The same argument that has been raging for years between FIFA and Pro Evo seems to be settled since FIFA started edging forward, but it’s still a very relevant discussion when one considers the differences between 2K’s and EA’s version of basketball. EA’s NBA Live series has been suffering with the gameplay but keeping presentation pretty high while 2K has nailed the feel of basketball, just minus a few bells and whistles. NBA Live was a lesser game for quite a few years but it looks like they have made some headway this year making this competition almost neck and neck. At the end of the day, we’re sure that each one will serve the basketball fan equally well.

It’s always nice to have choice, especially so when either choice is acceptable. For my money I think NBA 2K10 just edges home slightly ahead of its main competition.

Practised fans of NBA 2K9 aren’t going to be disappointed as 2K10 has plenty of fast paced gameplay and deep mechanics that are fairly easy to get your head around yet still maintain another level of depth for those that are after an experience that offers a little bit more accuracy.   The new sprint and energy meter is one of these. Once upon a time you can have your little guys running up and down the court all day with little bursts of sprinting but now there is an overall energy bar that dictates how long that can last for before your player gets totally knackered. Once you have burned through that you’ll start going through a player’s stamina making them pretty much useless. You’ll have to balance it out which is just one of many examples of a middle ground between simulation and recreation.  

There are an expanded amount of play sets to sink your teeth into. I think last year had only a dozen or so but this year there is twice that amount. You can change plays on the fly and you’ll need that if you’re going to get a team experience going. Nothing is worse than sport games that rely on you to do everything and it’s good to see 2K10 being interactive enough to feel like you are in control of the whole team rather than being just a one man game.  

Scoring feels more solid and less of a game of chance and down due to skill rather than luck. Defence is a lot better as well so contesting layups or dunks actually feels like the real deal. You can have a defence lockdown that gets everyone in on the action when someone is making a beeline straight to the hoop and everyone will fight just a little bit harder for position. Probably the only problem with lockdown is that I found it pretty easy to dodge around and make my way to the hoop. It didn’t happen that much when I was playing with the computer but the computer didn’t seem up to scratch on stopping me. The mechanics are all there, it feels like a proper game of b-ball and even though it isn’t the most intuitive system out there, it will serve you well. Half the reward is getting over that sharp learning curve.  

Cue R Kelly...

Everything looks pretty good. I can’t say that everything is amazing, but overall the presentation goes for that television look and does a nice job of recreating a game you would watch on the tube. NBA Live might look a little bit better but for my money the facial animations and character models are better on 2k.   That softness that you find in a lot of EA presentation isn’t here for 2K and I like the sharpness of it a lot more.  

My Player mode, which I’ve been getting into, allows you the change to grow from beginner matches in basketball camp to being drafted into the NBA. It’s like EA’s Be a Pro mode, and growing your own player through a glorious careers has actually been a lot more fun than I was expecting. All these years I’ve never really given the career modes a look over and if they were half as much fun as this one, I really regret missing out.  

Online NBA2k10 can’t be touched. I actually think that it’s the best online sports game I’ve come across, that’s including FIFA, Madden, NHL, seriously the experience I had with this was positively perfect. I didn’t have any lag issues, there were plenty of people to interact with and everyone I came across was friendly and helpful and it was great to sit down and talk about basketball while we shot hoops. Other communities can sometimes be immature or too competitive but the folks who showed up when I was online were lovely mature people who provided me with one of the best online experiences I’ve had in a long time.   Getting in and out of matches was a breeze and it really seems like 2K knows what they are doing when it comes to writing network code for this type of game.  

Overall NBA 2K10 still holds the crown as far as I’m concerned. The mechanics are nearly perfect, the visuals could use a little work but are more than serviceable and the online community and implementation are superb! If you’re serious about your B-Ball, I would seriously recommend you get your hands on this one.