Game Card
NBA 2k7 (PS3)
- Publisher:
- 2K Sports
- Developer:
- Visual Concepts
- US Release:
- 13.11.2006
- EU Release:
- n/a
- Number of players:
- 1 - 8
- Sport Style:
- No Contact
- Sport:
- Basketball
- Extra:
- Traditional
Review
We play NBA 2k7...
NBA 2K7 is the latest in the long-running franchise from American sports masters Visual Concepts. Lauded for its continuing evolution in animation and seemingly endless depth, it continues to garner praise on the other side of the Atlantic and decimate the competition in critical and commercial success. Similar in nature to a Pro Evolution Soccer title, this is a game of immense complexity and vast variety, providing an experience that at the very least resembles the flow of the real-life sport. The difference here is that the 2K7 series also looks the part, and provides every reason to pop the disc in to show off your new next-gen toy. If you never thought you'd sing the praises of digital sweat effects, get ready for a revelation.
If you've played any of the 2K sports basketball titles previously, you'll know roughly what to expect when booting up 2K7. Navigating through the front-end reveals a vast swathe of different game types, control tweaks and the usual variety of franchise, quick-play and online modes, along with the 'street' inspired '24/7 Next' campaign. The game delights in presenting every option you could ever think of to customise the experience, right down to the shooting percentages from different areas of the court. Unfortunately, as per usual, the menu system is as needlessly complex, convoluted and ugly as ever. Whilst it's hard to complain too much about this aspect when the on-court action is so perfectly realised, you'd think that the development team would at least take a look at the competition and significantly overhaul the front-end.
Presentational gripes aside, the play mechanics in this years version are as solid and free-flowing as ever. The right-stick 'Isomotion' controls are in full effect, with the range of different layups, fade-away's, jumpers and dunks to produce truly staggering. Pretty much every single player in the NBA has been modelled faithfully, complete with individual running, shooting and dunk animations. Whilst not all the player likenesses are fantastic, the overall catalogue of unique individual features in 2K7 is in an effort that puts other sports franchises to shame. The action is just that much more realistic when every protagonist differs in a subtle but recognisable manner, and you'll see all of your favourite signature moves along the way.
The default AI is suitably challenging, without ever feeling cheap, but the game comes alive with another human opponent. Again, the depth on offer here is the key to the experience, and successfully double-teaming an opponent, posting up, calling for a pick or burying a 3-pointer are deeply satisfying when pulled off correctly. Setup play and strategy are all-important in 2K7, and playing to the strengths of the on-court personnel is the difference between winning a game or crashing to a 20-point defeat; hopefully avoiding a barrage of abuse from a friend or Xbox Live opponent in the process.
Unfortunately the series still contains little in the way of introduction for new players, which could be argued to hamper the popularity of the franchise for those outside of the USA and without a deep knowledge of the sport. There is a certain implied knowledge to the controls and series history prevalent throughout, and due to the simulation nature of the action, an in-depth knowledge of Basketball tactics is also required. Whilst you can play and get the basics of an enjoyable game without too much experience, many of the refined features of the title will be lost; and as those are the exact reasons why 2K7 shines, it's a shame that the development team didn't consider taking a more newbie-friendly approach.
The PS3 version is essentially the same as the 360 game released last year, with the benefit of 1080p visuals and some token SixAxis support. The controller can be held aloft when performing a free throw, and used to mimic the technique shown on-screen. Moving the controller back to draw the ball back over your head and then thrusting forward to spiral the ball towards the basket is satisfying, and whilst the animation is still tied in to whoever is taking the shot in-game, the variety of different misses are greatly increased when using this method. This may seem like a small addition, but it adds an additional layer of interactivity, and can be considered to be one of the few successful inclusions of SixAxis support on the PS3 thus far.
The few small gameplay gripes from the 360 version still remain unfortunately, but again these are very small problems compared to the huge raft of positive features. By default, using the right analogue stick for shot selection generally results in a slightly too high percentage of missed shots, but this can be corrected with the in game sliders. Also, when diving for a ball, the player on the floor is often left with no option for a pass, instead just sitting there whilst the opposition jump around looking for the inevitable interception. Silly, but annoying nonetheless.
Overall there isn't a lot to detract from NBA2K7 as a purchase for any PS3 sports game fan. The action is as deep and varied as ever, and providing you can put in the time to learn the nuances of the control scheme and the benefits of playing to the strengths of your favourite team, this is as deep and satisfying as any basketball simulation to come before it. It's also a considerable graphical powerhouse; the flowing cloth physics and televisual in-game presentation will show off your new hardware in a fantastic manner, and whether your interested in the purely aesthetic aspects or the oodles of deep and varied gameplay, NBA 2K7 is a worthwhile addition to any sports fans collection.
Top game moment: Using the Isomotion controls to shoot a fadeaway from way downtown.
 |
 |
|
| Character detail is superb | The variety of individual animation outclasses any other sports game on the market |
If you've played any of the 2K sports basketball titles previously, you'll know roughly what to expect when booting up 2K7. Navigating through the front-end reveals a vast swathe of different game types, control tweaks and the usual variety of franchise, quick-play and online modes, along with the 'street' inspired '24/7 Next' campaign. The game delights in presenting every option you could ever think of to customise the experience, right down to the shooting percentages from different areas of the court. Unfortunately, as per usual, the menu system is as needlessly complex, convoluted and ugly as ever. Whilst it's hard to complain too much about this aspect when the on-court action is so perfectly realised, you'd think that the development team would at least take a look at the competition and significantly overhaul the front-end.
Presentational gripes aside, the play mechanics in this years version are as solid and free-flowing as ever. The right-stick 'Isomotion' controls are in full effect, with the range of different layups, fade-away's, jumpers and dunks to produce truly staggering. Pretty much every single player in the NBA has been modelled faithfully, complete with individual running, shooting and dunk animations. Whilst not all the player likenesses are fantastic, the overall catalogue of unique individual features in 2K7 is in an effort that puts other sports franchises to shame. The action is just that much more realistic when every protagonist differs in a subtle but recognisable manner, and you'll see all of your favourite signature moves along the way.
The default AI is suitably challenging, without ever feeling cheap, but the game comes alive with another human opponent. Again, the depth on offer here is the key to the experience, and successfully double-teaming an opponent, posting up, calling for a pick or burying a 3-pointer are deeply satisfying when pulled off correctly. Setup play and strategy are all-important in 2K7, and playing to the strengths of the on-court personnel is the difference between winning a game or crashing to a 20-point defeat; hopefully avoiding a barrage of abuse from a friend or Xbox Live opponent in the process.
Unfortunately the series still contains little in the way of introduction for new players, which could be argued to hamper the popularity of the franchise for those outside of the USA and without a deep knowledge of the sport. There is a certain implied knowledge to the controls and series history prevalent throughout, and due to the simulation nature of the action, an in-depth knowledge of Basketball tactics is also required. Whilst you can play and get the basics of an enjoyable game without too much experience, many of the refined features of the title will be lost; and as those are the exact reasons why 2K7 shines, it's a shame that the development team didn't consider taking a more newbie-friendly approach.
The PS3 version is essentially the same as the 360 game released last year, with the benefit of 1080p visuals and some token SixAxis support. The controller can be held aloft when performing a free throw, and used to mimic the technique shown on-screen. Moving the controller back to draw the ball back over your head and then thrusting forward to spiral the ball towards the basket is satisfying, and whilst the animation is still tied in to whoever is taking the shot in-game, the variety of different misses are greatly increased when using this method. This may seem like a small addition, but it adds an additional layer of interactivity, and can be considered to be one of the few successful inclusions of SixAxis support on the PS3 thus far.
The few small gameplay gripes from the 360 version still remain unfortunately, but again these are very small problems compared to the huge raft of positive features. By default, using the right analogue stick for shot selection generally results in a slightly too high percentage of missed shots, but this can be corrected with the in game sliders. Also, when diving for a ball, the player on the floor is often left with no option for a pass, instead just sitting there whilst the opposition jump around looking for the inevitable interception. Silly, but annoying nonetheless.
 |
 |
|
| Every crowd member is a full 3d model | It really does look this good, and moves even better |
Overall there isn't a lot to detract from NBA2K7 as a purchase for any PS3 sports game fan. The action is as deep and varied as ever, and providing you can put in the time to learn the nuances of the control scheme and the benefits of playing to the strengths of your favourite team, this is as deep and satisfying as any basketball simulation to come before it. It's also a considerable graphical powerhouse; the flowing cloth physics and televisual in-game presentation will show off your new hardware in a fantastic manner, and whether your interested in the purely aesthetic aspects or the oodles of deep and varied gameplay, NBA 2K7 is a worthwhile addition to any sports fans collection.
Top game moment: Using the Isomotion controls to shoot a fadeaway from way downtown.
