14 DAY TRIAL // 
NBA 2K16 is another installment in the long-running basketball simulation title created by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Games, a sport-based experience that manages to deliver a wide range of content to those who love the world that exists around the National Basketball League and its biggest stars.
The Spike Lee-created single-player narrative might be one of the biggest draws of the new title, but the real value of the experience is the depth of all the included modes, which allow players to enjoy a virtual take on basketball for tens, if not hundreds of hours.
There are no revolutionary innovations in NBA 2K16, but the companies involved have managed to put together a package that mixes fluid gameplay, good graphics, and clear love for the sport, even if the narrative element that was emphasized before launch might be unsatisfying for many.
Story
NBA 2K16 has been advertising the fact that Spike Lee, a known fan of the sport, has been working to introduce more narrative and emotion for the MyCareer mode, and all gamers will have to get through the Livin' Da Dream section.
The character creation process allows for a lot of freedom, but once that's done, the movie director takes the reins, and gamers are moved through an origin story that features a lot of easily noticed cliches and limited choices.
The high-school basketball prodigy will have to deal with his agent, the family that seeks to make some money, the childhood friend with a personal agenda, and other characters as he moves through college and eventually gets drafted.
The cutscenes and the extra emotion might be appealing to some fans of the sport, but it's pretty clear that Spike Lee is not a video game developer because his story is very particular and cannot be adjusted to suit a variety of player choices.
NBA 2K16 opens up the MyCarrer mode after about five hours, allowing gamers to make the decisions that they are used to, guiding the evolution of their created player both on and off the court, with a wide range of interactions with teammates, companies, and coaches.
Gamers who want to focus on a team rather than a single individual will be glad to discover the MyGM experience, which involves many more management elements and allows gamers to try and create one franchise that can dominate the NBA.
There are plenty of role-playing elements integrated into the experience, and gamers have options to either play matches or simulate them in order to push the season forward.
Relationships are the key, whether they involve players, the owners, the other members of staff or the press, which is an interesting take on the world of basketball.
Gameplay
NBA 2K16 manages to take real-world basketball and translate most, if not all of its defining elements to the virtual world, allowing gamers to take control of the biggest stars of the sport in order to write and rewrite history.
The development team has improved both the defensive and the offensive sequences of the game, adding more options for players to deliver passes and to go for the basket, while also making the Artificial Intelligence more able to react and to show off some impressive moves for itself.
Gamers will have to carefully consider their tactics and the plays that they want to run and adapt to the players they are facing, while also using their superstars to create moments of surprise that can win matches and even championships.
Lobs and bounces now have dedicated buttons in an already-solid control scheme, and that might encourage some players to over-use them, but the AI is solid enough to adapt to any excesses, and that means improvisation and creativity are the best way to get a solid long-term performance.
MyGM also offers improved simulation for those players who do not want to actively play all the matches that are part of a season, but the mode makes interactions with the players and the entire organization a manager deals with as important as the court action.
“NBA 2K16 is a video game that requires time and dedication for those who want to see everything that the various modes have to offer.”
The payoff for a big investment from the player is that this is as close as most fans will ever be to playing like one of the superstars of the sport or managing one.
If NBA 2K16 does have one major weakness, that is the lack of a deep tutorial that can bring newcomers to the series up to speed quickly and without frustration.
The team does offer videos for some of the core features, but they do not provide a comprehensive image of the experience, and the best way to learn how to play is to push the MyCareer mode as far as possible quickly, although that does not prepare gamers for MyTeam or MyGM.
Graphics and audio
NBA 2K16 is a good-looking game, managing to capture the fluidity and the complexity of the game of basketball and to offer a very solid interface that's easy to navigate, although there are moments when the loading times are a little on the long side.
In MyCareer, MyGM, as well as MyTeam, gamers can easily tweak their teams, deal with interactions or get a wide range of information about their performance and how they can improve it during coming matches.
On the court, NBA 2K16 offers improved character models and faces, and there are also improvements to both all the featured stadiums and the pre- and post-game interviews and presentations.
The game does seem to make sweat a little too visible on players, especially late during games, and the faces of some of the bigger stars are still stuck in the middle of the uncanny valley, but otherwise, NBA 2K16 will impress fans of the sport with its presentation.
When it comes to the use of voice and the soundtrack, the basketball simulation delivers good commentary and some nice tracks to listen to.
Multiplayer
NBA 2K16 delivers an updated take on the MyTeam experience, allowing gamers to choose a base team from the world of basketball and then try and improve it with better players and consumables, while gaining access to the currency required for new packs.
Gamers can also set up classic one-on-one matches, and there are even more adventures to be had in MyPark and Pro-Am, experiences that by themselves can swallow up tens of hours as gamers seek to deliver the best performance they can when paired up with other humans.
The Good
- A lot of depth
- Solid basketball mechanics
The Bad
- Limited tutorials
- Spike Lee's narrative offers limited value
Conclusion
The only major problem with the package is that the Livin' Da Dream narrative is relatively poor, given the hype associated with the involvement of Spike Lee, and some people might actually give up on MyCareer early because of it.
But even those who do so will be able to find a lot to love in MyGM or MyTeam, two modes that have been upgraded to offer even more options than before, creating basketball worlds that feel believable and surprising at the same time.
