NBA 2K6 Review

Visual Concepts’ NBA games have dominated the pro hoops scene for years now and NBA 2K6 continues that streak. With heavily modified gameplay, improved AI, and a wealth of features and modes, NBA 2K6 is an incredible game that is a must own for basketball fans.

Gameplay

The changes to the gameplay in NBA 2K6 are actually pretty radical, but they all work incredibly well. The first big change is that the triggers are now known as “aggressive modifiers” and change how the game interprets your passes, shots, and moves. Instead of using the right analog stick for jukes and fakes, you now hold a trigger and wiggle the left analog stick. Different movements of the left stick result in different moves. This leaves your right thumb open for making quick passes and shots in mid move which makes the game a whole lot more realistic. The second big change is that the right stick now controls shooting. Pushing up on the stick and then letting it go will make a normal shot, for example. Other movements of the stick will result in different types of shots and there are also different shots for different situations and positions on the court. The last big improvement comes in the way of extremely sharp AI that makes teams really play just like their real life counterparts. All of these improvements make an already great basketball game even better.

Features and Modes

Features in NBA 2K6 include quick games, tournaments, season, franchise, and street games. Street games let you play 2 on 2, 3 on 3, and games to 21 on the blacktop with NBA stars. Franchise mode is pretty much what you have come to expect from a franchise/dynasty mode with added features such as year round scouting, the ability to practice and see your prospects in action, minigames that improve your players’ skills, and much more. There is also a mode called Entertainer’s Basketball Challenge where you build up a player and eventually form a team and try to win the EBC tournament. A great feature that has finally been implemented in NBA 2K6 is the VIP system that was used in Visual Concepts’ football games. The game keeps track of how you and your friends play and saves that style to a profile so you can play against your friends’ teams even when they aren’t around.

Rounding out the features list is online play and it is very smooth and well put together. There are leaderboards, tournaments, and leagues along with quick games and it is usually pretty easy to find an opponent. Overall the online play is mostly lag free and a lot of fun.

Graphics and Sound

The graphics in NBA 2K6 are simply outstanding. Player models, particularly their faces, look great and there are a ton of silky smooth animations that really make the game stand out. The menus and everything else about the presentation are also very well done.

The sound is another are where NBA 2K6 shines. The sounds on the court are absolutely spot on and near perfect, but they have always been good in this series. One area where there is a definite improvement is in the announce team. Bill Fitzgerald and Bill Walton are out and Kevin Harlan and Kenny Smith do a good job of taking their place.

Overall, NBA 2K6 is a great looking and sounding game.

Bottom Line

NBA 2K6 is a really fantastic game of basketball that is highly recommended for NBA fans. Casual fans who are looking for an NBA Street type of experience won’t find it here because this game is complex and difficult and really intended for the hardcore NBA fans. One nice thing about this game is that even though the AI is a lot tougher, you have so many moves and different shots and different things that you can do so the game is actually pretty balanced. Another aspect of the game I really like is that while EA made individual players play more realistically this year, Visual Concepts made the entire team play more like the real deal and in the end that is a whole lot more important. Basketball fans will love the wealth of features and modes and incredible depth of the gameplay so I highly recommend NBA 2K6 for a purchase.