NBA 2K17
For: PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC
From: 2K Sports
Rating: (G) ★★★★
A negative is the number of hours you have to put in to grind for in-game currency. It can take a long time to upgrade your character to the max unless you spend real money. Also the characters you meet in Story Mode feel a little flat. They try their best to be interesting but it just doesn't work for me.
In My GM, you can make an NBA team from scratch or use an existing team, making moves to try to lead your team to the playoffs. It's a mode I keep coming back to so I can win another title for my team.
Online can be annoying if you lose a close one but it works well. In My Park mode, you use the character you created in My Career mode and try to be the king of the court playing 5-on-5, 3-on-3 or 1-on-1. You compete with or without your friends against real people in head-to-head games which can get really competitive.
Another mode is My Team in which you grind to buy card packs for players and items, building a team to play online or offline.
Camera angles in the game are great, and the commentary can be pretty funny at times. If regular players of the franchise are wondering if the referee inbounds the ball faster, he doesn't - so have fun with that. But on defence, it feels a lot easier to get steals and put pressure on the ball handler.
NBA 2K17 really shines. Whether it's dunking the ball on someone or hitting a three in someone's face, you're going to love it.
Sebastian Russ is a member of the St Kevin's College basketball team.
