Pros: Best player graphics a Basketball game has seen! Game modes all back!
Cons: Some areas of the graphics are bad like cheerleaders and coaches, dunking
The bottom line: NBA 2K6 is by far the best b-ball game to have on the 360 it combines the strengths of the new machine and the games mechanics.
After 5 or so years of the Playstation 2 and Xbox we finally have a shiny, sleek, new console, the Xbox 360. This power house of a console is capable of the most detailed and lavish games ever known and as of now I'll give you the low down on the best new basketball game the 360 has to offer.
Don't get me wrong this game is great but the downside is that this game is exactly the same as the current gen version. But that is a good thing as well because unlike it's competitor NBA Live 2k6 retains all the gameplay modes and features that made the old version great.

NBA 2k6 is just another nba game at first and the overall presentation won't look next generation until your thrown into the arena. Right off the bat you'll notice the gorgeous looking player models and even the improved fans in the stadium. But boy do the players look awesome. The faces are given truly life like details and the jerseys even sway realistically as the players jumps and runs. Not only that but instant replays will show off the visuals even further and closer up, you can see the sweat on their faces and the emotion as the player pounds home a dunk. Also as a player jumps and dunks the jerseys have real cloth physics that look oh so pretty. This game looks sweet on my TV and it's not even a real high definition television. From a normal far up camera angle I can still see the amazing realism in every player as they jog around the court.

So I hope you understand just how amazing this game looks and that it's actual worth owning just for that reason but 2k6 also has great game play to back it up. The game plays just like the current gen versions but with everything tightened a little bit. The players move and perform just as they should. Taking the ball to the hoop can be a little to easy at times though. The game has a unique control system where shooting can be controlled by the left trigger. You simply pull back and release right when the player is at the height of a jump or dunk. I prefer using normal buttons most of the time but the shot stick can be used in a cool way when tilted in different directions when dunking because the player will dunk in flashy ways. As far the computer opponents go I'd say it puts up a good fight. The AI is smart at when to take shots and how to keep the game in control. One thing I noticed that was different was the way the game handles the collisions. In other words the way players and the ball collide realistically. Players will bump into each other on occasion and when directly next to each other but other times you can slip through defenders like butter making match ups very frustrating. Something I found very helpful was the way the ball never goes through a player anymore. But also the players have much better awareness and will snatch a pass any chance that they get. This also gets annoying because sometimes the ball will change possession like three times in ten seconds. By the way prepare to be dunked on like crazy because driving in and slamming the ball is very easy to do unless you have mastered defending in this game.

The presentation is NBA 2K6 does not feel totally next gen until you see the graphical upgrades. The announcers are the same as the old game and they say mostly the same stuff. The replays are executed well and overall the game does feel like watching an NBA game on TV. The stadium is full of 3-D crowd members, which is awesome looking because the entire stadium is three dimensional people. Everything about the arenas look better like the jumbotron to the floor panels. The energy is a little lacking and it would be cool to be able to see the people jump and cheer really loud in a pressure situation. Unfortunately 2K6 hasn’t really upgraded the coaches. They look about the same as the cheerleaders and crowd characters so it looks odd when their next to the amazing players.

Aside from the normal game presentation there is a 24/7 mode where you create a player and go on a street ball tour. This mode is more of the same one on one play on the current consoles but with the improved graphics everything seems to be more fun.

Finally we have what makes all Xbox based games so great! Xbox Live. This little feature is what offers hours of replay value to any game that can connect to the internet. If you have an Xbox 360 and no Xbox Live subscription you’re a complete idiot. Without Xbox Live you can’t play anyone around the world, you can’t update the rosters, you can’t play real people whenever which is way more fun than playing the computer and you can’t talk to other people over the headset. Xbox Live is a must have for the 360 and 2K6 uses it as well. When you play someone on the internet you need a broadband connection and an Xbox Live account. It costs money but if you buy a whole years worth it makes it totally worth it. I played one game and it ran with no flaws what so ever.

When you put it all together NBA 2K6 on the Xbox 360 is a top notch next gen game that has tons of hours of play in it. Once you take a look at these graphics you’ll never want to go back to the old Xbox or PS2. Right now this game is 50 dollars and it is truly an NBA dream experience to play.