NBA 2K16

 Xbox One
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
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  1. MondoXbox
    Oct 18, 2015
    95
    NBA 2K16 is the further perfecting of an already complete and extremely finished game; still the best basketball game around and one of the very best sports game overall.
  2. XGN
    Sep 30, 2015
    93
    NBA 2K16 is the best basketball game you can get nowadays. With a story by Spike Lee, titled Livin' Da Dream, it is a great sports game. Unfortunately the story isn't as good as promised, but the gameplay is marvelous again.
  3. Gaming Age
    Oct 5, 2015
    91
    Overall, I really think NBA 2K16 is worth picking up this year. There’s so much to do, and the gameplay is really top-notch. It’s not perfect necessarily, but it’s remarkably close.
  5. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Nov 9, 2015
    90
    Incremental changes in all the right places on the court, coupled with a comprehensive dynasty mode, make this the sports game to beat for the foreseeable future. [Dec 2015, p.82]
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  6. SpazioGames
    Oct 27, 2015
    90
    It's amazing. A basket game so full of content and quality that its almost unbelievable for a fan of the real sports. It's only fault is the online, that remains unstable year after year, with irritating lag spikes. Oh yeah, the Spike Lee directed stroyline isn't that amazing either, but hey, perfection does not exist after all.
  7. Game Informer
    Oct 2, 2015
    90
    I can only hope other sports games follow Visual Concepts’ steadfast dedication to innovating on both the gameplay and game mode fronts.
  8. Attack of the Fanboy
    Sep 27, 2015
    90
    In 2K16 Visual Concepts proves once again that they’ve still got their fans in mind, adding new features and modes, re-introducing old favorites, and sharpening both the visuals, presentation, and gameplay to near perfection.
  9. LevelUp
    Oct 13, 2015
    85
    NBA 2K is back and it's bigger, stronger and better this year. Classic teams are still in the game and some teams for the Euroleague as well. MyCareer is a fun mode, but unfortunately, the Spike Lee story is a bit disappointing. Other modes like MyGM and MyTeam are back as well. Controls and gameplay are better than ever. If you love basketball, this is the game for you.
  10. Xbox Achievements
    Sep 28, 2015
    85
    Not exactly a massive Air Jordan-style leap over NBA 2K15, this year's game is nonetheless a substantial enough evolution to warrant a closer look.
  11. games(TM)
    Nov 15, 2015
    80
    NBA 2K16 is masterful at providing a re-creation of what we expect to see from a TV broadcast. [Issue#167, p.84]
  12. NZGamer
    Oct 14, 2015
    80
    Unfortunately, it is also evident that 2K Sports bit off more than they can chew, by trying to make the MyCareer mode more compelling with the introduction of Spike Lee’s story.
  13. Game Revolution
    Oct 4, 2015
    80
    NBA 2K16 is full of features and detail. It’s possibly the most complete game to the series.
  14. GameSpot
    Sep 30, 2015
    80
    Few sports games come close to providing a more authentic and fun virtual representation of the real thing, and even if this is the least user-friendly entry in years, I can’t stop playing it.
  15. Cheat Code Central
    Oct 5, 2015
    78
    NBA 2K16 tugs heavily on the Spike Lee promotion to sell its improved story mode. Beyond that, the upgrades are more on the technical side. There's still a ton of content to keep any fan of the franchise busy until next year's offering.

Awards & Rankings

11
#11 Best Xbox One Game of 2015
30
#30 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2015
20
#20 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2015

User Reviews

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User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 129 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 129
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 129
  3. Negative: 37 out of 129
  1. erdbeerheld
    Sep 26, 2015
    3
    2K Sports is pretty much ripping it's customer off again, but this year it's worse than ever...

    My review is pretty much just about the    2K Sports is pretty much ripping it's customer off again, but this year it's worse than ever...

    My review is pretty much just about the MyCareer mode. While this years story mode is pretty much nice, it has a lot of flaws and feels cheesy. There was so much potential in it, but Spike Lee dropped the ball on it with implementing WAY too much drama in it. Every cutscene is pretty much the same: characters fighting and then getting friends again... Then the whole story is over after your first season. Then that's it with cutscenes. You'll never see those characters again, at least I didn't.

    But that's not my problem with the game. It's that 2K forces you to buy VC if you want to be successful in MyCareer mode. Not just succesful, you even need a lot of VC to even have fun in this game mode.

    While being the superstar in HS and college, with feeling like you're playing MJ, you quickly realize in your very first NBA game, that you'r just a 55 overall (65 if you've spent your 10,000 preorder VC) that had it's stats boosted in the HS/College games.

    So I'm a SG inside scorer and couldn't hit ANY shot that wasn't right in front of the basket. But then I hardly can get near the basket at all because I'm way too slow to get ANY opposing player. I drop the ball at the slightest contact and bounce off every guy like I'm made of rubber. And then my agent is telling me I'm the guy that shoulders this team and is the upcoming superstar? Doesn't feel like that at all. Well at least as I'm not spending another 20 bucks on VC so my player gets to proper NBA rookie ratings to start enjoying the game.

    This is not how you design a major game mode 2K. I know it shouldn't be easy and I do want a challenge, but this is a punch in the face of every paying customer. As it's just that hard to rip off some extra bucks to enjoy a game that we've already paid 60 bucks for.

    So don't buy if you wanted to play the MyCareer mode.    … Full Review »
  2. pinball123
    Sep 26, 2015
    1
    Why oh why did 2k think it was a good idea to have Spike Lee of all people direct the mycareer mode? The guys got far too big of an ego and isWhy oh why did 2k think it was a good idea to have Spike Lee of all people direct the mycareer mode? The guys got far too big of an ego and is a hack. The story has bad acting and is stupidly predictable.

    ALL the choice is gone from the mode. You want to make yourself in the game? Too bad your a black dude from the hood! You made a white character? Too bad you have a black family and a black BIOLOGICAL twin!

    There's now 15 minute cut scenes about your team owners best friend and despite the entire cast being obnoxiously douchey and your main character making stupid decisions the whole time you have zero input in any of it. If I wanted to watch a bad movie I would have just rented a spike lee dvd! Luckily in your second season it goes more normal but you still get interviews about the story and still have a stupid nickname and your character has stupid reactions on court. I want to run back on defence after a dunk not sit there pretending I'm a DJ while the other team runs a fast break.

    You also only get to play 8 games in your rookie year and can't check the standings, stats or anything you would expect to check in a game about playing basketball.

    They've also removed some of the old control schemes so we are now forced to use the new one that feels like garbage, the game often locks up on a player standing on the court and randomly pointing for a few minutes and there's more unskippable broadcast stuff that bogs the games down too.

    The other modes might be better but I usually only play the mycareer mode, why couldn't they have had the spike lee mode separate from the regular mycareer? How did 2k think this was a good idea?    … Full Review »
  3. Expos4421
    Sep 25, 2015
    7
    NBA 2K16 is a fantastic game, in fact I'd go as far as to say that is it the best basketball simulation on the market today. The graphics, theNBA 2K16 is a fantastic game, in fact I'd go as far as to say that is it the best basketball simulation on the market today. The graphics, the gameplay, the soundtrack, the online game modes all shine in my opinion on this years edition of the franchise we've all come to know and love, however the game is not without its flaw, the largest being MyCareer. Going into 2K16 I was very excited with the idea of the Spike Lee Joints, having not played MyCareer in 2K15 instead favoring focusing on my player from 2K14. With all the hype around the new and improved story and the concept of being able to play College and High School basketball for the first time, there was no doubt in my mind that this was going to be the most realistic basketball experience for everyone who plays the game, emphasis on everyone. Starting fresh for the first time since 2K14 I spent around a half hour trying to create a reasonable portrayal of myself in game, which I've got to say was very much improved since 2K14, 2K did a very good job nailing down player creation and how in depth you can really go in order to create a replica of yourself in game, however this creation plays little into the Spike Lee Joint story "Livin Da Dream". A lot of the customization has been streamlined in order to create an experience that fits the storyline of "Livin Da Dream" rather than truly making "Livin Da Dream" a story of your own, which is understandable given the circumstances surrounding the story, however disappointing nonetheless. For starters, you are no longer able to pick a nickname for yourself, for story purposes your nickname both on and off the court has been designated as "Freq" short for "Frequency Vibrations" as your mother often refers to you as, not exactly the nickname I think a lot of fans had in mind but I think we can let it slide. The major gripes I have against MyCareer is the actual story itself and its ability, or lack thereof to make the story compelling and involving my player. The basis to the story revolves around "Freq" growing up alongside his hard working parents, twin sister and longtime friend Vic in the Harlem area, no major plot twists there coming from the man who is notorious for making films about basketball in the Harlem area. The immersion and interaction with my African American family is really what made me end up skipping the majority of the cutscenes. In no way shape or form was that comment meant to come across as racist, however the immersion is lost and just awkward when creating a player who doesn't fit this pre-determined role for myCareer, which is supposed to be a reflection of an individual's person. It may seem I'm getting rather in depth with the story aspect alone, however it was one of the major selling points of the game and should be discussed as such. The high school games are rather lack-luster lasting a whole 3 games lasting 8 minute against unchallenging opponents before declaring your college of choice between 10 colleges. The college aspect of the story was by far the most enjoyable aspect of MyCareer despite it short length of 4 games. Healthy amounts of playing time and the idea of playing for the college of my choice, one of the few choices you get to really make throughout the whopping 15 game story mode was a really refreshing change to the franchise that I hope returns in full force in the coming years. Your first season in the NBA can be summed up as disappointing, playing in only 8+ games including the playoffs, often receiving very little playing time. After being drafted by the Utah Jazz as the third string point guard behind 2 other point guards drafted within the last 3 years, I played very little throughout my 8 games and had very little of an effect on the season and the end of the "story" which concludes at the end of your first season before resuming the typical 2K myCareer formula during your 2nd season, which is a much welcomed sight in my eyes. Ultimately "Livin Da Dream" fell flat in the same vain as Frédéric Weis of Knicks infamy, a promising experiment ruined by a "dunk de la mort". However instead of Vince Carter delivering the final blow "Livin Da Dream" is put out of its misery by a lack of personalization the MyCareer game mode many of us have come to love as an expression of "our" fantasies of playing out or careers in the NBA. I understand the fact that given the format of MyCareer there would be limitations to the customization, however I was expecting some sort of rationale and was left disappointed mainly due to the lack of making the story of this Spike Lee Joint about "MyCareer" rather than an awkward Spike Lee cliche. Feel free to agree or disagree, like I said NBA 2K16 is the best basketball simulation on the market and absolutely worth a purchase if you love the game of basketball, however if you purchase 2K16 based solely for the purpose of MyCareer I recommend going in with no expectations and trying to make the best out of "Livin Da Dream".… Full Review »
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