprise for me.

I am quite sure I am not the only one who is tired of playing seasons and quick games against the computer.

As far as the graphics and player movements, “NBA 2k15” has improved with dazzling player images and new in-game mechanics, but I still do not see it as a change that will satisfy players who have owned “NBA 2k14.”

As usual, everyone will ask the nagging question, “Is the game worth the money?”

The annoying aspect of nearly all companies who create sports games is that they price their games continually at $60, which is simply not worth it.

Yes, this NBA game has made improvements and created inventive, new ideas that can be built into even better components for next year’s game. However, it shares the same fault of repetitiveness that many sports games have.

Despite its realistic feel and changes made to in-game elements, “NBA 2k15” made many of the small changes instead of reshaping last year’s image of basketball in 2k14.

Still, the game is a tremendous amount of fun and should not be ignored just because of its price.