NBA 2K10 raises the bar again with added gameplay components and graphic enhancements. This season you won’t just play the NBA, you’ll take over. Overall, the game isn’t going to really surprise anyone, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing considering the series has been highly regarded. There are certainly improvements that have been made over 2K9 however for most people who just pick up and play the game it will have a very familiar feel.

What you liked from last year will almost certainly still be there, so I’m not going to reiterate those in this write-up, just the things that stood out to me while playing.  The biggest addition comes with My Player mode which adds depth to a feature set that had been lacking and provides some real variety to how to play a basketball game.

There is a completely new menu system which is a welcome change from the old one which was terrible. With the gameplay, one positive is the off-ball movement.  You don’t necessarily need to run a play to make something happen.  Court spacing is a little better than last year, but I’ve still found it relatively difficult to get open mid-range shots. I really like the effect that the limit on turbo provides.  Unlike in Draft Combine where you started to adjust and play unrealistically to conserve turbo (why trail on a fast break when it would cost you)? Here, the real players have much more stamina.  So you don’t want to misuse turbo, but you don’t feel discouraged from using it in the right situations. It makes for a nice balance.

I have yet to do do anything with online play as there are still only a handful of people out there with copies, but it’ll be something I jump into when the opportunity presents itself.  Coming off 2K9 which had a poor online experience, including a mode in Team Up that never properly worked, this is an important area to see improvement.  Unfortunately, a few serious problems have already been discovered that need to be addressed.

To wrap up my feelings on the game, so far it has been fun for the most part but some issues are present that will need to be accommodated to or adjusted.  My Player mode has been much more compelling than the bore that was the Draft Combine, but the frame rate drop when reaching the NBDL is a concern.  You pretty much have a good idea of what you’re going to get out of NBA 2K10.  It’s a good thing if you’ve enjoyed the series in the past, but may not be enough if you’re looking for a fresher experience.