review
I’ve been a follower of the NBA 2K series since the original on the Sega Dreamcast, and my favorite NBA sim ever was NBA 2K13. Naturally I was very excited for NBA 2K14 but that can be hazardous, producing unsafe expectations. Does NBA 2K14 succeed as a follow up to 2K13 or is it a mere hold-me-over until the next-gen versions launch in November?
The NBA Live series is one that has a history of innovation followed by stagnation. Going from Live 97 to 98 was big, and then it floundered for a few years. Live 2003 and 2004 were very similar to one another and now we’re experiencing Live 2005 for the third year. This may be a product of the game being made for the current systems (First the PSX and Saturn, then the PS2, Xbox and Gamecube). After all, there’s only so much one can do with that hardware. It also could theoretically save effort that could be expended on gameplay and features. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Live’s formula is getting old, much more so then the other sports’ in EA’s lineup. Continue reading
Let me get this out of the way first – no, Tiger Woods 07 for the PC is not next-gen. Period. Ok, now that I’ve talked about what this game isn’t, let’s discuss what it is. Continue reading
I must admit that I was a huge NFL 2K series fan. I loved the first person mode, I thought the game controlled better; I just preferred it. So naturally when I caught wind of EA Sports buying exclusive rights to the NFL license, I was furious. However, several years into their deal, EA has released a Madden that has made me re-think my loyalty. Continue reading
I reviewed The Movies awhile back and touched upon the monotonous micro-managing deeply. What I didn’t touch as much on was the actual movie making process. I bring that up because, even though it adds a new dimension to the story mode, Stunts and Effects is all about making movies. Continue reading
In the first of our Back Review series, I’m reviewing Sid Meier’s Pirates, a remake of the 1987 classic ‘Pirates.’ This game reeks of polish, and for that reason gleams the recognition of how a remake should be done. Continue reading
Baseball management sims go way, way back. You could say that they have their roots somewhat in Earl Weaver Baseball (although that was arguably more of an ‘action’ game), but regardless there have been countless titles vying to get this genre right. One of the most well known is Baseball Mogul, but the most thorough is the Out of the Park series. OOTP has always been a very deep game, seeking to represent all aspects of running a league. This makes for excellent fantasy leagues, but have always daunting to casual players. This has mostly been due to their complex layout and complicated procedures. However, OOTP 2006 attempts to remedy that with a more streamlined interface, a more user-friendly layout, and a more familiar menu system. All in all, does it work? I’d say yes. Continue reading
It’s spring. The boys of summer have taken the field. Now that 2k Sports has the MLB license, we’re reliant on them to bring the sport to our TVs. Do they succeed? Like an ugly 1-0 scraper, sort of. Continue reading