NBA 2K14 Doesn't Try to Fix What Ain't Broke

I'll admit that it's difficult to get excited about the current-generation version of NBA 2K14 when the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 editions are looming just a month or so after the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions ship on October 1. But then I only have to remind myself that this is a phenomenal hoops series for many years now -- and it's only gotten better.

Of course, it helps that the 2K team handed me the controller and said, "Go ahead, just play."

Current-gen 2K14's big new addition is dribble controls. Various inputs on the right thumbstick will allow you to pull off dribble moves or shots. Like an idiot I immediately tried to figure it out on my own without heeding any instructions, and ended up throwing wild passes. It turns out that holding LT (on Xbox 360) now triggers an assist pass based on whatever direction you nudge on the right stick. It's wild fun on fast breaks or for driving the lane and kicking out to a spot-up shooter behind the three-point line.

Once I got some advice from longtime series director Rob Jones, the dribble-stick controls made a lot more sense. As he simply stated, "Dribbles are taps [on the right thumbstick], shots are holds."

Soon I was feeling locked-in and, playing the Heat, able to do some very LeBron-like things both at the rim and out on the perimeter.

"We started dabbling with [the dribble stick] during development on 2K13," Jones said. "It was one of our proposed control schemes coming out of that year."

Otherwise, online Crews are back, along with the new inclusion of 14 Euroleague teams.

Current-gen NBA 2K14 seems to be a pretty safe bet this year. As for next-gen? We'll have the first info and footage for you as soon as humanly possible. Stay tuned.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews and Xbox Guru-in-Chief. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, on IGN, catch him on Podcast Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.

Source : ign[dot]com