Basketball season is just around the corner. That means that a new round of hoops related video games are about to hit the market. Due to the middling performance of EA Sports' once great NBA Live series, 2K Sports' NBA 2K has been the de-facto choice for gamers for several years running.
The series' has stumbled a little bit since entering the current console generation, with many fans frustrated with the unstable servers, and frequent micro transactions, among other things. This year's edition, 2k16, promises to be a step forward for the series and looks to finally be the next-gen 2K fans have been craving.
The big new feature being touted by the game is the drama-filled MyCareer mode. Developer Visual Concepts has been trying to ramp up the cinematic flair of the mode for a while now, by adding scripted dialogue and cut scenes to flesh out the story. This year, they've enlisted the aid of renowned director Spike Lee to help make MyCareer's narrative even more compelling.
This year's MyCareer, which was directed and scripted by Lee himself, is a mode called 'Livin Da Dream.' Instead of creating your own player and rising through the NBA ranks, Livin Da Dream puts you in the shoes of a man named 'Frequency Vibrations', a high school kid with dreams of NBA stardom.
The scripted story may not go over well with players looking for a traditional MyCareer experience. IGN's Mike Mitchell says:
The story itself is mediocre and the dialogue is a little corny, despite being well acted. Some interesting moments were emotionally charged and kept my attention, but its movie-style plot made it a poor fit for a game that's supposed to be about our players.
Gameplay wise, 2k16 is a major step forward for the series, with improved AI and playcalling making it the most immersive 2k yet.
