NBA 2K16

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 467 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 269 out of 467
  2. Mixed: 97 out of 467
  3. Negative: 101 out of 467
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  1. greedoinaspeedo
    Sep 25, 2015
    6
    Long time, year in year out, 2K player. All of the updates to the gameplay and AI are stellar as usual. The attention to detail and progression of the game mechanics is stellar. I have always played MyPlayer and MyGM.

    MyPlayer this year forces you to be a player named Frequency Vibrations from the projects in Brooklyn, and have an African American family with a twin sister. And it's    Long time, year in year out, 2K player. All of the updates to the gameplay and AI are stellar as usual. The attention to detail and progression of the game mechanics is stellar. I have always played MyPlayer and MyGM.

    MyPlayer this year forces you to be a player named Frequency Vibrations from the projects in Brooklyn, and have an African American family with a twin sister. And it's called "Livin' Da Dream". Not joking. I'm trying to figure out how to reconcile these things as I hear the story and look at the Spaniard I have created to resemble myself. I can't decide if it's a reverse blindside or if my character is just having Rachel Dolezal type delusions. Spike Lee has made myplayer mode feel like it's choosing to exclude me, and make me feel that by participating I am appropriating a culture that is not mine. These are not things that are currently enhancing my experience.    … Expand
  2. Mattyice
    Sep 25, 2015
    7
    NBA 2k16 is a solid offline basketball game. It plays smooth and gameplay is easy and intuitive. A few new additions to mycareer and myGM are solid as well. However, there are issues that hurt this game in other ways. The servers are completely unbearable and loading times are long, hindering the online experience because the online modes are great, but they never work. Also, the Spike LeeNBA 2k16 is a solid offline basketball game. It plays smooth and gameplay is easy and intuitive. A few new additions to mycareer and myGM are solid as well. However, there are issues that hurt this game in other ways. The servers are completely unbearable and loading times are long, hindering the online experience because the online modes are great, but they never work. Also, the Spike Lee directed story is cheesy and scripted, even though the addition of a college team is cool. It feels like you know what's going to happen next. Overall, it's a fantastic offline game and a few new additions try to freshen things up, but its online struggles and weak mycareer make 2k16 a game not worth purchasing if you already have 2k15.… Expand
  3. CanuckHoser
    Sep 30, 2015
    7
    Excellent game, excellent gameplay. Would have been a 9 or 10 if 2K hadn't included Livin' Da Dream. Horrible addition. Sports video game "create-a-player" modes are successful because they allow regular couch potatoes that cannot make it to the bug time in real life to live out their aspirations in the game. Spike Lee's overly scripted mode leaves NO room for freedom and very littleExcellent game, excellent gameplay. Would have been a 9 or 10 if 2K hadn't included Livin' Da Dream. Horrible addition. Sports video game "create-a-player" modes are successful because they allow regular couch potatoes that cannot make it to the bug time in real life to live out their aspirations in the game. Spike Lee's overly scripted mode leaves NO room for freedom and very little room for personalization. Should be called Livin' Spike Lee's Dream.… Expand
  4. Schoonie30
    Oct 17, 2015
    6
    Having to be twins with a black sister and being part of a black family as a white person will never make sense to me and will make me not enjoy this my player experience
  5. PointBreakCali
    Oct 13, 2015
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game itself is about the same as last year with some minor tweak and obviously updated rosters. I generally only play the career and franchise modes so i don't care about the multiplayer. The reason I give the game a 5 is the blatantly racist career mode where your only option is to play someone from the brooklyn projects. Its totally linear and no options at all like last year to mold the player they way you see fit. You wont be getting any more money from me 2k until you go back to the old career mode and get rid of Spike Lee's version of it.… Expand
  6. Stefan_ManUtd
    Dec 5, 2015
    5
    The gameplay is pretty enjoyable but the cheesy AI and the bad online servers are really bringing this game down. The fact that 2K were told this so many times and they still don't do anything about it makes me realise how they don't give a s**t about customers.
  7. Drew185
    Jan 13, 2016
    6
    I'm an experienced basketball player in real life, and a sports video game enthusiast. This game should not be this hard. I've been playing for a few weeks now.

    There is an extreme lack of tutorials for a game with such complicated (and poor) controls. I've had to go online to youtube to find tutorials on anything I wanted to learn for this game. I can play as the Warriors against    I'm an experienced basketball player in real life, and a sports video game enthusiast. This game should not be this hard. I've been playing for a few weeks now.

    There is an extreme lack of tutorials for a game with such complicated (and poor) controls. I've had to go online to youtube to find tutorials on anything I wanted to learn for this game.

    I can play as the Warriors against the Hornets on Rookie mode and the Hornets will match me step for step. Curry moves around screens like he's on sleeping medication. The lateral movement for the world's quickest players is inexplicably lethargic.

    The right stick (PS4) is downright dysfunctional. You never know which version of its many functions are going to happen each time you press it, if it even responds at all. I can run straight at the basket with a top player like Kawhi Leonard, with no defense in the way, hold R2 and press the right stick for a dunk, only to have him pull up and brick a jumper from just inside the free throw line.

    The opposing defense still has a superhuman ability to intercept your passes.

    Dribbling (another function of the much-maligned right stick) is awful. You never know if your player will even do a move. Driving into the lane is nearly hopeless. Even top players like Steph Curry will routinely lose the ball in the lane even if you are attempting dribble moves or various layup/dunk options.

    Your team's defensive AI is laughably bad. They will frequently camp out around the perimeter, just inviting the other team to drive in for a dunk.
    As for controlling your player on defense, it is complicated and challenging, but I can appreciate some of the nuances of risk/reward there. But CPU players can still blow past you with little effort. And forget about trying to intercept passes. I can stand right in between two CPU players, wait for the pass, press steal, and I still won't get the ball.

    I tried adjusting the gameplay settings and see almost no difference. The very high difficulty level is still there.

    As for the good parts of the game:

    -presentation - Fantastic. Commentary is the best in the business. Animations are very realistic - except for the super sluggish lateral movements of the ball-handlers.

    -Game modes- this really isn't a selling point for me, I just want to play a quick game whenever I have time. But there are loads of game modes in NBA2K16 - playing online, seasons, the Spike Lee story mode, etc.

    Bottom line: Looks great, sounds great, loads of game modes. Hampered by extreme difficulty and embarrassingly bad controls.    … Expand
  8. SwayzeActual
    Sep 25, 2015
    5
    I play a few hundred hours of 2K every year, so I am always very excited by a new release. The gameplay is improved from last year. The UI is great and it's easier than ever to get right into the action.

    However, I primarily play MyPlayer, and this year's version is very troubling. I was very excited going in about Spike Lee's presence. I thought it would bring more depth to my yearly    I play a few hundred hours of 2K every year, so I am always very excited by a new release. The gameplay is improved from last year. The UI is great and it's easier than ever to get right into the action.

    However, I primarily play MyPlayer, and this year's version is very troubling. I was very excited going in about Spike Lee's presence. I thought it would bring more depth to my yearly wish fulfilment of getting to play basketball in the NBA. You see, I played into High School and had to stop because my knees just weren't made for the sport. That's why MyPlayer has always been so immersive to me, I get to role play that my basketball career didn't end in high school. Before this year, the game was very good about letting you fill in the blanks of your own character's story, showing you some behind the scenes BS that was amusing but not very worthwhile. Yet the crux of my characters "story" was always supplied by me, and that was perfect. I always rolled what the game supplied in the cut scenes into the continuity of my own story. That is not possible this year.

    Spike Lee has made the game less inclusive. It feels as if he's sending the message to anyone that isn't an African American from the projects, that basketball is not for them. Playing through the career has been strange to say the least. The game lets you mold and put yourself in the game. But then it chooses the nickname "Frequency Vibrations" for you, and there's a signature on court dance you cannot stop your character from doing, despite both those things going against the type player I want to be.

    You have an African American family and twin sister that the game continually reminds you of, and the in game commentators constantly bring up you coming from the projects in Brooklyn. This constantly breaks immersion if you have a character with differently pigmented skin. And none of this even mentions the casual demonization of all the white men working in the sports business or the simplistic and stereotypical representations of young African Americans that is uncomfortable.

    The high school and college games leading into the draft are brilliant, and the new gameplay is great as usual. I'm just severely disappointed that 2K and Spike Lee have made MyPlayer mode into something that doesn’t make me feel welcome. However, if you don't play MyPlayer mode, or you don't put yourself in the game every year as I do. You may have no problem with this.

    I will still play the game and I'm sure I will enjoy my time in MyGM mode, even though it isn't the mode I'd prefer to be playing. Collapse    … Expand
  9. justdoit
    Sep 27, 2015
    5
    2015 will be remembered as the year that the NBA2K franchise turned into a soap opera
    Rest in pepperoni, NBA 2K
    Even Live isn't this dramatic. That's saying something
  10. entertheziggy
    Sep 27, 2015
    7
    First of all, I would like to say the game has made a lot of improvements to the opponent and team AI. Lots of graphical updates and I like how the crowd reacts in unison. The interviews that happen in the middle of the games from the players is kinda cool, makes the experience feel a bit more authentic. I also appreciate the defensive mechanics and the upgraded passing mechanics.First of all, I would like to say the game has made a lot of improvements to the opponent and team AI. Lots of graphical updates and I like how the crowd reacts in unison. The interviews that happen in the middle of the games from the players is kinda cool, makes the experience feel a bit more authentic. I also appreciate the defensive mechanics and the upgraded passing mechanics.

    However, the MyCareer mode, "Livin' da Dream" was a very disappointing experience. The tagline of this mode was #BeTheStory, and the only real choices I made was how my (non-black) character looked and the college he went to, and the team he was most interested in/negotiated with. In your first season, you follow a monotonous formula of playing very short high school and college games, followed by 20 mins of Spike Lee's brand of cliché, one-dimensional/stereotypical character driven cut scenes. While i appreciate the developers to give the Myplayer experience a bit of an arc in terms of the character, it was poorly executed. I hate to say this, but Michael Bay could have done a better job and building a more believe character arc. The story didn't do itself any favours by making your family black, which I thought was really out of place for my Indian looking character to be involved with.

    Next the online play, oh god the online play. Year after year after year, the same issues are still prevalent and its prevalent as ever in this iteration of NBA 2K16. The online play suffers from major input lag, sometimes not even inputting a command, such as passing, shooting or rebounding. The result of this? your defence suffers greatly. It is truly disgusting how NBA 2K seems to get away with treating their fans in this manner. The money, they could've saved on not hiring spike lee, could at least contribute to improving these areas. Also, some modes were not readily available online, as well as the NBA 2K store not accessing items for the MyPlayer mode.    … Expand
  11. breakbacon
    Oct 1, 2015
    5
    The review I first posted here was for the Xbox version mistakenly, I gave this version the same score even though PS4 players seem to on average enjoy it more. :-)
  12. GeekSquadAlert
    Dec 21, 2015
    7
    NBA 2k16 Overall is a great game. It has great graphics it had got better animations. Also, The AI is a great challenge. But it had a few cons. The way MyTeam was set up has been downgraded from last years game. It's to hard to get a good card in a pack. Also,The matchmaking is not the best. This years MyCareer has went down and was very disappointing. Spike Lee did a fine job on the game.NBA 2k16 Overall is a great game. It has great graphics it had got better animations. Also, The AI is a great challenge. But it had a few cons. The way MyTeam was set up has been downgraded from last years game. It's to hard to get a good card in a pack. Also,The matchmaking is not the best. This years MyCareer has went down and was very disappointing. Spike Lee did a fine job on the game. But as soon as his storyline ends there are only THREE more cut scenes after that it was very pathetic. The only thing you could look forward to was a shoe deal. But they add patches and new things mostly every 2 weeks. Play Now Online has made a heavy improvement. They had made it so if you are new to the game you play others that are new to the game. This game is a solid game.… Expand
  13. DonMega
    Jun 11, 2016
    5
    Would be very good if it didn't make you work for in game currency. Playing this I kept wondering if the developers are having a huge laugh behind everyone's back. You pay full price for this game to relax and enjoy it as entertainment but it forces you to still grind and work to get the in game currency called VC. I did some research and you can get it by installing a phone app andWould be very good if it didn't make you work for in game currency. Playing this I kept wondering if the developers are having a huge laugh behind everyone's back. You pay full price for this game to relax and enjoy it as entertainment but it forces you to still grind and work to get the in game currency called VC. I did some research and you can get it by installing a phone app and grinding through some card game every day, secondly you can earn some VC points by watching the in game tv with ads. What a hilarious joke that no one is laughing at. Pay full game price and then pay more money for micro transactions if you don't want to work for it. Of course you can play the game for free, but remember if you are a casual gamer and not ready to spend months grinding enough to make your game play fun don't buy this.… Expand
  14. weatherstein91
    Jun 12, 2016
    6
    I downloaded this game mostly for the career. I've always enjoyed sports titles with any kind of "story mode" aspect. (maybe one of the best examples being champion mode in fight night champions) But, this career mode is not very good. I think 2k needs to stay far from any Spike Lee influence for the next title because I really did not like his take on the career mode. It felt very cheesy.I downloaded this game mostly for the career. I've always enjoyed sports titles with any kind of "story mode" aspect. (maybe one of the best examples being champion mode in fight night champions) But, this career mode is not very good. I think 2k needs to stay far from any Spike Lee influence for the next title because I really did not like his take on the career mode. It felt very cheesy.

    And the games graphics do not look 4th gen. The player models look, for lack of a better word, crappy.    … Expand
  15. homer4president
    Jun 12, 2016
    6
    Online is broken as usual. MyPlayer is boring. Game is kind of tedious to be honest. Maybe its because I'm getting tired of sports games like this. Like the soundtrack though.
  16. Kamarr
    Mar 30, 2016
    6
    Only reason I'm giving this a 6 is because it's pay to win. :/ But if your buying it to only play my career and offline stuff then I'd say its a great game but when it hits online there are soooo many people that are pay to win in the game its really sad that a game that could be a solid 8-10 is being marked due to P2W.
  17. Peter_Panzer
    Feb 26, 2016
    6
    @k developers said “we’ve been trying to train our gamers that certain types of shots should be rewarded versus others”.

    Well, maybe instead of training gamers you should focus on making the game fun and entertaining again? It's too plodding, players feel like they have concrete boots, even though the game overall feels actually too fast. Worse of all sometimes the way the game tries to    @k developers said “we’ve been trying to train our gamers that certain types of shots should be rewarded versus others”.

    Well, maybe instead of training gamers you should focus on making the game fun and entertaining again? It's too plodding, players feel like they have concrete boots, even though the game overall feels actually too fast. Worse of all sometimes the way the game tries to "simulate" (read: force) the real oncourt situation makes it a real **** with players making ridiculous mistakes and bad passes you wouldn't believe. I just stopped my game because the players kept passing the ball directly in opponents hands. Come on... The fun factor is gone. It's frustrating and broken. It's worse with each edition. Maybe it's time to finally scratch the old, well-worn core of the mechanics and start building a new one with less rigid gameplay and philosophy in mind?

    Meanwhile I'll try out NBA Live again. Heard it's pretty fun this year.    … Expand
  18. andrew9
    Nov 16, 2021
    5
    nba 2k . .
  19. mike21
    Oct 15, 2015
    7
    The game play is still great, but overall I think 2k15 is a better game. The Spike Lee story mode is just terrible. I don't mind the fact that it makes your sister or your parents black. What I do mind is that the story is pointless and dull. Also advertising it as "Be the Story", is very much misleading. Should have read "Be Bored By the Story". It also robs you of a chance to enjoy yourThe game play is still great, but overall I think 2k15 is a better game. The Spike Lee story mode is just terrible. I don't mind the fact that it makes your sister or your parents black. What I do mind is that the story is pointless and dull. Also advertising it as "Be the Story", is very much misleading. Should have read "Be Bored By the Story". It also robs you of a chance to enjoy your rookie season. Otherwise it is still a top game.… Expand
  20. DragonBorn-
    Feb 2, 2016
    6
    I am a regular baller in the 2K series and this years is as good as usual. I only really play MyCareer with MyPlayer so can't comment on some of the negatives about online lag and cheaters in the community etc.

    MyCareer is a good as ever, nothing really different from last year in terms of on the court game-play, just up to date rosters and improved graphics. Game-play itself top    I am a regular baller in the 2K series and this years is as good as usual. I only really play MyCareer with MyPlayer so can't comment on some of the negatives about online lag and cheaters in the community etc.

    MyCareer is a good as ever, nothing really different from last year in terms of on the court game-play, just up to date rosters and improved graphics.

    Game-play itself top drawer as always. I have noticed one or two new 'plays' such as the flagrant 1 foul a lot more. I never used to see that in the previous games. And also 'absorbing contact' whilst shooting a jumper is easier and more common among the AI characters.

    The thing that lets this one down compared to the previous is the 'Livin Da Dream' part of MyCareer. The storyline is garbage, cringe and embarrassing. The fact that 2K Sports and Spike Lee seem to think that all BBall fans are black grates on me. I am white but on this game I have to have black parents and a black 'twin' sister that looks absolutely nothing like me!? They are stereotyping all Basketball players into African Americans that all come from the 'ghetto'.

    As a result of the story my character has now been named for me, 'Freq' which is terrible. I am referred to on the court and in cut scenes as 'Freq'. I even have an extremely annoying dance which i can't change!

    Overall the game itself, on the court (the important bit) is as good as ever but Spike Lee and his racist, badly put together story seem to have annoyed a lot of people.

    6.5/10    … Expand
  21. henryfreitas263
    Oct 7, 2015
    7
    O jogo é ótimo, como sempre! O modo MY CAREER é horroroso como nunca tinha sido antes. Spike Lee acabou com um dos modos de jogo mais interessantes nos games!

    The game is great, as always! The MY CAREER mode is awful as had never been before. Spike Lee ended up with one of the most interesting game modes in games!
  22. Dalifeblives
    Oct 13, 2015
    5
    No happy. The overpowered CPU D (on ball) is a big one for me. The bumping and not being able to get by a defender when you clearly have them beat is nuts. I've been watching pre-season ball over the last few weeks and the spacing and driving to the hoop simply does not simulate 2k16 out of the box.

    I'm coming from playing SS and I've gone down to AS just to have fun. May even go down    No happy. The overpowered CPU D (on ball) is a big one for me. The bumping and not being able to get by a defender when you clearly have them beat is nuts. I've been watching pre-season ball over the last few weeks and the spacing and driving to the hoop simply does not simulate 2k16 out of the box.

    I'm coming from playing SS and I've gone down to AS just to have fun. May even go down to pro until we get some good sliders or a patch.

    Gonna trade it in and skip out this year.    … Expand
  23. Nel
    Jan 21, 2017
    7
    Great NBA game, has a fun interactive be a pro mode. The game can be hard for beginners, but it is easily one of the best sport games out there. I recommend playing this with a friend or online.
  24. RezReviews
    Oct 4, 2015
    5
    After playing this game since release, I must say I'm hugely disappointed. After playing 2k15 and being left with high expectations for 2k16 which only meant that this game has hugely taken a step back. While the gameplay is alright and decently-smooth, I must say that firstly, the storyline aspect is too much. The game in the first season to second season is so storyline orientated thatAfter playing this game since release, I must say I'm hugely disappointed. After playing 2k15 and being left with high expectations for 2k16 which only meant that this game has hugely taken a step back. While the gameplay is alright and decently-smooth, I must say that firstly, the storyline aspect is too much. The game in the first season to second season is so storyline orientated that it's annoying. I bought the game to play basketball and to have a career not to have people dying, arguing and fighting, it's just too much and sways from the actual aspect of the game. Also, on offense on your MyCareer, the amount of blocking fouls and poor shots is astonishing. The bad thing is, half the blocking fouls committed on you are not even called.

    Honestly, this game had a lot to live up for since 2k15 and I have to say that I am beyond disappointed and unimpressed and I definitely will be considering sending the game back for a refund as well as my next purchase of a 2k game.    … Expand
  25. kingakatosh
    Oct 16, 2015
    6
    Disappointing when it comes to new features.. The MyCareer mode (which was so hyped) , and lack of advancements in graphics made this game feel weak. Almost want to say that 2k15 was better, it not exactly the same. I noticed that it was easier to block, steal the ball, and on occasion, passing seems smoother. Defending All-Star players like LeBron, or Curry was almost impossible. ThisDisappointing when it comes to new features.. The MyCareer mode (which was so hyped) , and lack of advancements in graphics made this game feel weak. Almost want to say that 2k15 was better, it not exactly the same. I noticed that it was easier to block, steal the ball, and on occasion, passing seems smoother. Defending All-Star players like LeBron, or Curry was almost impossible. This game challenges you offensively as well. Making shots is just plain hard, any type of shot. A challenge isn't always bad... but come on. All in all, still very good basketball game. Kept to the same basic amazing 2k experience we all know and love. And for that, this game gets a 6.… Expand
  26. LarrythePossum
    Jun 20, 2016
    6
    While NBA 2K16 is the best basketball game in the market currently, it does not make up for the fact that it is absolute garbage and full of awkwardness and ****

    To begin, the featured Spike Lee joint, "Livin' Da Dream," is very boring, full of clichés, and constantly losses your attention and caused me to skip basically all of the scenes. They are not necessary to watch and practically    While NBA 2K16 is the best basketball game in the market currently, it does not make up for the fact that it is absolute garbage and full of awkwardness and ****

    To begin, the featured Spike Lee joint, "Livin' Da Dream," is very boring, full of clichés, and constantly losses your attention and caused me to skip basically all of the scenes. They are not necessary to watch and practically nothing you do on the court will correspond with the story. Oh, and don't even try creating a white MyPlayer because your entire family will be black while you are white.

    The gameplay, while is sometimes enjoyable, is an awkward **** Simply moving around on the court becomes a challenge when your player is a magnet towards every other damn opponent. Trying to detach yourself from the players is as hard as ripping dried tar off your skin. This leads to many "defensive breakdowns" which will lower your teammate grade a metric **** decreasing the amount of currency (VC) you will earn at the end. On top of this, every time you lose the ball it feels random and cheap; you can never predict when you'll have the ball stolen.
    For all actions, the game chooses animations to perform them such as for lay ups or receiving passes. A lot of the time the animations that it chooses **** you over. For example, rather than taking a simple open lay up with a defender trailing behind me, the game decides to have my player do a one-handed dunk allowing the player behind me to swat it away.
    Surprisingly, for a game this unpolished there are quite a few modes. The most important, and fun ones, are MyPark and MyCareer. While both use the same player that you create, these modes allow you to play with friends in pick-up 2v2 or 3v3 games in between loading screens that are longer than a ****ing turtle's lifespan. As well as this, ProAm lets you play on a 5 player team with your friends against other teams. I found most fun in these modes, while the rest are pretty basic and somewhat useless (I'm looking at you 2KTV).
    To conclude, NBA 2K16 is the best basketball game out there, but the gameplay itself is still lacking much polish and fluidness. I'd rather just play FIFA instead.    … Expand
  27. Sheep_198
    Feb 27, 2016
    5
    Not as good as 2k15, sold the game and bought back 2k15 instead. 2k16 has twice long loading screens, more fillers to keep pressing x to skip, and most importantly annoying and linear my career not enjoyable at all. Practice is another annoying feature, no point and just more loading screen to get into then out. Graphics, animation, design, gameplay all the same as 2k15. Not worth the money.
  28. HeyImCJ1
    Apr 24, 2016
    5
    The number one problem in this game is the NBA 2k servers. This is the only game I have ever played that will lag you out constantly due to the terrible servers. You can barely play a series of online games before lagging out. The fact of the matter is that you will lag out at least one time when you are playing this game.
  29. zverko
    Jul 18, 2016
    7
    Great game BUT too much, too much, and again too much loading... Extremely slow interface. When you play a game, and internet goes down, you cant play a game. That would be the negative sides. The positive are: great graphics, great ingame physics, movement and best of all: great AI tactics. Its like I am really playing basketball with friend.
  30. tingstrup
    Jul 28, 2016
    5
    THE WAIT TIMES
    For career mode and there is an incredible load time for every game
    This game drags you along and makes you sit through every cut scene. There is a skip feature but it still makes you sit through the first few seconds of everything, (pregame shows, postgame shows. timeouts, freethrows, inbound passes, etc) It gets so frustrating I want to throw my controller at the screen    THE WAIT TIMES
    For career mode and there is an incredible load time for every game
    This game drags you along and makes you sit through every cut scene. There is a skip feature but it still makes you sit through the first few seconds of everything, (pregame shows, postgame shows. timeouts, freethrows, inbound passes, etc) It gets so frustrating I want to throw my controller at the screen in hopes it hits a secret button that allows me to get back the part of my life that was wasted on this.
    Spike lee creates a story line that gives your character a preset personality, this was a big turn off for me. Your character is already set on an egotistical show-off personality which was a real turn off for me because it's not the sort of player I wish to be. The story line then goes on to try to convince you to feel sorry for your best friend who is an awful terrible human being that refuses to take responsibility for anything in life and would end up in the same spot in life no matter what.
    They don't have as many interviews in the game which is really disappointing because that was one of the few features that let you develop your characters personality.

    Overall the gameplay is really fun and I think does a good job of all the mechanics. If they did not have all the waiting time in gameplay and made some changes to the story making this more open I might rate this a 9.    … Expand
  31. Adrian24proano
    Sep 11, 2016
    5
    NBA 2k has been easily exceeding over the past few years. But personally seems as if 2k is taking really slow small steps. While NBA 2k16 easily being the best NBA game out there, there are some things that I noticed. For one it is almost the same thing as last years game (2k15) An upgrade was the story mode. The story mode was entertaining but also has its little things.
    Myplayer is    NBA 2k has been easily exceeding over the past few years. But personally seems as if 2k is taking really slow small steps. While NBA 2k16 easily being the best NBA game out there, there are some things that I noticed. For one it is almost the same thing as last years game (2k15) An upgrade was the story mode. The story mode was entertaining but also has its little things.
    Myplayer is great, but during the story, the players name is Frequency Vibration. I would like to choose my name instead of being given one considering it is my player. Another thing is that the story mode makes you come from the projects and you are from an African American family. All is fine cause it is a story, but also is myplayer. The story was produced by Spike Lee, and it kind of did give a feeling of "not me" Some positives include the story line, you get to start from high school, and choose your college, limited choices.
    The online gameplay, Mypark, is and upgrade as well as you get to play with other people after joing a group. You get to battle opposing groups and have different competitions. The gameplay overall is good but could be better. Feels very one sided, (offense) as defence is much more harder. The controls can be confusing at times. The gameplay to me seemed a little slow, I like a faster more excitement type of gameplay.
    Overall it is the best game out there, but not much of difference other than the myplayer story mode and mypark. For 2k fanatics would be a great game. For those that love playing basketball games, it is a good product but can get boring at times or even frustrated. 2k servers have some work to do. I would recomment that if you absolutely want it, get it, but if you can hold off for a year, these problems will be solved. I rate it a 5 because it is almost the same thing as 2k14, the rest is because again the myplayer and mypark.    … Expand
  32. WashedPotatoes
    Jul 21, 2022
    7
    at this point im only writing reviews so i can actually look back on my score... screw you metacritic for only allowing you to look back at games you reviewed rather than just scored
  33. wildest21
    Apr 12, 2023
    7
    Sound Quality still stands as the best heard throughout the series, even after 8 years or so.
  34. DonTheGamer
    Jun 22, 2023
    7
    The best 2K game. It had everything: a great MY CAREER, great gameplay, and an amazing soundtrack.

Awards & Rankings

15
#15 Best PS4 Game of 2015
36
#36 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2015
21
#21 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 51 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 51
  3. Negative: 0 out of 51
  1. Sporting News
    Mar 3, 2016
    100
    NBA 2K16 has raised the bar not just for future iterations of the series but for every sports game developed beyond this point.
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  2. CD-Action
    Dec 16, 2015
    80
    Let’s forget about terrible cutscenes directed by Spike Lee – the game itself is still a joy to play. [12/2015, p.54]
  3. DarkStation
    Dec 15, 2015
    80
    NBA 2K16 continues to be at the top of its game, even if the new career mode isn’t everything I wanted from a Spike Lee joint.
    Read full review
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