Much better than the alternative, NBA 2K continues to be a great franchise.

NBA 2K15 ($59.99) takes the court as the king of hoops games, but the online performance issues from last year are once again back to detract from the gameplay. Even so, tweaked graphics and smoother animations, plus a stellar MyCareer mode, make this year's version well worth playing.

Extremely fluid and graceful gameplay and player movements; In-depth MyCareer mode lets you create a baller and experience the thrill of going pro; Many game modes add lots of replayability

Very long load times in testing; Non-interactive tutorials; Online stability is a mixed bag

It's an absolutely beautiful game to look at, and its controls are as tight as they've ever been. Some features are vastly improved from last year. If you have played NBA2K you should know what to expect.

Second revision of my review of this game. It's a great game. Career mode is the best I've seen in a sports game. The player interactions and presentation are second to none. I don't play online so I can't comment on that, however, that leads to the reason for the mediocre score.

Controls wonderfully; Plenty of game modes; Ambitious MyPlayer mode; Huge MyGM mode; Impressive player faces and animations

Terrible voice acting; Huge MyGM mode; Tags

is a thorough success in all but one, unfortunately crucial, area. This is a game of unparalleled TV-style presentation that captures the atmosphere...

Superb simulation; Stunning graphics; Excellent presentation; Career mode

Virtual Currency; Poor online performance; Uncanny valley

For everyone looking forward to some next gen NBA this year, all I can say is Visual Concepts has delivered. The players look sharp, the commentators actually sound interesting, and Shaq is in the building. There is no question the NBA 2K franchise is back and back again in a big way.

Competition is scarce on the basketball video game scene, but that hasn't kept the team at 2K from pushing the NBA 2K franchise forward. Even with that success, one might assume that hiccups may occur as more and more untread ground is tread, as with any franchise.

NBA 2K15 may have its little niggles but it is as deep and interesting as it ever was and it's ridiculously polished where it counts and that is on the court. With EA's record on sports sims outside of FIFA and Madden failing NBA 2K15 is really the slam-dunk choice for basketball fans this year.

NBA 2K15 is a slam dunk on the PlayStation 4