There is no disputing NBA 2K15 is one of the best sports games of the year. Despite what was a rocky launch period, the game itself weathered the storm nicely and has emerged with a fairly strong effort. 

Heading into next year, NBA 2K needs to ensure the launch period is smoother as well as delivering an overall improved experience. Here are three key places the game has to succeed next year:

1. Don’t rely upon shoddy servers. The NBA 2K series has never had the best server experience, especially near launch. Simply put, some modes need to be decoupled from online servers (MyPlayer/Career) and the servers themselves need to get better to allow for a smoother launch period.

2. Team Styles Need to Really Start Being Distinctive. Just as with FIFA, NBA 2K has a problem with many games feeling similar. Team’s don’t necessarily play too distinctively, which results in many games feeling similar. Obviously, having more diversified on-court experiences would make a lot of things feel better.

3. The experience as a whole needs to be more user friendly. There are several nagging issues both with the menus and the experience that make some tasks take entirely too long. One instance is in MyGM where you have to sit through an entire draft with no ability to sim to trade offers/picks. There are small instances like this throughout the game which needs to be cleaned up.

In your opinion, what should NBA 2K do next year to be successful?