This mini review is to talk about NBA 2K14. I call it mini
because I will not touch base on all the features and details on the game. I am
talking about it from an average player’s point of view. This is the player who
buys NBA 2K9 when 2K20 has just been released. There are many out there and if
you are a hardcore fan please look somewhere else for a deep covered Look at
LeBrons wrinkles review.
Basketball is one of the major sports I like to keep up
with. I catch a game almost when I have time and root for my favorite team. I
have played several NBA 2K sports titles with the latest being 2K11. That game
was awesome and I enjoyed it every time I played it, Specially the My Player
feature. I purchased a used PS4 and it came with NBA 2K14. I liked 2K11 so I decided
to play it and since that a lot has changed and as an average sports gamer, I
would say it changed for the worst.
Design:
The first think you notice when first playing NBA 2K14 is
the GUI. They changed it from all those menus back in the day to just a few
simple ones. There’s NBA Today which gives you all the stats of the NBA and a
small preview window of the plays from the day before hosted by ESPN. In here
you can keep up with stats and up to date news on anything NBA. Here is also
where you can have a quick match between 2 teams or have an online match
against someone else. My Career is where you create a player and go through the
life of an NBA Player. My GM is where you step into the shoes of a General
Manager and lead your team to victory.
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| Is anyone going to get that? |
I spent most of my time in My Career(My Player) where I
built my player and played for an NBA team. This mode is feels complete because
you get to interact with several players from the NBA voiced by the players
themselves. But while you’re playing it does feel scripted. You go through your
career facing a rival as well as dealing with teammates who look at your player
as a rookie and will even give you ridiculous tasks for your player to do. It’s
all just to add a little bit of Drama. You do get a choice however in how your
player responds to most things such as arguing with a ref when a bad call is
called or when talking to the GM. A lot of the responses are narrowed down to
being a nice guy or a complete jerk that is too full of himself, Because that’s
all basketball players right? There is almost no middle ground.
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| Do Not Drink The Wine. |
One feature that killed it for me is Micro Transactions in
My Player. Throughout your players career you earn points that can be used to
purchase skill points. If you run out you will have to win games and meet the
goals that are given to you by your coach. Since your player is starting out,
that’s not really a whole lot. To speed things up you can buy these points at
the 2K store. I thought this feature was total Bull S*** since previous titles
allowed you to practice and earn these points for free.
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| You get more entertainment watching the Lakers in a video game than real life. |
Graphics:
Is NBA 2K14 graphically impressive? No. Are the graphics
better than the PS3? Yes. I was not at all impressed with 2K14 graphically.
Animation was smoother compared to previous entries and players were a bit more
detailed also but all in all, I was disappointed in this offering.
GamePlay
Gameplay is the same as previous entries. You have to time
your shots in order to make them. Let go too soon or too late and you’re bound
to miss them. This time around though your shots are graded and you will earn
points based on how difficult or how well the shot was made. The ability to do
anything really all lies on the player you are using and how they stack up
compared to others. I’ve never been a fan of the 2K AI. They are dumber than a
can of beans or a Star Fish in some popular children show about a sponge under
water. During gameplay for My Player, your team mates will more likely than not
give up so many shots you might as well not even try. There have been many
instances where 5 seconds are left on the clock and whoever is ball handler
will just throw the ball from across the court instead of getting closer to it.
If the other team passes the ball and one of your team members is right beside
them, they will not chase the ball and instead let the other team score.
The game is also surprisingly buggy for this release. They
aren’t major bugs but you would think after being on the market for several
months now, 2K would release a patch or something but no. You just pop the game
in and on you go. Games with a lower budget and lower sales will release a
patch if it needs it but not 2K.
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| People often confuse the real James with an Animatronix |
Replay:
One thing about Sports games is that they have so much
replay value. True the rosters aren’t up to date and depending on the release
the animation may not be up to par but you can always play it no matter what.
NBA 2K14 does offer some good replay value. You can still play single player
with single games and the story in My Player may be scripted but you can
continue playing for a long time before it’s time to retire your player.
Whether you enjoy playing those game modes or not is really a person to person
scenario.
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| Most of the time your team mates are running around like Headless Chickens. |
Conclusion:
With the NBA season coming to a close and NBA 2K14 soon to
be a bargain bin game, This entry was not worth to pick up. It will be a year
or 2 before 2K gets it right for the PS4 and Xbox One editions of the 2K
franchise. But until then, unless this game is $1 I wouldn’t bother picking it
up. I would save my money and buy something else.
Design: 4/10
Graphics: 2/10
GamePlay: 6/10
Replay: 7/10
Total Score: 4.5/10
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