NBA 2K14 Review

Do 2K Sports serve up a slam dunk or a miss?

The 2K Sports brand is firmly established as a world leader when it comes to sports video games and the NBA 2K series, developed by Visual Concepts, is the publisher's crown jewel. However, NBA 2K13 endured a problematic PC release, with launch problems and a number of missing features when compared to the console version.

As a result, the success of NBA 2K14 on the PC took on a greater level of importance. In addition to avoiding launch problems, the game introduces a number of new gameplay elements and boasts of improvements to commentary, graphics and various game modes. So does it actually deliver on these promises?

Gameplay

In general, the gameplay in NBA 2K14 will be familiar to anyone who has played previous instalments in the franchise. The usual game modes return, including My Career, which serves as a single player story mode, and My GM, where players take on the role of a General Manager for the team of their choosing.

My Player mode is also back, allowing users to recreate their own likeness within the game. In terms of changes, the game introduces new dribble and shoot mechanics to the series, which make it easier for newcomers to pick up and play, and NBA 2K14 marks the first time that Euroleague teams have been featured in the series.

Path to Greatness mode focuses on cover star LeBron James, putting the player in control of his career. Meanwhile, in My GM mode, the 'potential' attribute is now limited, meaning it no longer rises as a player progresses. This fixes one of the main gripes with My GM in NBA 2K13, where too many players would eventually reach superstar status.

Presentation

Despite the improvements to gameplay, it is the presentation aspect of NBA 2K14 which sets it apart from competitors. More than 50 hours worth of new commentary was recorded by Clark Kellogg, Kevin Harlan and Steve Kerr, resulting in the best commentary of any sports video game franchise, with realistic conversations and analysis.

New voice over audio was also recorded for My Career mode and for in-game draft nights, while the atmosphere of a real NBA game is accurately recreated, with home teams being roared on, or facing a barrage of disapproval, depending on if they look likely to win or lose. An excellent soundtrack, chosen by LeBron James, helps to add to the experience and includes tracks from well-known stars including Eminem, Kanye West, Phil Collins and Coldplay.

In fact, the only slight issues with presentation are that the player models look a little 'blocky' and animations look a tiny bit dated. This is perhaps understandable, however, as the PC version is roughly the same as the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, rather than a port of the the next generation release.

Conclusion

Due to the need to release a new game every year, sports video game franchises often struggle to offer something new each time, making some releases feel more essential than others. However, NBA 2K14 rises to the challenge fairly well, offering new control mechanisms, retaining key game modes and improving audio.

Although some of the player models and animations feel a little bit dated, they still represent an improvement from NBA 2K13 and it is difficult to argue against year-on-year improvement. Updated rosters and the inclusion of European teams may also be enough reason for 2K13 players to upgrade.