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With the start of a new NBA season right around the corner, every diehard basketball fan waits in anticipation for a game that can deliver on the realism and excitement that comes with the sport. Luckily the development team of Visual Concepts has just the answer with the release of the latest iteration in their flagship 2ksports series titled NBA 2k10. The demo is available now on both Xbox Live and Playstation Network respectively. Here are a few reasons why it’s worth a download.

Reliving the Rivalry:

From the minute you fire up the demo you’ll have the option of playing the 2009 NBA Finals Matchup between The Los Angeles Lakers and The Orlando Magic. One major difference you’ll notice is that both teams have the updated rosters already intact placing Ron Artest on the Lakers and Vince Carter on the Magic. You’ll only be allowed to experience one 4-minute quarter so as to give you an idea of what to expect. One of the greatest strengths of the 2K team has always been there meticulous attention to detail as evidenced in both player models and team reactions. Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard look and play just like their real life counterparts on the court. The crowd interaction also provides further atmospheric tone and suspense to the experience overall. It’s worth noting that in last year’s edition there was also added cutscenes of shots from both inside and outside the arena to represent each city uniquely based upon where you play. The creative team also manipulated team chemistry so that each team plays how they would in real life. For demo purposes, these finishing touches weren’t added but expect them to be available in the finished version.

Controlling the Action:

The core elements of gameplay are very similar to that of NBA 2k9.  On the offense end you can shoot the ball by either pressing the “X” button or “RS” button to make use of the Shot Stick option. This feature is where signature shots are displayed based upon which player you choose. Likewise, you can access the Hopstep by pressing the “Y” button. This is meant to be used in conjunction with the “X” button to create space when going towards the basket. Using this action without shooting would result in a traveling call and cause you to lose possession of the ball. You can pass off to a teammate by pressing the “A” button. You move your player by using the Left Stick and speed up accordingly by pressing the Right Trigger. On the defensive side, you block and rebound by pressing the “Y” button. You can also steal from your opponent by pressing the “X” button. The overall experience on both ends feels more intuitive the most sports games. The directional pad is used primarily to call plays on the fly. This option was also stripped out of the demo, but will be a crucial element in the final release. The computer A.I. tries hard to contest shots but in the end the difficulty of the demo will be easy to surpass. However with the competitiveness of online matches and an elevated level of gameplay, I can promise you that the final product will be no pushover.

Final Thoughts:

NBA 2k10 is once again on track to have a successful banner year with its release. When you add in the fact that there is a Deeper Association Mode with all 30 NBA teams, and Improved Defense Settings to still talk about, you’ll soon realize how large this game really is. If you’re a basketball enthusiast and are looking for a game that’s realistic and engaging then I would encourage you to give the demo a try.

Written By Richard Bailey