NBA 2K14 Review

The Path to Greatness might not be the revolution we hoped for, but the rest of the game lives upto expectations.

First and foremost, NBA 2K14 continues to get the core basketball systems almost spot-on, and that’s the key to its success. Unlike hoops sims from earlier console generations, this one simply shows no major weaknesses. Fast breaks are fun to execute but not too common or exploitable, and you can thank the tightened-up defense for that. Perhaps a side effect of that defensive upgrade is that goaltending is far too prevalent on both ends of the floor. We also saw an excessive amount of players on both sides either stepping out of bounds or catching a pass out of bounds in ways the pros just won’t do in real life.

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The first thing that jumps out at you is its presentation. From the opening ceremony to the signature player shooting, it nails the look and feel of the NBA. Player faces are uncanny and the real time promotions for upcoming games are impressive. The on-court action is just as smooth as the visuals. 2K14 has made a return to stick controls. Being able to perform all moves from the stick takes some getting used to, but once we nailed it down, we didn’t want to use buttons anymore. This year’s game focusses heavily on LeBron — with a dedicated mode called LeBron: Path to Greatness. This sort of career mode allows players to step into the shoes of James and decide whether to pursue a stint in Miami or test free waters. The latter is much more exciting, as it took us on a series of trades with other teams, eventually leading us back to Cleveland, where LeBron began his career. Online modes including the popular Association mode also make a comeback. There is enough to see and do in NBA 2K14 — the sheer attention to detail and ease of use is what really drew us in. It might not be the only basketball game in town, but NBA 2K14 is head and shoulders ahead of just about any other sports game in the market.

From the December 2013 issue of FHM India.