There are plenty of people these days who believe that the true future of the video game industry lies outside of mainstream consoles – despite the fact that the upcoming PS4 and Xbox One are some of the most anticipated tech or gadget releases in years. The perception among these people is that the Internet is going to continue to take over the gaming industry.
To some extent, these people are right, in that the Internet is already starting to offer some twists on gaming that you don't necessarily get in a console. One example is the Games from Betfair, an online gaming and casino community that, of course, offers real money gambling option. The main attraction is the sort of game you'd find in a real live casino – Blackjack, Roulette, Texas Hold'em, etc. But if you dig into the site a bit you can also find intriguing arcade games that you can put money on. Combine this sort of site with the growing enthusiasm over eSports (essentially, spectator gaming online), and there are plenty who believe that monetized online gaming is the way of the future.
But to fully embrace this opinion would be to ignore some of the truly spectacular games that are being released not he current generation consoles before the PS4 and Xbox One take over. And among these games is NBA 2k14 – a welcome release for basketball fans, but also an incredibly capable and well-rounded gaming experience. Here's a brief review of some of the new features this game includes.
- Euroleague – 2k Sports loves to throw in new player and team content every year (such as legends, the Dream Team, etc.), but the inclusion of 14 Euroleague is unprecedented. For true basketball junkies or international fans, this is a massive addition, and it plays quite well.
- Lebron: Path To Greatness – This new mode is being compared to the previous Michael Jordan career experience, but really it's quite different. Instead of being Lebron to this point, you take the game's best player into the future, making free agency decisions and playing out dramatic situations that result from your choices. It's a fun new mode, even if a Lebron-centered game isn't as intriguing as MJ's.
- Gameplay – Improvements in gameplay are always tough to measure, but in this one they're fairly noticeable. Shooting is a bit altered – neither positively nor negatively – but dribbling feels and looks a bit more realistic, and passing is more intuitive. You won't experience the 2k13 issue of occasionally trying to pass to a wide open man on a fast break only to have your player throw it to someone totally out of the picture.
The rest of the game remains largely unchanged, which is a good thing. IGN gushes about the game's extraordinary commentary, and slight improvements have been made to My Player and Blacktop modes. But for the most part, this marks a natural progression in a stellar franchise.
