The first thing that hits you is the presentation of NBA 2K16. Gone is the really boring main menu, replaced with a much more engaging and colourful design that gives a much clearer explanation of what each mode allows you to do. You’ve got all the main modes present including MyGM, MyCareer, MyLeague, and MyTeam. All of these offer a different way to experience the NBA, and it really is down to what you like to get from a sports game. So what’s the actual game like once you put your feet on the court and handle the ball.

 

Well I can’t say I was disappointed ,and in some ways the gameplay has been hugely improved on from previous iterations. It has also amazed me just how realistic they manage to make this series feel and look, and honestly if you squint just a little bit, it is almost like you are watching a game on TV, instead of playing a video game, and It’s all in the little details that makes it so special. From the way every single player looks like they do in real life, the way they shoot, pass and dribble like their human counterpart’s, to the impressive AI that makes all 30 NBA teams play differently in correspondence to real life. Also the commentary, that can fall a little flat at times, is still the best of its class when it comes to sport titles.

 

Outside of the core basketball gameplay, NBA 2K16 let me customize pretty much anything I wanted, starting with my own player. The FaceScan feature made the NBA version of Jason Fanelli right in my image, then I was able to set my attributes and skills before entering the NBA Draft. In an interesting twist I went undrafted, having to earn my way onto a team from the bottom of the barrel. The cutscenes telling the story are a little wonky, as it's obvious more time was spent with on-court realism than with locker room realism, but they're still entertaining and create a RPG-style story in a sports game. I normally don't pursue a career too long in a sports game, but these scenes make me want to continue on long after this review is written.

 

All of this adds up to some mighty fine on-court hoops, and that’s augmented by some solid adjustments off the court. The most necessary change is that you’ll no longer feel as if you need an online connection to have fun with NBA 2K: you can now edit and toy with rosters and draft classes without an online connection. This was an issue a year ago that the series rectified somewhat with an update; here, right out of the box, whether you’re an online gamer or not, you have a fully functional game. Sadly the servers have been a little flaky since launch but manage to get online and there’s plenty more to keep you occupied. A new patch has just been released to address many of the issues, however, and fortunately includes improvements to the online play and the face scanning element.

 

Ultimately, NBA 2K16 is another step forward for Visual Concepts and 2K. This year brings a nice upgrade and meets the new visual standard of virtual sports. Sure, there are a few bugs and errors. Yes, the problem with the face mapping is a thing, but it’s hilarious. I hope to see some scary faces out there, and it would be great if 2K had some sort of contest like who can make the scariest face. If the team can just spin this small set-back in a positive way, who cares if one small part of the game doesn’t work that well? Everything else is rock-solid and super fun. So if you want to wreck the opposition online, or you just want to rise up and become a pro on your favorite team, pick up NBA 2K16 and get started. Legends don’t just write themselves.

 

The achievements could do with a bit of freshening up too, as it's largely made up of some of the very same tasks from last year's game. And the year before that, and the year before that... Again, it's a list that encourages you to delve into each of NBA 2K16's modes, putting in a good few hours with each. It'll be an enormous time sink, that's for sure, but then evidently, that's the whole idea. You'll need to become a level 100 GM, an All-Star and Hall of Famer in MyPlayer, collect every card and complete every Domination match-up in MyTeam and be nothing short of exemplary on the court to complete everything. You'll need to play the long game.