Game Information
Date of Release: September 29, 2015
Developer: Visual Conepts
Publisher: 2K Sports
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, iOS, Android, and PC
Genre: Sports
Rating: E

Synopsis
NBA 2K16 is a sports simulation game of the National Basketball Association. NBA 2K16 is the seventeenth installment of the NBA 2K series. It initially released on September 29, 2015 for PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, and PS4, while the mobile version released on October 14, 2015. It features four different cover athletes those being Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, James Harden, and Michael Jordan (Special Edition cover athlete).

Plot Synopsis
The story of NBA 2K16 takes place in the game's 'MyCareer mode' and was directed, produced, and written by Spike Lee. Players create their 'MyPlayer' and take the name 'Frequency Vibrations' or 'Freq' for short. The player also has full control over Freq's basketball career from high school, through college, and into the NBA. Players can chose which college to attend after high school, which endorsement deals to accept, when to attend practice or hang out with fellow teammates and fans. The player's in game performance will ultimately decide whether Freq is an NBA superstar or just a benchwarmer.

Gameplay
NBA 2K16's gameplay is very realistic. There are over 5000 animations, a fully customizable TV-like camera, a relatively new shooting system, and a pro-stick system that allows you to perform all kinds of shots, dunks, and dribble moves.

There are seven different game modes. Play Now, a game mode that allows you to jump straight into gameplay online or offline as any team. MyCareer, where you take your own created player (MyPlayer) through the journey of an NBA Career. MyTeam, a game mode where players collect and buy trading cards to create the ultimate NBA team to play against others online. MyPark, an online park where MyPlayers can play against others in games of 21, 2 on 2, 3 on 3, 4 on 4, or 5 on 5 games. 2K ProAm, a game mode in which you can create your own team with your friends and play others online. MyGM, where you become a general manager of an NBA team controlling finances, player trades, and other executive sports decisions. And MyLeague, where you control every aspect of an NBA franchise for up to 80 seasons.

Though the idea of the gameplay was well-thoughtout, the execution was very poor. In NBA 2K16, the idea was to make everything seem more realistic, even in game stat lines. As a result, you miss a lot more open shots than you would in previous games just for the sake of keeping the field goal percentage 'realistic'. Some of the animations are very broken. Some are very glitchy causing you turnovers, while some players can use to gain unfair advantages over others. I appreciate the fact that the devs want to keep things realistic, but I should not be screwing up on lay-ups just because NBA players do occasionally. It's only a video game.

Graphics
Since NBA 2K14, NBA 2K has had phenomenal, dynamic graphics with life-like physics that are arguably the best of all sports games. Everything from the player animations to the lighting in the arena is beautifully detailed and gives off an immersive basketball experience.

Controls
The controls are decent. NBA 2K16's pro-stick system lets you perform a whole array of dribble moves, shots, and dunks all with the right stick. In addition, you can perform different passes like lob passes, chest passes, and bounce passes. Players can also choose which offensive and defensive sets they want to use in game.

Though the idea is there, the control system was not well executed. Sometimes you'll end up passing the ball to someone entirely different than you intended and it'll cause a turnover or take a bad shot without the intent to even take a shot. The entire system takes awhile to get used to coming from the previous game and is worse for first time players.

Conclusion
For the basketball fanatic, this game is a definite buy. Although you'll have to get past some flaws such as missing open jump shots and making bad passes on accident, they don't happen as often and you will still have lots of fun playing.