NBA 2K14 – Review
It’s a bit alienating writing about basketball as a Belgian. We’re a country that mostly neglects the sport, instead favoring soccer, cycling and tennis on our list of healthy-activities-we-all-watch-but-never-participate-in. To say I had to freshen up my basket-lingo might be the understatement of the year.
But I made do, and thanks to a lofty dictionary and a very helpful wiki-page on James LeBron’s curriculum, I managed to find my way around NBA 2K14.
A game that, by the way, shakes things up compared to its predecessor(s).
Story
Uhm, is there anyone who plays any sports game because of its story? Alright, sure, 2K14 allows you to play through some of star player James LeBron’s past glories, but is this really what we’re here for? I certainly am not. The best story you can ever get in this genre is a tale created when you mercilessly trash a friend. Preferably when he’s sitting on the same couch.
It makes the taunting all the more satisfying.
Graphics
Graphically I found NBA 2K14 somewhat lacking. Outside of the court, animations seem like they’re performed by a set of wooden dolls that have their joints strapped to invisible wires, movement even looks stiff at some points.
A shame, because inside the court, the game certainly holds its own. Blurring lens effects disguise an audience that lacks any form of detail, but at the same time manage to add a certain flair to the game, while also allowing you to focus on the game itself.
Focus on the dribbling and it’s easy to become amazed at the amount of work that must have gone into making it all look as believable and fluid as it does.
The moment the camera zooms in, though, it all goes to hell, showing models that have clearly hit the limit on this current generation of consoles. It’ll be worth it to see where 2K takes the franchise on the next wave of home entertainment.
Sound
There’s the usual meaty soundtrack 2K-titles have been boasting tor the past couple of years. In practice, this means that you’ll be hearing plenty of modern hits thanks to a tracklist focusing on rap, hip hop and more poppy songs.
What’s most important about the audio, though, is the highly impressive commentary you’ll hear throughout the game. In my opinion, the most glaring reason to watch a sportsgame, be it a real one on television or watching/playing a digital version, is the enormous amount of talent many announcers possess. In this case you get to hear Clark Kellogg, Steve Kerr and Kevin Harlan. Their interactions are top notch, especially during the Path to Greatness (LeBron’s career).
Gameplay
For the third year in a row, 2K decided to completely change its control scheme. This year’s edition has the right stick handling shooting and skill moves on its own, while the left trigger handles passing. What this means from last year’s veterans is that there’ll be hilarious moments – hilarious for others – where you completely mess up your tactics.
For those who’ve spent a lot of time on 2K13, there’s going to be a decent amount of rehab to go through before they get used to this new control scheme.
Practice makes perfect; it’s been a saying that can be applied to everything, but rings even more clearly when it comes to NBA 2K14. Anyone can pass a ball along the the next player, but actually developing the tactical insights and having the skill necessary to pull off more advanced moves and shots, is what makes this game so appealing.
That’s especially true when you start playing online, where there is no AI to show you some mercy.
Where NBA 2K14 takes a wrong turn, though, is in the amount of content it offers. Sure, the Path to Greatness is a fun time of wasting time, but it lacks involvement, often relying on scripted events that leave little room for real decision-making. The My Player mode then, has mainly stagnated. It hasn’t changed compared to last year’s edition, even offering many of the same assets and interviews present in 2013’s NBA-game.
There’s just less to do this year and what is there, lacks some depth – content-wise, I mean. I have no complaints about the actual gameplay, which is top-notch. The main reason to play NBA 2K14 is to have another go at a series of online or couch-based matches against some friends.
Preferably the latter, because when all things are said and done, this game makes for some great hang-outs.
Conclusion
NBA 2K14 is a decent entry in the series, but lacking in depth and underwhelming for what should have been the series’ swan song on current consoles.
My Career is still a crazy addictive mode, but hasn’t changed one bit compared to what last year’s entry offered. The same goes for the entire game. It’s a good game, but it’s basically NBA 2K13 +1 with different controls.
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