NBA 2K17

This year, NBA 2K17 is once again leaping higher than everyone else and reaching heights that few sports simulations can claim to have even come close. And even when it is a little too permissive or sufficient in certain areas, it offers you a whole bunch of varied possibilities and enjoyable gameplay, distilling intense and singular moments of pure basketball, very difficult to match.

As a die-hard NBA fan, I've always had a special affection for the NBA 2K series. This is a game that celebrates athletes, makes me feel the frenzy a player can experience after slamming a memorable dunk, and allows me to customize my player to the smallest detail. If I was sometimes disturbed by a floating pass and confused by the rendering of players like Kevin Durant or Andrew Wiggins who seemed much too thin to me, score a distant 3-point basket at the controls of Steph Curry and see the crowd of the Oracle Arena in delirium quickly made me forget these little inconveniences.

This same observation also applies to the different facets of NBA 2K17. I don't particularly like the repetitive aspect of progress in MyCareer mode, but the amount of options available to me in Manager mode clearly increases its interest tenfold. On the court, new changes have been made, and these allow you to improve the accuracy of your shots in suspension by moving the right stick down (you can also just press the fire button if this new approach does not suit you). Likewise, you can now use the right stick to steal the ball from your opponent in various ways, or simply continue to use the button provided for this purpose. Once again, it's all about possibilities, and NBA 2K17 is extremely rich in this area.

Dribbling that rocks

The recent induction of Allen Iverson into the Basketball Hall of Fame is timely for NBA 2K17, as the game seems to make a point of honor to make the sequence of dribbles and rotations that have made the fame of this athlete much more fluid . In previous installments of the 2K series, I often felt like I was "triggering" an animation and not having full control over it. This year the situation is very different, since it is now much easier to "tie" together different dribbles in order to create devastating sequences which leave the defenders in place. This feeling of fluidity also concerns the shots, since for the first time in the history of the series, I really had the feeling of being able to interrupt a dribble in order to offer myself a favorable shooting angle when I found myself in the zone. separating the racket from the three point line.

The pace of play and the occupation of space are essential characteristics in any good NBA game that respects itself. The addition of this zone therefore gives you more opportunities to score, more creative passes, more fouls, as well as a tougher fight in defense. From time to time, making an improbable pass can be very frustrating, since unlike a quickly transmitted ball, it destroys your chances of creating a saving gap allowing your teammate to take the shot in the best conditions. . This is also valid for some players controlled by the AI who do not position themselves correctly during a counterattack.

On one level, however, the fact that the passes aren't always perfectly adjusted provides a respite for the defense. Triggers like JJ Redick and Damian Lillard are proving particularly monstrous this season, and the AI is proving to be pretty smart when it comes to backing up and crossing the line, to avoid a 3-point shot. does not turn into a vulgar long-range 2-point shot. On top of that, offensive rebounds can turn into deflections when the player is unable to secure the rebound, and I have seen some game situations where DeAndre Jordan was sticking the ball out for JJ Redick who didn't. more than to adjust a 3-point shot without any opposition.

I also have to broach the subject of the shooting mechanics which have been greatly modified this year. Now getting a green gauge or perfect timing when you fire your shot automatically results in a basket. In the past, getting a green gauge didn't have to be a successful shot, and it could be really frustrating. So thanks for making it 2K clearer.

Having such a level of control on the court is fun, except when that control inexplicably disappears. I can't control the strength of my pass; I have no control over the time taken by my players to get back before the start of a game phase; and I can't do anything to get closer to the ball carrier when the opposing pivot pushes me back under the circle during a defensive phase. When such things happen, there is absolutely nothing you can do about it, and the conclusion of such actions sometimes seems unfair to you.

The action on the court is enhanced by a variety of commentaries which undoubtedly represent the very best in the world of sports simulations. David Aldridge now interviews the athletes on the field, while Greg Anthony and Kevin Harlan are joined by a team of variable geometry consultants (including Chris Webber, Clark Kellogg, Doris Burke, Brent Barry and Steve Smith). Unfortunately, this cast provided is not exempt from all reproaches. It sometimes feels like Chris Webber is gobbling up his mic, and Steve Smith's interventions are pretty boring. Fortunately, Doris Burke and Brent Barry raise the bar and shine in their respective roles.

The audio part is however a little less to its advantage when it comes to the atmosphere of the rooms. This year, special care has been given to the respective atmospheres of the different arenas, but adding certain sounds that are specific to them does not solve everything. The circle and the buzzers sound different depending on the room, but the general atmosphere remains hopelessly weak. To put it simply, the crowd never gets excited or angry enough following the actions.

Micro-management 2K17

The MyCareer mode turns out to be lighter and much less linear this year, which represents a real breath of fresh air after the scenario for the less interventionist laid by Spike Lee for NBA 2K16. However, it's when MyCareer mode leaves basketball that it disappoints me the most. This mode relies, as always, on the acquisition of skill points allowing you to improve your player's statistics. Unfortunately, mandatory training and sponsorship events are appallingly commonplace - and not being able to skip the cutscenes makes these repetitive tasks even more boring. If I had had the opportunity to just play games and focus on getting along with my teammates on the pitch, I would have enjoyed this game mode even more.

If I take the trouble to clarify, it's because I have the same affection for the central gameplay of 2K and its MyCareer mode. This year, my AI-driven teammates have proven to be much more helpful than in the past, and it's always fun to see that the chemistry that works between Justice Young (my teammate and best friend in the talented story mode) by Michael B. Jordan) and my player performs equally well on and off the field.

Even more complete than MyCareer mode, Manager mode and its almost limitless possibilities have seen me turn into a real basketball nerd. You can now expand the NBA league to 36 teams if you wish, and this allows you to build your own hall and build your team at the same time. This mode goes even further, since it allows you to secure your draft and manage your alternative transfer solutions in detail, while incorporating a multitude of specific details that made the happiness of the general manager who slept in me.

The transfer and exchange engine at work in 2K17 turns out to be as effective as usual. While some players like Rudy Gobert are not being recognized for their fair value, most of the big names in the league like Lebron James and first-choice rookies like Ben Simmons are trading at a high price. When you start a game in Manager mode, you don't have to take the season along the way, and it's entirely possible to go back and redistribute the draft cards by letting Ben Simmons go and doing from Brandon Ingram or Dragan Bender your top picks. When the official NBA season kicks off, you can take it along the way, which roughly means if the Atlanta Hawks stick to a 10-game winning streak, you'll start your game in Manager mode with the same win / loss ratio (10 -0). The customization possibilities offered by Manager mode are sometimes so vast that they become almost dizzying.

And quite frankly, it's fabulous that an NBA basketball game coming out in 2016 lets you switch your picks in the draft - thank you to the Nets and Celtics.

Finally, the online stream of NBA 2k17 is stable. My Terrain mode sometimes suffers from a slight input lag and the MyTeam mode auction room tends to row at peak times, but compared to previous games in the NBA 2K franchise (some modes of which were found to be still bugged weeks after their release), this is a successful start. In addition, even if the online functionalities are rather limited, the MyLeague mode has been improved and is now eyeing the side of online franchises at work on games like MLB The Show and Madden NFL (without however being as exhaustive as these latter).

Let's start immediately from the gameplay and the controls. Since the initial tutorial that you can play while waiting for the game to download (I downloaded it on PlayStation 4 thanks to a review code), there are at least three new features that are perceived immediately. The shooting system now involves filling the entire lower bar (and no longer in the middle as last year), whose speed from 0 to 100 varies according to different parameters (tiredness, position on the pitch, player level, type defense). If we add to this the use of the right stick to perform a further series of shots ranging from the one on the scoreboard to the one at hand (now more difficult but also more realistic since you control the extension of the shooting arm), the news in the field are numerous already only on this side.

Remarkable then the refreshed date to the contact and collision system, with the taller and more robust players who transmit much more their body and who, in the defense phase, become real walls more difficult to overcome even if you are controlling a particularly agile and fast player. This, combined with the greater refinement of the AI (just look at the differences on the rebounds to realize it), forces you to think more, to stop more often and to make the ball spin more, whose physics, albeit still a little rough in some points, it has also undergone a noteworthy restyling.

Everything is then rendered with an even more marked sensation of dynamism and speed, made possible also by the new animations which, especially in the defense phase, contribute to creating a sensation of plasticity and incredible realism. More than describing, you really need to see and touch with your hands how fluid the movements of the players' arms and legs are and how perfectly they are characterized according to their physical and tactical characteristics. The same system that regulates fatigue has been enriched with new variants and at a more difficult level it is immediately understood how the increase in the challenge concerns not so much the infallibility of the opponent's shots, as much as their disposition on the pitch and their tactics.

If you have not yet understood, NBA 2K17 is the best title of the series produced so far on a purely simulation level, although this also means a slight increase in difficulty compared to the already far from casual models of the previous chapters. In fact, a neophyte who approaches basketball for the first time and chooses NBA2K17, hoping perhaps to go happily to the basket every two for three, can find himself truly displaced by the amount of variants, by the management of the right stick, by tactics, by the changes and everything that goes to make up an incredible gameplay. Fortunately, the tutorial already mentioned helps a lot to get into the spirit of the game, but I still consider NBA 2K17 (as well as the predecessors) a sports title that needs a lot of passion, patience and devotion.

Three virtues that usually reward with great satisfaction and NBA 2K17 is no exception even when we go to see the game modes. The most awaited is certainly MyCareer, which goes back to its origins after the not really exciting experiment of last year with a storyline that is far too intrusive and not very interesting. The career of our champion does not even foresee particular novelties in the development and in the outline characters (family members, managers, coaches), but if nothing else the cut-scenes are less oppressive and the tone of the narration is not as serious as last year . Richer and more varied instead all the speech of the sponsors and the climb to success (fans, money, important friendships), which, however, despite the possibility of buying more upgrades than last year, I continue to consider a "just" nice aspect but nothing more.

2K17 offers a big career mode, dozens of single and multiplayer modes, a managerial career, all necessary and unnecessary setting options, all teams and players of the current season as well as NBA legends; In addition, there is a presentation and reporting about the events that are in no way inferior to the real TV reports on the other side of the pond.

Sounds perfect, but an unpleasant aftertaste that runs like a red thread through many parts of the game cannot be dismissed out of hand.

A Hollywood star as best buddy

After the Spike Lee story of the 16 offshoot, which is bursting with clichés, this time the plot relates more to the sport than to the protagonist or the protagonist: No ghetto romance, instead, hard work counts on the way to becoming an NBA legend, which this time with his own character and his buddy Justice denies.

The latter is embodied in reality by Michael B. Jordan , who appeared on the big screen as Apollo's son in Creed - Rocky's Legacy. The story is entertaining, but over time you will wish you could skip the many time-consuming cutscenes.

But the main point of criticism of the career mode lies neither here nor in the long-term annoying loading times: The aftertaste mentioned at the beginning in the form of the virtual in-game currency VC plays an important role. This manifests itself in the low starting level of the character (55) and in the difficult way to raise the attributes, which have recently been restricted depending on the role of the player, to a competitive level.

The first NBA games in your career are annoying when you play against Curry, James & Co with a player that is too weak, so that you want nothing more than sufficient VC, thanks to which you can dunking, rebound, dribble and can expand or purchase other skills.

The high price of the NBA career

You also collect VC through successes, good campaigns in the league matches, various training mini-games as well as PR and marketing appointments, but sometimes it progresses so painfully slowly that the training sessions in the hall and in the fitness room almost feel like grinding in an MMO . How fitting that with a few euros you can quickly save hours of (training) playing time - from a tempting 1.99 you can take part; the more you leaf out for your VC, the bigger the discounts.

But how does that fit with the story, which is about hard work and training ? Why is the menu for leveling up the attributes like a (less user-friendly) online shop with a shopping cart? Why is the selection field always on »Buy VS« after entering this menu, which leads directly to the real money shop?

You can comfort yourself with the fact that you have to invest a lot of time to build up your character (and to dress up) without using real money, but then you have really learned the game in all its ingenious depth. By the way, buyers of the more expensive Legend Edition with Kobe Bryant or other special editions start with a decent VC bonus. That also leaves a stale aftertaste.

Round as ever

Online you often meet players with a lot of time or a loose wallet. Normal mortals (70) are usually inferior in MyPark matches; That one or the other overpowering opponent has not only bought stats is obvious due to the most varied of weird outfits.

But as much as you may feel like in a capitalist madhouse in your own park and often have to wait for a game or teammate, it's still fun to hang around there, watch games, play along and (slowly) develop your character.

The 2017 version offers almost all the features and game modes of the predecessor , but what else is really new or improved? The already outstanding graphics were subtly but visibly refined to faithfully modeled on basketball stars and their animations.

The game mechanics and displays are also more like improvements in detail, especially the controls feel a touch more precise and controllable. Elaborate plays and tactical instructions still require a lot of practice - this very helpful tutorial is hidden behind the menu item »2KU«. The content update as well as the all-round fine-tuning justify the new purchase for ambitious fans, but those who already own the predecessor as a normal Otto player have to be prepared for manageable and sometimes barely noticeable innovations and improvements.

PC still second class platform?

The slow progress in the career and the too important role of the in-game currency cast a shadow on the overall package, but this year again, 2K delivers a successful series offshoot with moderate innovations. The fact that the console versions are the lead platform here was shown in the predecessor by graphics and connection problems, cheaters and lost scores due to patches.

This year the PC version works much better, at least on our test systems. Those who meet the steep hardware requirements can look forward to stable and smooth basketball matches , whether offline or online. The fact that the optional keyboard control only has an alibi function and NBA 2K17 requires a gamepad is difficult to blame in a complex sports simulation.

And so the bottom line is that with the PC version of NBA 2K17 we have the curious case that for us it is more of a step backwards than the previous season, but still gets a higher rating because of the better porting. Either way: Anyone who loves basketball or complex sports simulations and values current licenses cannot avoid NBA 2K17.