NBA 2K15

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 313 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 187 out of 313
  2. Mixed: 63 out of 313
  3. Negative: 63 out of 313
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  1. ToastyPotato
    Nov 14, 2014
    7
    This is the first NBA 2k I've ever owned and the first "modern" NBA game that I have actually played for more than a few minutes (my previous experience is with the 16bit era Live series, and classic NBA Jam). So perhaps my perspective is different from the typical one you might find amongst user reviews.

    My first impression of the game is that it all seems quite overwhelming. My only    This is the first NBA 2k I've ever owned and the first "modern" NBA game that I have actually played for more than a few minutes (my previous experience is with the 16bit era Live series, and classic NBA Jam). So perhaps my perspective is different from the typical one you might find amongst user reviews.

    My first impression of the game is that it all seems quite overwhelming. My only comparison for a modern sports game is FIFA 13, since its the only other one I own. While both have a learning curve, I find that NBA2k15 is completely merciless to newcomers. There are ways to practice, but they are buried within menus. There is no proper tutorial mode, there aren't even really any tool tips to help you learn anything. FIFA has numerous drills that teach you important skills, and it loaded them before each match to give you a random warm up. NBA 2k15 assumes that you already know everything there is to know about basketball and the 2k series. Thankfully, its not impossible to figure out, and watching a bunch of Youtubers play will get you the basics.

    I've mostly focused my attention to MyCareer. My impression of it so far? It is thoroughly entertaining, but it feels very limited in many ways. It tries to be very narrative, which is nice, but the lack of resources means it doesn't feel as if anything could happen as well. There are certain events that are supposed to happen, and by gum, they are going to happen, generally. You also don't really have much in the way of voice choices. In a world where games like Saints Row have way more character dialog, it is really disappointing to only have two similar voices to choose from.

    For overall game play, it seems solid enough, but I have little to compare it to. I think the worst thing about the game are the canned animations, which can create huge problems in control, since people get stuck doing certain things and can't be interrupted it seems. I am also not a fan of the shot meter and being hot or cold. I feel like sometimes the game, via dice roll (or RNG, if you prefer), simply decides that I am going to miss easy shots. I've missed open shots that were extremely close to the line on the meter tons of times, even though I've nailed the same shots many times before and after. Passing is also very weird, and the AI has some weird ideas for what an acceptable pass looks like.

    There is a bunch of stuff I haven't tried yet. I've tried to play online via the MyPark mode but the lag seems pretty noticeable, which is bad for a game where you have to actually time your button presses. There didn't seem to be a way to warm up once in the park, so the only way to get adjusted to the delay is to join a game and ruin other people's team. I suppose you could try to play head to head via exhibition, but I feel like the lag there wouldn't be the same since that is only 2 players, instead of a park filled with people. The other modes, MyTeam, MyGM, etc, I haven't tried, so I won't comment.

    The graphics are nice, but facial animations during cut scenes are terrible, and people have robot hands a lot of the time. My biggest pet peeve is that referees and other players can cover your shot meter, making it very difficult to shoot if you rely on it.

    The sound is fine, but I wish the game supported custom soundtracks. A friend of mine edited his NHL 14 to have a bunch of custom tracks, so I am not sure why 2k15 doesn't have this simple technology. GTA San Andreas even had it back on the PC. SimCity 4 had it 10 years ago!

    I give it a 7/10 because it is a solid basketball game, but there is a ton they could do to make it untouchable. A good game, but very tough on new players and lacking some simple quality of life features.    … Expand
  2. KiingSin
    Oct 13, 2014
    6
    What else can be said about 2k? After lasts years HORRIBLE NBA 2k I honestly felt like NBA Live 2015 would have a better output than NBA 2k15. I am just upset that it couldn't be released at the same time so we could officially see how much better Live is. Where do I start?

    The "Servers" 2K has one of the most highly used video game servers. I do not believe that their network is not    What else can be said about 2k? After lasts years HORRIBLE NBA 2k I honestly felt like NBA Live 2015 would have a better output than NBA 2k15. I am just upset that it couldn't be released at the same time so we could officially see how much better Live is. Where do I start?

    The "Servers" 2K has one of the most highly used video game servers. I do not believe that their network is not able to withstand the amount of users that they anticipate to actually purchase their game. Being as though the most commonly used feature on their game runs via online you would think this feature would be fixed already... right? WRONG. NBA 2k15s network is so bad that it ruins everything that could be perfect about the game.
    You want to go to the Park to showoff your skills.
    DENIED 2K server is going to be down for the next 6 Hours. And then it will only be running mediocre. This type of constant issue murders your motivation to even play the game anymore!

    Online gameplay is just as bad. I have had games where I honestly had to quit because the game lagged more than it played smoothly. And after blaming my Cable company for a few hours I realized that it was the crappy 2k network.

    The gameplay and controls are a lot tighter this year. Last years 2k felt like an NBA Jam game with Next gen graphics. This years is way better and more responsive. However "defense" is still almost impossible to be consistent with. Way to many times I find myself lateral shuffling pass a defender or not shuffling fast enough, There is no great "balance."

    Also at times playing the computer can be the fastest way to the emergency room... ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE THE COMPETITIVE TYPE. After utilizing all the settings given to help enhance the IQ of your AL defense. I was still scorched by the computer for about 75% shooting in the second half. After keeping them to a reasonable 40% in the 1st half.
    The shots that they were hitting were contested layups, mid range pulls ups over double teams, fadeaway 3 pointers (contested of course)
    Quite literately I slammed my controller, And the last time it almost went through my television. Oh did i mention that I was playing as the bulls and I played against THE SUNS???
    Oh not to mention that if the computer starts to drive the lane your defender is FROZEN. The game won't allow you to contest the shot, strip the ball, or even MOVE! This happens constantly so its not a glitch its a problem!

    These issues help ruin what could have been the best basketball game I feel like I've played in years. My career (when working) has the promises to finally keep players interested beyond the 1st season. Of your players career.

    All and all if a few patches are put out my review could possibly become a 10. However its a 6 because the features that could make this game perfect are its biggest weakness!    … Expand
  3. entertheziggy
    Nov 9, 2014
    7
    Okay lets get something straight. I love this franchise, I love their attention to detail, I love their passion for the game, I love that this isn't just a development company, but an organization that is committed to genuinely putting out the best basketball game in the industry. However, one thing that I can say, that I am truly not happy with in regards to this franchise is theirOkay lets get something straight. I love this franchise, I love their attention to detail, I love their passion for the game, I love that this isn't just a development company, but an organization that is committed to genuinely putting out the best basketball game in the industry. However, one thing that I can say, that I am truly not happy with in regards to this franchise is their horrendous online play. This is an issue that has plagued them since at least 2007. Last year was pretty bad, BUT somehow playable. This year, the online match is a dumbed-down version of last year. Also, its unplayable, suffering from online/input lag and connection issues.

    They do have some interesting modes that were introduced this year, including MyTeam. But, the year is 2014 and this is the age of online mulitiplayer and most games have an online element added to further the game experience. Even games, which are more known for their campaign (offline) modes, have smooth operating online modes.

    This is a black eye for a great sport simulation franchise. Great game, but without smooth online experience, its basically unplayable.    … Expand
  4. JampaOK
    Oct 8, 2014
    7
    My review is based on gameplay only. I feel like I am playing NBA 2K14. I'm not saying 2K14 is a bad game (it's a terrific bball sim), but on 2K15 I was expecting improvements and bug fixes.
  5. nitro_cyanide
    Oct 15, 2014
    7
    First, the good stuff. The graphics. Beats Live by a mile. The animation. Runners, fall-aways, twisting lay-ups. It makes better sense than the usual standard jump shot you see on Live. Presentation. Superb. Teams from other era. Love the idea. The music. Great. matches most of the era.

    The bad. DEFENSE. I was against Melo so I used the small forward Durant/Sefolosha to lock him down    First, the good stuff. The graphics. Beats Live by a mile. The animation. Runners, fall-aways, twisting lay-ups. It makes better sense than the usual standard jump shot you see on Live. Presentation. Superb. Teams from other era. Love the idea. The music. Great. matches most of the era.

    The bad. DEFENSE. I was against Melo so I used the small forward Durant/Sefolosha to lock him down which I did. He was like 1/8. But man, my teammates(Faried and a gen rookie rated 80) were useless, they get beat by Brandan Wright and Aaron Gordon? regularly. Shelvin Mack makes jump shots regularly off a Westbrook/Marcus Smart double team. Next REBOUNDING. So Taj Gibson was beating Mirotic to the boards. Fair enough. So I used Mirotic to lockdown Gibson. Surprise, now Steven Adams was beating Drummond to the boards. Next PASSING. Steve Nash can't make the pass on a 3 on 1 break? Standard basketball. Stop on the 3 point/free throw line make the pass. Super defender intercepts the pass. Passing to the paint almost always gets stolen. Next OFF BALL MOVEMENT. Why the does the roller on a pick and roll always run towards the sides? Roll towards the middle. Why does fastbreaking guards always run towards the 3 point line even on a 2 on 1 or even a 3 on 1 break?

    Minor stuff. Referee taking too long to give the ball. Not playing the game to watch a referee give the ball. Too much realism there. Fantasy draft on myGM. Is there any way to change draft order?

    Overall, 2k15 is an offense-oriented arcade style jump-shooting basketball sim.Is 2k better than Live? Yes. Is 2k superb and Live trash? No. This year I'm giving Live a chance.    … Expand
  6. K1laC87
    Oct 19, 2014
    5
    This game is odd to me, since they made the ps4, the gamplay is smooth as hell, but game feels slower. 2k14 on the ps3 is a better feel, better playing game easily.. gameplay feels sloppy, 2k15 why is the d-pad so hard to use, i dnt wanna read thru a bunch of tempos n w/e. make it more simple. ifeel like the animations kind of take over the game, it slows it down, its just slowww whatThis game is odd to me, since they made the ps4, the gamplay is smooth as hell, but game feels slower. 2k14 on the ps3 is a better feel, better playing game easily.. gameplay feels sloppy, 2k15 why is the d-pad so hard to use, i dnt wanna read thru a bunch of tempos n w/e. make it more simple. ifeel like the animations kind of take over the game, it slows it down, its just slowww what happend, like turn the game speed up, when i wanna dunk the ball it takes so long for my player to eventually get into the air, i just wanna mash the button n be jammin aldy, everything is going towards the graphics n feels like gameplay is sufferering from the lack of attentnion or wrong attention its gettin.. this game should be better, its becoming almst too realisitc, its great yes, but its a game. so make it feel more like a game. its the best nba game out, but its kind of the only nba game out. its guna be a nba live comeback in yrs to come.… Expand
  7. Tbell1122
    Oct 7, 2014
    6
    Personally I think this is a step back from last year. Player models look great other than that there is a new shot meter that is horrible. Open lanes and missed layups seem constant as well. Alley oops are just as bad and online lag still plagues this game. As a huge nba 2k fan im so disappointed with this year rendition. Also face scan is a marketing ploy it looks nothing like you.
  8. Is4U2P
    Dec 27, 2014
    5
    Take 2 Interactive is the worst developer on the planet! This game, just like 2K14 and 2K13 before it has server issues and I'm glad that people are starting to pull back from their poor workmanship!

    You would think that after the server issues over the past few years that they wouldn't so heavily tie the game to their servers but, nope! In a show of total disdain for their customers,    Take 2 Interactive is the worst developer on the planet! This game, just like 2K14 and 2K13 before it has server issues and I'm glad that people are starting to pull back from their poor workmanship!

    You would think that after the server issues over the past few years that they wouldn't so heavily tie the game to their servers but, nope! In a show of total disdain for their customers, if their server has issues it affects your ability to even play single player mode! If your played doesn't sync up to the server, you might find yourself playing the same games over again because it mysteriously worked when the old data would sync down!

    Also, the game play is cool but, way too unrealistic! You look at the leader boards and you see guys averaging 100+ Steals per game or some ridiculous stat like that! How is this fun for anyone? It's not competitive once your player gets to a certain point and then you never lose another game. I don't know if it is any better on the Xbox One but, really Take 2 should consider using the power of cloud based gaming to improve the AI as it gets very predictable and mostly sucks for this game.

    Do yourself a favor and get the new Madden or maybe MLB 14 if you want a quality sports game because this isn't one for sure!    … Expand
  9. electriclight41
    Jan 14, 2015
    7
    If you’ve played the other 2K games, you probably know what to expect. Better graphics than its predecessor and some gameplay tweaks. I like the improvements to My Player, but the end-of-season awards and stat-tracking is pretty flawed. I also HATE the menu. Other than that, it’s a good game.
  10. Slevin310
    Apr 28, 2015
    5
    Stop this stupid trend of Graphics > Gameplay. I don't want to be able to count all the pock marks on Derrick Rose's face. I just want a good game, sadly the majority of the budget has gone to mainly graphics. Sure there's tons of fun modes like being in charge of your own team, being a manager, hopeful college player making his way to NBA or being a player and coaching a game at the sameStop this stupid trend of Graphics > Gameplay. I don't want to be able to count all the pock marks on Derrick Rose's face. I just want a good game, sadly the majority of the budget has gone to mainly graphics. Sure there's tons of fun modes like being in charge of your own team, being a manager, hopeful college player making his way to NBA or being a player and coaching a game at the same time. It's niche but getting on the court and actually... you know PLAYING BASKETBALL is not the best part of this game. You'll enjoy playing as a coach or GM more than playing a game. Because the controls feel awkward, the characters aren't responsive and there's no amount of coaching in the world that will get your team to play like a real team. You're the star player here, you cannot rely on your team for ANYTHING. You take over everyone and do their job for them or watch them fail at doing anything on their own.

    It's sad that NBA Jam, NBA Heat and NBA Street Volume 2 are still the best basketball games of all time despite the fact that their players do inhuman levels up jumps. You feel like you're in control and it feels satisfying when you pull off a sick alley oop with an AI teammate.    … Expand
  11. SinsOfGod
    Nov 11, 2014
    6
    At it's core this is the most solid basketball simulator that exists, controls are tight and have alot of depth the only issue is that some of the more elite players are op and impossible to defend at times, the inclusion of the shot meter is genius and i always wondered why 2k didnt have something like this before.
    The problem with the game is all of the other features.    At it's core this is the most solid basketball simulator that exists, controls are tight and have alot of depth the only issue is that some of the more elite players are op and impossible to defend at times, the inclusion of the shot meter is genius and i always wondered why 2k didnt have something like this before.
    The problem with the game is all of the other features. Create-a-character is significantly worse in this game, you cant equip tattoos and hair options are shockingly disappointing, you can no longer create your own teams, user interface is alot more confusing, Mypark is a neat idea but hardly works with poor servers, you cant use custom rosters in quick game mode and lots of other little disappointing things missing that made 14 much better, the main focus here seems to be My Player mode which has been improved with cinematics, but your character still feels pretty hopeless early on and it can be a frustrating struggle.
    All in all as a pure basketball simulator, it doesnt get better then this, controls are fluid and the game looks great, it's just all of the other ambitions that 2k15 sets out to achieve fall flat, and dissapointing inclusions missing from 14 make it feel worse then its predecessor in some ways.    … Expand
  12. aykiey
    Dec 21, 2014
    5
    First of all, the following review is based on my experience with the MyTeam mode.

    It feels like the players are veeery slow. It is nearly impossible to take charges (it was too easy in 2k14 but now they **** up badly). I find it difficult to hit open 3s even with players like Teletovic and Prigioni. Try good 1 on 1 defence - you will not be able to. This is a serious issue. We know,    First of all, the following review is based on my experience with the MyTeam mode.

    It feels like the players are veeery slow. It is nearly impossible to take charges (it was too easy in 2k14 but now they **** up badly). I find it difficult to hit open 3s even with players like Teletovic and Prigioni. Try good 1 on 1 defence - you will not be able to. This is a serious issue. We know, that the 1-3-1 zone in 2k14 was kind of like cheating, well, now you can choose between a **** up 3-2 zone or a **** up 2-3 zone. Try to stick to the 1 on 1 defence, good luck with that. There are no manual coaching settings (or I have not found them). The ball goes through players' bodies? Nothing special. At some points it is very easy to take fouls but sometimes your opponent can do whatever he wants with your players and the refs do not call anything.

    THIS GAME IS A MAJOR DOWNGRADE TO 2K14, seriously, it is a joke.    … Expand
  13. geezoe
    Feb 3, 2015
    6
    I am a frequent player of 2k15. My online record is 111-75. I will be the first to say that this game does not feel authentic. I've noticed how they try to make the games stay close and always come down to the wire or instances where your player's I.Q is very minimal. There is always some point in the game, no matter how good your playing, they let the "underdog" go on a shooting spree toI am a frequent player of 2k15. My online record is 111-75. I will be the first to say that this game does not feel authentic. I've noticed how they try to make the games stay close and always come down to the wire or instances where your player's I.Q is very minimal. There is always some point in the game, no matter how good your playing, they let the "underdog" go on a shooting spree to try to catch up. Either that or your players don't space the floor right or you pass it to a player on your team and he takes off running like he doesn't see the ball coming which results in a steal.… Expand
  14. emlugo123
    Feb 25, 2015
    7
    This was the first game I bought for the PS4 and looks great compared to the PS3 version. Although sadly, I think this is the last sports game I am going to buy due to the lack of effort the developers put in sports game. It's the same thing as 2k14 except for the menu interface and online is a drag. It may take 10-15 minutes just to get put in a match.
  15. Thomabaddon
    Jul 1, 2015
    7
    Great offline game. Looks superb and has a huge amount of content. Online playing is worthless and this is not the first time that the online component is broken in this franchise. That's why i can't give it more than a 7.
  16. Nel
    Jan 23, 2017
    6
    Messy, clunky, but real fun mess. The game is not as good as the 2016 edition, but it sets a great foundation towards it. It has several modes, and the be a pro mode is as interactive as ever.
  17. Sheep_198
    Feb 27, 2016
    6
    Better than 2k16 and 2k14. Faster loading, fun Twitter and easy endorsement. Everything just designed and played better than 2k16. Only downside is too many loading screens and my park not as many people to play with.
  18. AMasterpieceFan
    Jan 4, 2019
    7
    Didn't play the online modes so this rating will be for offline only.

    I liked the gameplay. Simple but enjoyable. The 5v5 games are great and Blacktop too. Shame they removed the 3pt and dunk contest there but it's fine. Pretty good game overall.
  19. DonTheGamer
    Jun 22, 2023
    5
    NBA 2K15 dribbles onto the court with potential, but its performance falls a bit flat. While it offers solid gameplay and notable improvements in certain areas, it fails to deliver at the end of the day.

Awards & Rankings

28
#28 Best PS4 Game of 2014
39
#39 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2014
62
#62 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 50 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 50
  3. Negative: 0 out of 50
  1. CD-Action
    Jan 9, 2015
    85
    The latest rendition of the series does not introduce many changes to the gameplay, but offers so much content, that it’s almost impossible to play it all. [13/2014, p.72]
  2. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Dec 28, 2014
    90
    Gripping even to those with no interest in the world of hoops and dunks. [Christmas 2014, p.89]
  3. Games Master UK
    Dec 21, 2014
    89
    Early server issues were a real worry, but it's hard to stay mad at such a supreme sports package. [Christmas 2014, p.61]
See all critic reviews »