The latest edition in 2K Sports esteemed basketball video game franchise, NBA 2K14, hit the shelves on October first to the delight of millions of basketball gamers worldwide. Game developer Visual Concepts repeatedly establishes the 2K series as the premier basketball simulation, and it is a popular seller on all console platforms. For the third straight year, 2K has been released on the iOS and Android App markets, coming in this year at the hefty app price of $7.99.
To the dismay of mobile gamers and NBA 2K fans alike, the 2K14 app does not uphold the compelling qualities of its console version cohorts or even the other top games on the app market. All in all, the NBA 2K series remains the supreme basketball simulator on consoles, but it is nothing more than a rebuilding year for Visual Concepts China to reconstruct its mobile app approach.
Below, I section my review into four primary categories: controls, gameplay, graphics, and replay value. For each category, I assign a rating of one through five–think a five as Hall of Fame quality and a one representing Charlotte Bobcats quality. At the end, I culminate my scores and offer my final verdict based on the evidence presented below. Enjoy!
Controls: 2/5
Visual Concepts China makes a valiant attempt at transferring the playable qualities of console 2K games to the mobile device. Unfortunately, this translation from console to iOS should be met with a few jeers and boos. Those who played the NBA 2K13 mobile app will be familiar with the control scheme, and those of you who are new to the mobile series are in for a pleasant surprise.
A miniature directional pad in the bottom left corner and a small set of buttons in the bottom right corner controls your players. The d-pad can be frustrating to use, due to its small size and sensitivity, and I often found myself out of position as I ran up and down the court. The controls on the right include buttons for pass, shoot, rebound, and “alley-oop” on offense and switch player, steal, and block/rebound on defense.
Again, these controls are small and often hard to locate in quick, intense game situations, and it can be frustrating when the slightest misplacement of your thumb causes your player to jump, rather than steal, and your opponent drives in for an open layup. I found the alternate scheme, a simplified layout needing only one finger, more effective at times, especially on defense, but I felt as though it over-simplified the problems to a point where it took away from the fun of the game.
I chose to assign this category a two out of five rating because it is possible to get used the controls through extensive gameplay, but any player not looking to consistently devote hours of their time will suffer through frequent frustration and may occasionally be tempted to take out their anger on their mobile device.
To end on a brighter note, I had much more success controlling my team on the iPad variant of the app because of the bigger screen and bigger controls, but to the masses without a tablet, NBA 2K14 for iOS does not have the handles to outduel its competition.
Gameplay: 2/5
Moreover, the quality of gameplay of the 2K14 mobile app does not assist the controls in creating the most enjoyable gaming experience. Firstly, there is a noticeable lack of variety mid-game. The mobile control scheme does not offer the gamer much room for creativity or flair, resulting in repetitive possessions of simple passes, shooting, and the occasional drive. Big dunks and sneaky ball handling, two major contributions to an exciting basketball game, are essentially non-factors.
Unless you are satisfied with the basic nature of the gameplay, the odds of not growing bored of this monotony through a full 82 game season are lower than Dwight Howard’s free throw percentage. The flow of the game is mostly smooth; however, sometimes play will glitch, causing a wayward pass or an ineffective drive. I found defense to be particularly difficult. Occasionally slow response time can be frustrating and preventing an opposing player from driving or finding an open shot is a rare occurrence, especially on one of the higher difficulties.
For the most part, the repetitive gameplay the 2K14 app was too frustrating and not compelling enough to consistently hold my attention for four five-minute quarters. Again, I feel as though a two out of five sufficiently describes the quality of this category. The gameplay of NBA 2K14 is not necessarily poorly done, but it lacks the spark needed to spur any consistent interest.
Graphics: 3.5/5
At this point in time, mobile graphics pale in comparison to that of its console counterparts. While this is a commonly understood fact, buyers still expect the highest quality graphics given the platform. To start, player graphics have essentially remained the same from last time, with each figure eerily resembling their real-life counterpart while also looking somewhat similar to every other player on the court. During gameplay, graphics are certainly not an issue, and it is primarily on close-ups that gamers will notice a lack of detail.
Naturally, audience graphics will always be step down from players, but 2K14 does create a decent looking crowd to provide a compelling stadium environment. Despite their chunky, robotic appearances, spectators will stand up and sit down at correct moments and cheer vigorously throughout the contest. The lack of detail in game is partially made up by crisp, vibrant menu screens to sort through between matches. I finalize my graphics verdict at 3.5 out of 5. The graphics do not take away from gameplay, but in an age when expectations are high for sports simulations, it fails to push the envelope on the iPhone 5’s high-resolution screen.
Replay Value: 2.5/5
Before you dish out the $7.99 to purchase the NBA 2K14 app, I would like to say right off the bat that the replay value of this game is quite low, unless one is either diehard 2K sports or basketball game fan. 2K offers various modes to occupy your time, such as a season mode, a pseudo-story mode titled “Lebron: Path to Greatness,” and multiplayer through Bluetooth or Gamecenter. If Lebron’s individual “path to greatness” does not fulfill your basketball tastes, you can come back and manage a franchise in multiseason mode or solely play multiplayer online or against friends.
Ultimately, the replay value boils down to the individual. If you are intense about basketball video games, even on mobile apps, you may find more replay value to this game if you devote a significant amount of time to its features. As for myself and many other casual gamers, I may pick this game up again on a rainy day, but it is too extensive a game to play consistently on a mobile device.
Unlike many fun mobile games, the 2K14 app does not offer the quick thrill that can satisfy while waiting in line at the doctor’s office or waiting for a movie to start in the theater, as full game may take twenty plus minutes. At two and half out of five, I put replay value slightly above controls and gameplay primarily because some 2K enthusiasts will find interest in repeatedly playing this app, but the solid majority will soon bench 2K14 for cheaper, more exciting games.
Final: 2.5/5
My final verdict, the overall “fun factor,” of the iOS version of NBA 2K14 is a 2.5/5. Poor controls and only moderately absorbing gameplay weaken the backbone of the entire operation, and the solid graphics are not enough to carry the app alone. For the gamers who cannot get enough 2K action and still enjoy the simplified version of an already repetitive game (hence the nature of the modern NBA), the 2K14 app may be worth the purchase.
As a casual app gamer, I would rather spend the money on the extensive console version than spend $7.99 in the app market when many better options are available. For the developers, they enter the off-season with their work cut out for them. I foresee plenty of chalk talk and Gatorade in the offices of Visual Arts China if they hope to reverse these trends next time around.