NBA 2K11
 

Enjoy the occasional team sports challenge? Being pleased when being drawn into the TV presentation and drowning in immersion? Looking forward to play a bit of tactical high speed chess?

Then try NBA 2K11. I am somewhat grown out of the years I was inerested in psorts games, hoiwever, I liked them in the past, and I tasted many of them in many different yearly incarnations: EA's FIFA, NBA and NHL series, PES, Top Spin, hell 12 or 13 years ago I even had one title of the Madden NFL series, in the good old Amiga days even a Baseball simulation, can you believe it?!

PES 2009 was an incredibly good representation of football, it had all what I wanted in playability, fair handling, and simulated realism. A very good sports game that was. But NBA 2K11 is at least as good, if not even better due to the superior presentation. I stumbled over it last week when I saw it for an incredible 10 Euros, and for that price I did not mind to give it a try.

That game is tough for a rookie like me, but at first glance even a newbie like me can see how much attention to detail has been payed, and how incredibly realistic the flow of the match seems to be. The control is very complex, but ot unfair, although I still get blown off the field and desperately struggle to get some decent moves and defensive actions set up. This game, no doubt, needs plenty of training and time to practice, but you see from first match on that it is worth it. The comments for the match are unique and different for every match, at least for every team, and cannot be recognised as not being live TV coverage.

Many say this is probably th ebest basketball sim there ever has been. Some even say it is the best team sports simulatioin ever - and I think they could be right.

For 10 Euros, or officially 14 Euros for the PC version, you cannot go wrong!

For a more visual and more competent introduction, see this video review which really should get you boosted. Mind you, it is the console version you see in the clips, on PC it looks even better (higher resolution).

This one even invites you to just sit and watch without playing yourself. You won't be bored, believe me, but will be very well entertained like by a live broadcast. The often to be observed stereotypic match dynamics and stereotypic player moves you must not expect here. It's almost real.

Two niggles I have: the booklet is listing all move commands, yes, but doers nothing more than that - although there is very much content and different options. Newbies are pretty much left alone in the rain, crying. Second, the needlessly complicated menus may be nice for a console, but even on a console I would rate them as really pushing for a test of stress tolerance. On a PC, they are an impudence. But the match unfolding compensates you for that, really.

10 gaming-bucks extremely well spent. :up:

Hands up if you never thought you would see Sky review an EA Sports title. :o

Here.

Its not EA, but 2K Sports

:O:

Been playing it myself for a good 2 - 3 months now. And still enjoying it. I had to restart due to a PS3 2k server side glitch that made online crash the console but I let that slide since I could still play offline.

I've got a Shooting Guard going with the Bucks at the moment after starting out with the Wizards. I'm not a starter yet but with Jennings out for a couple of weeks I've basically become the PG of the Bucks, which is great because during our thumping of the Jazz @ their home court I recorded my first triple double of my career and its only my rookie season. 3 player of the game awards so far, 2 with the Wizards and 1 with the Bucks. Haven't really played online because it doesn't interest me all that much. My Player for me is where its at. That and the Jordan Challenges.

I agree, "My Player" mode is the mode of choice for this sim (note: I say sim, not game). To sit on the bench and cooking slowly in your own juices because the coach does not bring you into the match (while all the time you know how much you have sucked in the past matches), and the Teammate Grade that constantly illustrates throughout the match how your team is accepting you when playing good, and avoids you when playing bad, are new experiences that I have not had in any team sports game before - the Teammate Grade really forces you to not play isolationistic only and behaving like Rambo with a ball, but to fall into the tactics and team chemistry and play your role in the bigger concept. Very very great, it does not compare to just play with a fixiated player position in any sports game.

However, I struggle with the incredible difficulty level of the game, with the lowest setting not available in My Player mode, and my player even with cheated increased statistics struggling dearly to perform well. Got drafted by the Wizards as 30th of 1st round, and instantly was flattened by an apparently increased game difficulty in the NBA matches after I survived summer camp and made it to the first 15.

The Grade meter also needs correctionbs, sometimes my direct opponent mark is flipped to another player suddenly whgo is on the opposite side of the field, and before I have any chance to get to him, he scores, giving me the penalty on the meter. On other occasions, I may get a good 3pointer, but getting less reward (or none), while getting a hefty, bigger penalty if letting my direct opponent score for just 2 or even allowing an inside pass.

There is plenty to learn, and the challenge is hefty, immense, and some times very frustrating. But it keeps you getting back to it again, always, immersion and feeling like being part of a team just is too irresistable. The AI also produces very convincing, real life-like moves and gameflow. The grade meter idea is great, but the implementation needs some improvements, although in (felt) 5 out of 6 occasions it works well. And the manual, if it deserves that nbame, really, it is shabby, at best. The sim includes so many optional details and playing submodes, that a more comprehensive introduction really must be considered a must. But all in all this package beats the hell out of any other sports game out there. Wouldn't have imagined that I ever would get caught by something like this again after I had my first EA NHL title (97 or 98) on PS 13 years ago.

Best sports game out there, they say? - Well, I'm now a believer.

I have it. I agree that there is a steep learning curve. Most people remember playing these games back in the day when you could just stutter step and drive down the lane every time against the AI. Now, if you don't use real strategies and get your team involved, you will certainly lose.

This game is no joke. A real winner....