The NBA 2K14 Review for the PS4 brings you all the new features and an all new game coverage from the ground up.
The saga NBA 2K has become one of the most prolific and recognized of all time in the sports genre, thanks to the shooters wrist Visual Concepts , a study which, since the days of Dreamcast, has managed to build a real iron-fisted dynasty. Basket to basket, every year, the Californian study has been polishing their basketball development features, to the point of erasing the competition of EA Sports and NBA Live, which was supposed to come back this year after his long injury but whom no one has been exercised yet.
2K Sports wanted to jump into the next generation game from day one, like many other companies, but in their own way, doing things with quality and without making steps. While others have focused on making refried content, Visual Concepts has carried out a grateful division of labor: a team dealt with the PS3, 360 and PC, another was in charge of drawing the of PS4 and Xbox One . The result is a significantly different title that not only leverages the technical advantages of the new generation, thanks to the use of a new graphics engine, but also has very renewed game modes.
As has always been the watchword of the franchise, NBA 2k14 is characterized by a simulator as complete as demanding. Control is practically the same as in the previous generation , which allows dozens of techniques: dribbling, reverse boats, ball under the legs backward passes, mates, “alley oops”, hook shots of minor adjustments have been made, as the “timing” of shooting hoops, which feels slightly different and will accompanied by a flag indicating if we dropped the ball at the precise moment before or after. Similarly, it is easy to make the plays or make changes to the style of play during timeouts. To this, it adds a very consistent AI , which has five levels and already in the second is tough to crack, to test headless chickens.
One of the great innovations of the game is the graphics engine premiere EcoMotion, which runs at 1080p and 60 fps , which is a guarantee of fluency for parties. Playable skeleton is very similar to how it was before, but the visual muscle is completely new feel you are playing a new title and it becomes difficult to return to the previous version. In fact, this version solves many of the shortcomings we have in the analysis of the PS3, 360 and PC .
Modeling faces greatly improved. Players will not only look like their real counterparts or simalr, but have expression, in contrast to the stiff gestures they had before. Many of the details are observed especially in replays, like seeing a player cry while running a mate. To that, add details like sweat, tattoos or facial hair. Yes, there is still room for improvement, especially in the expression of the eyes of the lesser known players or the degree of muscle definition of rock players like Dwight Howard.
The new animations , which are not predefined in advance, but are generated on the fly, contribute to the movements of the players on the floor are more natural. Although occasionally there are still some slippage, it conveys the sense that, really, the players are walking, running or recoiling. Similarly, falls (and attempts to rise sooner or balanced), shocks and hand contact with the ball look better. These animations also affect the gameplay, for example, to lie on the floor to save a ball or when you have faults in attack, which, before, never produced. It is also very accomplished players clothing which is stirred in line with his gait. All this does not mean that there are better things that are seen, especially in the repetitions as crossing fingers ball when receiving a pass, or pieces of cloth that overlap between them.
Finally, the public is 3D modeling . There are still occasional viewer clone, but the set conveys the feeling that there are people of flesh and blood in the stands. The models do not look like pieces of cardboard. Around the game, there are also a lot of life, in the form of substitutes (who get up and walk to the table when it will produce a replacement), coaches, officials, photographers, cleaners … The lighting is also very remarkable parquet and there to Fifteen cameras to play the games.
Exploitation license number
NBA 2k14 has the official license of the 30 current franchises in the league, as well as 34 classic teams and Euroleague ad additional fourteen teams. The trouble with the latter is that only serve to play friendlies with FIBA rules, but there is a tournament that encompasses as such. Note that the game has a feature called NBA Today , you can update all the templates and the performance of each player depending on how they are doing in reality. In addition, each day, is published a video with highlights from the previous night and collected numerous statistics.
Note that the game includes a huge database . Thus, we can see numerous sections: the champions of the league every year, each franchise data (historical records, back retired), statistics for each player season after season, the members of the Hall of Fame … That is called leverage, really, to a license . As the motto of the league, to Visual Concepts like this game, and revels in it.
The basis of game modes is very similar to that seen on PS3, 360 and PC, but several of them have been completely renovated, like all the menus interface. There is a complete tutorial and quick matches, but where NBA 2k14 gives the best of itself is based modes play full seasons: My Career and My GM , which are very deep reviews of those who had in the previous generation.
In My Career , you have to create an alter ego and build a future in the league . You start by choosing which position we want to play and what our anatomical conditions, and then participate in an exhibition match and draw attention facing the rookie draft. After passing a series of interviews, we choose a franchise and, from there, begins our brilliant career in the league. Bench and started sucking without playing a minute, but, soon, a partner is injured and we get the opportunity to go up through the ranks of the team: promise, alternate, sixth man, holder, key player … As we played games, obtain coins that can be redeemed for improvements.
That all sounds very familiar, right? Yes, but the big news is that the mode has numerous video scenes between matches , which results in a very interesting campaign format. So, we live all surrounding an NBA player: the relationship with your agent, the nerves during draft night as commissioner David Stern announced the election of each team, the rivalry with another rookie, signing the contract, Veterans hazing equipment, flight to play as visitors, press conferences, meetings with the General Manager of the franchise … Often, we can make certain decisions affecting aspects such as team chemistry, for example, pouting or cheering during a timeout of a game that we are warming the bench.
It’s not all environmental elements. There are also circumstances that impact directly in the game. For example, if a party failed all our free throws, the star of the team will care for us and invite us to make a shooting session, which will have to put fifty shots from the line staff, unable to fail over one of a row. In the next game, the coach will remember us as a moving target, so that if we hit the shots of staff we have, we will obtain additional coins. In this sense, dynamic targets are much more logical than in the past: no longer the coach asks us to do a bounce, a point, an assist and a steal for a quarter, but urges us to do good shot selections , Let’s dry to a certain goal or we we play the last ball to win a game.
Managing a franchise
The other pillar of the game is the way my GM , which is an evolution of the formerly known as Association. In it, in addition to play matches, you have to manage everything on the budget of a franchise. There is an experience system, which includes 70 levels of improvement, which are purchased with coins obtained at the end of each meeting. Thanks to them, we improve our ability to manage multiple sections.
For one, you have to deal with all matters relating to the template , ie, negotiate contracts and renewals with players, negotiate transfers with other General Managers (which, in turn, we deal with various offers of players and rounds Draft), set the roles that are promised to each player … To do this, we must take into account factors such as actual or potential salary cap to pay a luxury tax. On the other hand, have to interact with other members of the “staff”, as the economic director, coach, assistant, scout leader or coach. For example, we may ask you to scout look to future promises, while the coach can suggest rotations or slates. Initially, almost everything is blocked, but at the level go up and acquiring improvements, we can be more persuasive in areas such as the tug of war at the time of establishing wage earnings.
The franchise owner raises a number of objectives , such as filling the pavilion or maintain team chemistry. To do this, you have to buy facilities flag or fix the price of tickets, merchandising or meals that are offered in the stands. To all this, add the possibility of viewing data as players of the week or how to leave the All-Star voting. None of this was in the “old” version of the title. Who does not want complicated, also has a nerfed version thus known simply as Season, which eliminates all elements of management.
NBA 2k14 has some game modes. One is My Team , a team that allows itself to be created based on buying envelopes with which to obtain players, jerseys, flags, slates coach … Only you can play online and, although we have not had access to it, is quite similar the PS3-360-PC.
The All-Star is integrated into the ways we played full seasons, and is exactly like the previous generation. There are the Rising Stars Challenge (in which players are faced rookies and second-year), the All-Star game and triples competitions and matte . The contest has a triple jumpers control system in which just press the left trigger to grab the balls and shot button to set a power bar. The truth is that it is quite rough. As for the contest killers, you have to press different button combinations for a string falling vertically, in the style of Guitar Hero.
The way LeBron James: Road to greatness , who was the star of the PS3 version, 360 and PC, has been deleted. It’s a shame. Including it would have been as the pinnacle, but its absence is mitigated by the very deep My Career and My GM.
Audio
The ambient sound is also very accomplished, based on these melodies rumpus particularly popular in the United States, the appellants request screams “defense”, the boats of the ball or the squeaking of sneakers on parquet. The game commentating is great and lots of details went to it.
The soundtrack for this release for PS4, chosen personally by LeBron James , who is the image of the cover is the same as in the other versions. Music is a section that often depends on personal likes and dislikes, but the repertoire of this game is to remove his hat, with bands and solo artists like Coldplay, The Black Keys, Gorillaz, Daft Punk, Imagine Dragons, Phil Collins , Eminem and Rihanna. These songs not only sound in the menus, but during certain times of the games, and 2K Beats system allows censor those we dislike.
Son of the new generation
NBA 2k14 is certainly one of the games star of the first batch of PS4 . Improve more than the already excellent delivery of the new generation and becomes surely the most impressive sports title this early stage. Visual Concepts has taken the trouble of doing a mere adaptation and put a couple of little details of three the fourth to be justified, as they have made others. The game sports a graphical muscle gym and game modes have moved to another level, to enchant lovers of the best basketball league in the world. Surely the saga still has room for improvement, but the new pavilion has been brilliant to 2K Sports .