NBA 2K15 Fact or Fiction: Is NBA 2K15's Gameplay the Best in Sports Gaming?

[Hutton]

After normally playing EA sports titles, I can without a smidgen of doubt say YES, 2k15 is by far the best gameplay in sports gaming.

2K does so many thing better than EA ever dream of, most notably the following:

1. Strategies matter: Running plays is crucial. Understanding offensive sets and defensive concepts helps a ton. Teams actually play like they do IRL to a large extent. FIFA15's highly touted Team Sheets are a tactical disaster, every team from Barca to Shrewsbury Town plays a tiki taka ground game.
2. Player uniqueness/individuality: Players in 2k15 feel like actual representations of their real life counterparts. Dwight Howard is a beast in the post, Chris Paul will break you down on the PnR, Dirk is throwing post moves into fade away jumpers and Lebron is powering down the lane.
3. Smart/Adaptive CPU AI: The CPU picks up on your behavior and will adapt. If you run the same player over & over they will begin to shut it down, rather quickly, leaving you with a chess match type feeling of how to best counter their change. You could run the same slant pass play in madden with reckless abandon and the CPU just sits and watches, no adapting. If you switch up how you use a screen in 2k15 you can produce different results, it's just all much more organic and lifelike.
4. SLIDER SLIDER SLIDERS! 2k understands the need for user customization of gameplay. And the sliders actually work! What a novel concept. Set the "CPU Pass error" slider in FIFA15 to 0 or 100 and tell me how it's any different? I'm far from the best bball player, but on Pro Sim with slider tweaks I am getting a hell of a game from the CPU.

[jr86]

Offline....YES

R.I.P The Show...

[RipCityAndy]

NBA 2k15's gameplay is grossly over rated. Good game? Yes. Fun? As long as you're not online. Balanced? Not by a long shot. Good representation of actual basketball? In select areas.

It just doesn't feel complete/polished enough to warrant a "Best in Class" title.

[Armor and Sword]

I would have to put 2K15 and The Show 14 on a pedestal. Those two games hands down are my all time favorite console sports games. But I gotta tell ya...Madden 15 made huge, monster strides this year. I love that game and am just as addicted to it as I am the other two mentioned.

But more about 2K15 and things that are true stand out features.

1. Incredible depth on and off the court - The amount of coaching adjustments and playbook options at your finger tips is just incredible and it screams next gen. I find myself reading through all the draft boards, scouting reports, setting game-plans for each team I am about to face...and then as the season progresses I may adjust it depending on a key injury, or maybe the other team is not as good at a certain skill like they were perceived to be earlier in the year. On the court I love the play-calling options I have plus the free-flow system through the POE feature. I am a big fan of the new control scheme via the Pro Stick and find it easier to string together moves/iso moves than when I played 2K11.

2. My League - deepest franchise mode ever...bar none. The amount of control or lack of control you can have is awesome. I do wish D-League was still there so I can develop some draft picks I know will sit in a suit and tie most of the year, and the lack of pre-season games was a tad of a letdown as I do play them. But they really knocked it out of the park with MyLeague. I will try out MyGm as well. It has me curious as I love RPG elements in sports games as well.

3. Visuals - This game for me is gorgeous in motion. Every player looks and feels like their real life counterpart.

4. AI - Top notch. The Show 14 and NBA 2K15 for me are the most life like CPU opponents I have ever played against. It is truly awesome. And again Madden made some big strides in this area as well.

5. Soundtrack - yeah....I am old school and this soundtrack screams old school. I appreciate Pharell's taste and nod to the classics.


Fact - 2K15 is a AAA sports game and along with The Show 14....the very best example of what a dedicated and passionate team can do when their heart and soul go into making a sports video game.

[GisherJohn24]

It's definitely the most in depth sports game I've ever seen and the most fun. NBA 2k15 on the court is the best hands down.


Graphics: Yep. Best you'll ever see in a sports game. Better than Madden, and yes, the Show
Gameplay: Mocks the real NBA game perfectly. No, seriously! This is NBA on TNT for reals!
Sound: Pretty good. Commentary needs revamped.
Presentation: More stat screens please. Better post game show and signature replays need to return.

[The Lob Mob]

Yes.. I agree.

Despite the bugs (like all games have) the fluidity & intuitiveness of NBA 2K15 put it head & shoulders above the rest, now all it need is an online to match.

[ThreeKing]

I'd say once they get a few things patched, and you find a perfect slider set to your liking, then I would say fact.

FIFA and Madden are very solid, but this game just keeps getting better every year.

[NxckBrxdlvy]

Man people are sleepin on Madden 15. It's much improved. I can't disagree with anyone saying 2K15 has the best sports gameplay but it's not a runaway