I want to state right off the bat I received the game today like most of you. The impressions that follow come from playing a half-dozen quick games, so stay tuned for the full review later this week for more details on game modes and features, as well as more comprehensive gameplay discussion. For now, I'm going to focus on initial gameplay impressions.

I'd be selling the AI short if I described it as "improved." Let's go with "revamped." The AI work done by new 2K team addition Da_Czar shines through.

AI teams run offenses featuring more ball movement and fewer isolations and broken plays. This change feels refreshing and leads your AI opponents to more closely resemble their real-life counterparts. It forces you to defend more intelligently and approach each team on an individual basis on both ends of the floor.

Star players get more involved, a much-needed development for the series. When I played against the Rockets, Dwight Howard had 11 points in the first half, thanks to a steady stream of post-ups they ran for him. I counted at least five such actions. In another game, Derrick Rose burned me several times by attacking the basket and — when given space — pulling up for a jumper in the lane. I haven't played enough to know how consistently stars stand out in this way, but I feel encouraged. I don't remember seeing anything like it in NBA 2K14.

That player and team uniqueness carries over to the other side of the controller — to you. I'm finding it much more difficult to jump between teams than in years past. Playing to your team's strengths definitely matters. After playing a game as Memphis, I moved on to using the Suns and quickly found myself trailing by double digits after the first quarter. When I thought about why I was struggling, I realized I had Grizzlies hangover and was still in that grind-it-out mindset. The quick Suns aren't supposed to play like the burly Grizzlies! I was getting killed on the boards and my speed was a non-factor. When I started pushing the pace in the second quarter and running more, we mounted a comeback. I usually like bouncing around the league and playing with multiple teams, but this year I might focus on getting comfortable with just a few.

In terms of controls, I'm still getting used to the new shooting meter. It definitely has an adjustment period. The meter is another reason I'm going to focus on getting comfortable with a few teams. Individual player releases on their jump shots matter more.

I'm also struggling a bit with the new play-calling controls. You now access plays via the directional pad and it feels awkward to me. Left hand to manage the left analog stick and move the ball-handler — right hand to reach across the controller and manage the directional pad while retaining one finger to use the R1 button to scroll between pages? At the same time? I don't have it down yet. I hope I get there. For now I find it unwieldy.

I appreciate 2K TV as an addition. The Kevin Durant interview is moderately interesting. Assuming they keep 2K TV updated with fresh videos every week, it will have an appeal. I wish a video didn't autoplay every time you went to the main menu. It becomes irritating quickly.

The pre-game show with Ernie Johnson and Shaquille O'Neal adds value, though it's too early for me to say whether it will age well as we play the game over the next several months. The player introductions are neat. The commentary in-game may have taken a step back due to the Steve Kerr situation. It feels to me like they tried to tone down his contributions, which leads to less flow and continuity in the broadcast.

Wrapping things up for now, I feel very encouraged at this stage. The AI improvements addressed several of my biggest complaints about past iterations of the series.

Check back throughout this week for continuing coverage of NBA 2K15 release week.

What do you think of NBA 2K15 so far?