NBA 2K14

Editor's Notes

The PC version is value priced at nearly half of what the console versions go for, making the lack of some features expected and announced for the Xbox One and PS4 versions (due this year) more understandable.

Introduction

Once again it's fall and for hoop fans of the digital variety that means one thing and one thing only, 'NBA 2K' is back, baby! Doing away with the retro themed covers of the last few years, 'NBA 2K14' features The King himself, Lebron in all his chalk tossing glory. And it's appropriate, as this year's title includes an entire mode that focuses on King James and his quest for NBA immortality.

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

The brilliant thing about the NBA 2K series is that not only has Visual Concepts continued to innovate and improve every year with new modes and graphics, it has done so without a direct competitor driving them for the last 4 years. Long time players know that since the demise of EA Sports' 'NBA Live,' the 'NBA 2K' series of games has literally been the only game in town.

Compared to last year's title, a surface inspection of '2K14' does not appear to be a significant upgrade. The game boasts the same modes and graphics as before with only minor tweaks in both gameplay and animations. While these tweaks can be both good and bad, (I'm looking at you removal of Coach mode) in general they serve to streamline and improve the overall authentic feel of the game. The real change this year is the addition of the Path to Greatness mode. Similar to the NBA's Greatest mode in '2K12,' Path to Greatness tasks you with first recreating then extending the career of one Mr. James. In the game, you can take full control of Lebron's career whether that's staying in Miami with his super friends or returning home to Cleveland to finish the job, it's entirely up to you.

Returning modes include My Career, Association, and Blacktop modes. All three are enjoyable and definitely reward you for the time you put into it. My Career lets you create a player and then take him from a NBA wannabe balling on the streets to starting for the Lakers in the NBA finals... If you're good enough.

Association is a personal favorite of mine and it returns intact and possibly smarter than ever. Being able to run your home town team is THE fantasy for many a hoop fan across the country. and this is the mode to fulfill those needs. As the General Manager, you can hire/fire the coaches, trainers, and even scouts on your team. You'll also be able to manage the roster through trades and the draft, which is handled with surprising accuracy this year with a virtual Adam Silver replacing David Stern at the podium. A change I did notice was that the trade logic for CPU controlled teams seems to have been smartened up. No longer would they trade first round picks to you for mere expiring contracts, which was how I ended up with 3 of the first 5 picks one year.

The gameplay is as refined as ever and is the best representation of basketball that you can get on a PC. Small tweaks to the controls have been added to the shooting and dribbling mechanics. Everything is now controlled with the analog sticks which allow you to add modifiers and change your shot on-the-fly for more variety when you are going through lane and have to decide between that floater or a reverse layup.