NBA 2k for PS
NBA 2k is a basketball series of simulated video games that has been in existence since 1999. The game is a mimic of the National Basketball Association whose initial publisher was Sega before selling it to 2k Sports. It's great to play for fun or for money.
Features of NBA 2k
Annual releases
Each installment is released yearly. For instance NBA 2k was launched in November 1999 while the NBA 2k1 was released a year after in November 2000. This has been the case with all the 18 installments.
Typical basketball game
All the NBA 2k game series are a simulation of a real basketball game. The player has the ability to control a player as well as the entire team.
Constant improvements
For the NBA 2k games there are always improvements with the new versions over their predecessors. In ESPN NBA installment the cover athlete was Allen Iverson while the ESPN 2k5 had Ben Wallace as the cover athlete.
Features NBA iconic players
The cool thing about this game is that it features basketball historic figures and their teams which you can use to play your tournaments and leagues. NBA 2K12 has the "NBA's Greatest" mode, where gamers can choose from a range of historic players as well as teams for their gameplay.
Different and unique modes
NBA 2K modes have been changing with the constant upgrades. The career mode which is a feature that cuts across all the 18 installments was initially known as 24/7 then changed to My Player then modified to My Career. The career mode allows gamers to customize characters while MyTeam mode is used for team building. In most games of the NBA 2K series, there is a mode that allows a player to participate in a slam dunk contest. For NBA 2K11 specifically, it features the Jordan Challenge mode where enthusiasts are tasked to reach the legend's records such as scoring 69 points within a single game.
Level-based
Like in all games, NBA 2K is level based where players can upgrade their character's attributes in their play. They can also take part in off-court activities. For the levels, high school and college levels are present in the game.
Details
All the games in the series feature details found in real NBA games. In the NBA 2K11 game for instance commentaries from Clark Kellogg and Kevin Harlan, reporting by Doris Burke, half times and replays are all simulations of the NBA games.
Games
There are 18 installments in the NBA 2K series. Some of them include:
- NBA 2K- this was the first release in 1999 and was developed for Dream Cast. The cover athlete was Allen Iverson. It featured commentaries from fictional announcers such as Rod west and Bob Steele.
- NBA 2K1- Came a year later after the first release and was also developed for Dream Cast. With Iverson as the cover athlete, it featured two modes; street basketball and the player can control the NBA franchise by assuming the role of the General Manager.
- NBA 2K2- In 2001, this game was released for multiple platforms including Xbox, PS2 Gamecube and Dream Cast. It featured past historic players and their teams such as Bill Russell and Larry Bird.
- NBA 2K16- Released in 2015 for Xbox 360, Xbox one, PS 3 and 4 as well as Microsoft Windows. In the same year, version for iOS and Android were released.
- NBA 2K17- It was released last year for all the consoles featured in 2015. The cover athletes included Danilo Gallinari, Gorge Bryant and Pau Ciasol. It also had the same three-person commentary as previous versions.
How to play
The gameplay of NBA 2K series games is run by the different modes present in the different versions. The modes include:
- MyPlayer- this mode enables gamers to create their own basketball characters.
- MyTeam- this is a feature that was introduced in NBA 2K13 and is focused on team building. The player can only do this by purchasing a card pack which allows purchasing players and other items necessary for winning the game.
- MyCareer- the focus of this mode is the career of the created character. The key aspects shown under this mode is the player's retirement ceremony and draft. A storyline is usually present for this kind of mode.
- Association mode- with this mode, players are able to control the entire NBA organization instead of just his/her team. This is applicable in the simulation of the basketball seasons as well as taking charge of all the personnel since the player assumes the role of the General Manager.
- 'NBA's greatest' mode- in NBA 2K12, you have the opportunity to play with basketball legendary figures and their teams in tournaments and other games.
- Jordan challenge- this mode is specific to the 2K11, where gamer are put to task to try and achieve the remarkable achievements of Michael Jordan.
- Street Basketball modes
- Blacktop- it uses the common street basketball style
- MyPark- it is an open area game where players can join different games on various courts.
Popularity
The best seller of the series was the NBA 2K14 which sold over 7 million copies while NBA 2K16 scooped the fastest selling. Within a week of its release over 4 million copies had been sold.The NBA 2K series has been subjected to praise and criticism since their release, the success of the game has been attributed to:
- Awesome presentation in terms of commentary
- Close attention to detail. The games are simulations of the televised NBA games.
- Cool soundtrack. For instance the NBA 2K13 with 22 songs was compiled by Jay Z
- Good overall gameplay that is improved with every release
- Consistent annual releases
- Highest quality games as compared to rivals such as NBA Live.
Failures are quite minimal and were due to the technical issues that were experienced by online components. The game was nominated for multiple awards such as The Game Awards and Spike Video Game Awards and was ranked as best sports of the year. The game is highly popular among many players and lots even bet on NBA2k for real money at esports betting sites.