Heading out of the arena and onto the NBA Blacktop yields a 3-Point Shootout, Dunk Contest, and more. The shootout setup is simple: choose three NBA players and one to control and then you have a set amount of time to make as many 3-point shots as you can. Trying to dunk in the Dunk Contest proved to be extremely difficult for an average result. These and other mini games like Twenty-One add to the choices available when you insert the disk.
Keep NBA 2K10 connected to the Internet for another great feature, NBA Today. This will keep your rosters and stats up-to-date with the real NBA. Results will be shown for recent real world match ups and you can choose which games to play. The announcers will pull in current stats during the game being played and even invite you to tune in later in the week for specific match ups. The commentary works very well. EA can learn a lot from 2K since the play calling is diverse, informative, and contains very little “pregnant pauses.” Not only is there a massive soundtrack, but a custom play list can be created so that you hear only the songs you like.
The game looks great, too. It’s easy to see how beautiful the game really is by taking a look at any of the screens or videos. Character models are extremely detailed down to the player tattoos and signature play styles. Photographers, cheerleaders and spectators are varied and lifelike. Playing in a stadium, practice court, or outside all look and sound as they should. However, this becomes a bit too much for the 360’s hardware which causes the frame rate to stutter noticeably in various game modes and cameras. Other slight graphical issues crop up (such as benches clipping through player shorts) but are few and far between and easy to overlook.
Unfortunately, bugs are present that will detract from the flow of the game. Referees and AI controlled players will toss the ball back and forth six or seven times before putting it into play. A number of times the game would lock up at half time. Every option and menu item was available but it never moved on to the third quarter. It was frustrating having to exit the game being played.
There is no doubt about it, there is a lot of fun to be had in NBA 2K10. You can be pulled in to it’s athletic embrace even if you don’t love basketball. With very strong features such as NBA Today and My Player Mode, it’s sad to see the game stumble with an inconsistent frame rate and deceivingly unresponsive controls. NBA 2K10 is a strong choice if you’re looking for the best basketball experience to be had.
Final note: 2K Sports has announced news of an upcoming patch that will potentially fix a lot of the problems I had. It’s supposed to even address the frame rate problems. If it works then it could turn this game into a must have for your sports collection.
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2K Sports B+
Beautiful graphics, great commentary, and strong game modes create a very fun basketball game. However, animations that restrict movement and frame rate issues detract from the experience and prevent NBA 2K10 from bringing its "A" game.
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