NBA 2K15 is here! The OS Staff has gotten their hands on today's release and have some initial reactions on what they have played. This is just the launching point of our 2K15 release coverage, be sure to check out our NBA 2K15 forums for the latest on this year's big release. Here is our staff's initial impressions in an OS Roundtable.

James Kerti: Czar's work shows. Much less iso play and wasted time on offense. AI teams move the ball around and force your squad to play smart defense. It's refreshing and welcome. I can't say enough about how impressed I am with the improved offensive and defensive AI. It's wonderful watching teams run pinch-post to perfection and seeing the passing out of the pick-and-roll, for example. The weak-side corner 3 is a thing this year.

The pace of the commentary feels weird. Maybe they lowered the frequency of Kerr's commentary. It feels like there's more dead air and not as much flow as previous years. Furthermore, the jump from player introductions straight to the tip-off feels abrupt. I like the player introductions, but I miss the pre-game commentary from the broadcasters. (The true pre-game show with Ernie and Shaq is OK so far.)

The playcalling on the D-pad is uncomfortable. It feels awkward using my left hand to carefully move the analog stick to walk the ball up the floor while trying to manipulate the D-pad (and R1) to call the play I want.

Overall, I'm impressed. The game FEELS good due to a multitude of factors — the AI, the controls, the physics. I like what I'm seeing.

Robert Kollars: Due to what I believed a disappointing showing with NBA 2K14, I did not buy into the hype of NBA 2K15 one bit. I stayed away from videos for the most part, and really considered not even picking up this year’s version. After doing so though, I have to say I am thoroughly impressed with what I have witnessed on and off the court.

The optimum word here for me is authentic. The game feels organic and fresh, and mimics what one would see on an NBA broadcast in almost every way. The floor spacing is so much better, the animations make sense and flow with the game, and superstars act and play like their real life counterparts. Just as in real basketball typically, there is a nice ebb and flow with the game, and the atmosphere in late-game situations is over the top awesome!

The game isn’t perfect of course, as out of the box the shot percentages are probably too high still, the rebounding is a bit biased towards the CPU, and the CPU makes an occasional odd call or play, but the flaws mentioned above are smothered with what is done right in this game.

The good folks over at 2K have done a wonderful job with their representation of NBA on-court action with 2K15, and need to be applauded for it.

Ben Vollmer: Everything about defense feels tighter. The floor is spaced, the CPU offense is more efficient, and you're punished if you stop paying attention even for a second. Movement seems a little more fluid and polished, as I didn't notice a whole lot of sliding. As Robert mentioned, the animations are both great looking (as they have been in years past) and fit in the context of the game. Moreover, you don't seem to lose control of your player because of an animation, at least not in a way that's immediately noticeable.

Something I noticed was that there seems to be better parity in terms of what kind of shots are made. Open looks aren't always falling, guarded looks don't always clank off of the back rim. It's refreshing to see Wade or Parker get an open look from mid-range and still miss a handful of those shots.

Players feel unique to their real life counterparts, and that's really the next level of sports-gaming for me. One of the more frustrating things about sports gaming is that most players end up feeling the same but just looking different. NBA 2K15 is a significant step forward in that department, and there's something to be said for how big of a factor that is in terms of overall immersion.

Ultimately, I was a big fan of 2K14 and I'm already a fan of 2K15. The game already had a tremendous base, and now the series (and how I'd imagine 2K wants it to look) is really beginning to take shape.

Jayson Young: Improved player spacing and smarter AI are the biggest changes that I've noticed in my first couple of games. Even on "Pro" difficulty, the CPU-controlled teams are running flowing offenses without any awkward pauses or broken possessions. I've even seen ball-hungry players, like Dwyane Wade, taking isolation shots off the dribble, which is something that rarely happened in NBA 2K14.

On offense, it looks like the pick-and-roll is no longer an automatic bucket like it was last year, as the AI now defends screens properly, and will rotate over to stop the ball if you do manage to make it into the lane.

My main complaint right now is the passing, which still feels like you're tossing around a beach ball instead of a basketball. The passing animations need way more zip and a lot less hangtime. I still don't like how NBA 2K15 handles steals, either, as the ball can be bouncing inches away from your defender's hand, just begging to be stripped, but when you try to knock it loose, you'll get the same old silly lunging animation that's been in the game for years. Your limbs will just clip through the ball like an invisible ghost.

Sound off. What are your thoughts on NBA 2K15 so far?