NBA 2K10 review

The Kobe Bryant of basketball games

GamesRadar+ Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Silky dribbling skills

  • +

    Epic career mode

  • +

    My Player mode

Cons

  • -

    Rammed with sponsorship

  • -

    Doesn't look as good as Live

  • -

    Arguing about positions online

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

One the one hand, you’ve got EA’s shiny but occasionally flawed NBA Live; on the other, a game that doesn’t look quite so polished, but is built on a super-solid core that has consistently outplayed the opposition for years. If you’re a casual fan of the sport, then either title will probably serve equally well, but if you really know what you’re doing when it comes to tactics, you’ll appreciate the extra depth of 2K10.

It has a great system for accessing complicated moves on the fly, via combinations of triggers and joysticks. Getting a few basic feints and body-swerves is simple and intuitive, while more advanced players are going to run rings around you online with the full range of athletic skills. Most importantly, the advanced stuff doesn’t seem out of reach, given how easy it is to get started, and it’s clearly not just for show. Master a new trick, and you’ll find it doesn’t take long before you’ll learn an effective use for it in-game.

My Player mode gives you a single player to groom from amateur matches in summer camps to a starting position in an NBA team. It’s basically EA’s Be A Pro mode, and after spending time learning the nuances of playing in one position, we found it a little jarring going back to the normal ‘control everyone’ style of solo mode.

Luckily you can continue your specialisation online, where you’ll no doubt have to argue in the pre-game lobby to select your ideal role if you’ve chosen the most popular centre position. To make sure everyone sticks to their position, the game rates your teamplay like EA’s last two NHL games. Play selfishly and you won’t get matched with folk who take it seriously. Another feature is dynamic online stat changes – if you’re having a great time scoring loads of points with a player who was overrated but he turns out to have a stinker of a season in the real world, he’ll be downgraded in-game.

This is the serious baller’s basketball game. It doesn’t look as nice as EA’s offering, but it has it where it counts.

Oct 12, 2009

More info

GenreSports
DescriptionWhile no sports game will ever properly recreate what it’s like to participate in the activity, they can at least make it look like you’re watching the sport on the TV. NBA 2K10 does this almost perfectly, with superb commentary and broadcast presentation making every game a big occasion.
Platform"PC","Wii","PSP","PS2","PS3","Xbox 360"
US censor rating"Everyone","Everyone","Everyone","Everyone","Everyone","Everyone"
UK censor rating"3+","3+","3+","3+","3+","3+"
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
More
Freelance Journalist

Martin Kitts is a veteran of the video game journalism field, having worked his way up through the ranks at N64 magazine and into its iterations as NGC and NGamer. Martin has contributed to countless other publications over the years, including GamesRadar+, GamesMaster, and Official Xbox Magazine.