I wasn't so hot on the last instalment of the NBA 2K series but I'm pleased to say the franchise has upped its game considerably this year.
While last year's release only had a rudimentary facelift, this year's is a huge improvement, and much welcomed.
Firstly, somehow, it looks even more fantastic, with more animations of the player's faces after dunks to the scuff marks on the wooden floors.
The gameplay has also been vastly improved. There's more loose-ball action, the post-up mechanics have been revolutionised, running is smoother, a fastbreak has more energy and it just feels real when you shrug off your defender to slice through the lane.
But it's in the player AI that this edition has really earned it's stripes. Last year's game began to feel very formulaic, particularly when you were playing long gruelling seasons. Now the knowledge of every player's traits comes into play.
Long-time perimeter chucker Andrea Bargnani will actually come to the arc of his own accord and hopelessly miss rather than have to be forced there by fading off a player-controlled pick and roll. Bargnani's terribleness is real in the game and in your heart. This is a wonderful thing.
They've ratcheted up the defence. Gone are the days of winding your way through opposing players with the ball seemingly on a yo-yo string to your hand. Only Stephen Curry can do that now.
This game is for people with real basketball knowledge. You need to call plays, you need to throw the correct pass with the new passing system, and you need to make sure you look after the ball.
I got stuck straight into the heavily promoted, Spike Lee-directed MyCareer mode called 'Livin' Da Dream'.
As with all the other instalments, the idea of MyCareer mode is taking your customised player from obscurity to NBA stardom. In the past, the mode has varied from good to fine to a chore, which is why I was excited for the story and options Lee would bring to the 'joint'.
Well, there was certainly a story, but not a lot of options.
You take control of a character nicknamed Frequency Vibrations, the name you will be referred to throughout the entire piece. You're from the projects in Harlem, New York City and you have a sister Cee-Cee and a best friend Vic van Lier.
'Freq' is a high school phenom and you actually get to play high school games in a high school gym - very cool. Then, after your three-game season, you pick a fully-licensed college to attend and actually play for them – even cooler.
However, it's at the end of your college season the mode takes a turn for the worse.
Up to that point there had been a couple of cutscenes with a few personal touches from Spike, but the first one that makes you realise this might not actually be your story is when you have to decide if you want to stay at college.
A massive argument over whether to take the leap to the NBA ends in the decision being made for you no matter what – not that cool.
As you get drafted, it's an eight game season with some hefty cutscenes. We're talking long and dialogue heavy. Unfortunately, Do the Right Thing it ain't.
Your rating is extremely low yet you're being touted as a star, signing shoe deals and being told to carry the team to a championship by the owner, but it's hard to have any significant say in a game when you're seeing limited game time as a rookie.
It's clear it's not about the basketball, it's about the story, which consists of a cheesy plot based on cutting a bad friend out of your life, and you don't even get to choose if you want to keep him around or not.
It continues like this for the first season. You live in Spike's world and it doesn't feel like your player. But it gets better in the second season as the story ends and it reverts to a more traditional format with upgraded off-days, endorsement deals and so on.
Along with the other more popular modes in the 2K series are MyLeague and MyGM which are back and full of new details to keep you interested.
MyGM rivals the likes of Football Manager when it comes to running a basketball franchise with summer league, contract negotiations and team chemistry all there to upset your day as you try to not overpay the likes of Greg Monroe. You can even relocate your team and customise their look; you want the Supersonics back in the league? Go for it!
MyLeague is still in similar shape as previous incarnations but now you can add 29 other humans to the mix and play online with them to battle it out over 80 seasons.
The online features of the game are as you would expect, with MyPark receiving an upgrade in courts and the online matchmaking not taking too long.
I wasn't able to play in the 2K Pro-Am, a 5-on-5 MyPark mode with NBA rules, because of the lack of players which was disappointing. But once it starts selling more, this seems like an interesting feature with the customisation options for your team seeming endless.
After last year's disappointment I'm absolutely stoked with this year's effort. I've already spent plenty of time on the game, from quick matches with friends to marathon sessions on the MyCareer and MyGM modes.
It's incredible to think there's another one of these games coming out next year. One of the biggest strengths of 2K16 is there's no way you'll be bored of this by the time that rolls around.
Four-and-a-half stars.
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NBA 2K16 :: Publisher: 2K Sports:: Developer: Visual Concepts:: Format: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3:: Rating: G
