With the current trend in sports gaming moving towards exclusivity contracts, it's nice to see the NBA not selling their soul to EA. In the sports game war, basketball has become the new battleground between 989 Sports, EA, and 2K Sports. Last year's NBA 2K6 was by no means a poor effort on Visual Concepts part, but it failed to deliver the true next generation gaming experience we were expecting. Now in its sophomore outing, 2K Sports' latest basketball game raises the bar for what gamers should expect for $59.99.

The NBA 2K series has been around for several years now, and compared to the competition it's always felt the most like playing real basketball. This is most evident on the offensive side of the game. You'll need to execute plays and run your offense like the Zen master himself is you want to break down the defense. If you're coming at the 2K series for the first time, don't expect to drive the lane like Kobe Bryant for the easy dunk. You may have gotten away with it in other basketball games, but you'll have no such luck in this game. The defensive AI is especially good at crowding the lane when you try to drive and getting in the way of your passes. Every trip down the court is an exercise in spacing and passing that leads to a real feeling of accomplishment when the ball finds its way through the hoop. You'll have to recognize zone defenses, spot double teams, isolate mismatches, and find the open man if you intend to beat the AI. Casual players who don't follow basketball may have a hard time knowing what plays to call, but there's an option to let the game call the plays for you, with a visual cue in the upper corner.

Speaking of options for the casual players, NBA 2K7 has more gameplay sliders and other little modifiers than any other sports game I can think of. You'll definitely find yourself playing with them as the default experience is a little off from the real court. Most noticeable is the high percentage of 3 point shots made, as well as way too many steals. Once the sliders are set to your liking though, 2K7's gameplay looks indistinguishable from watching a game on TV. On the defensive side of the ball, the gameplay tends to bog down a little bit more. Granted there probably isn't much that can be added, but playing on the ball defense can be quite tiresome. There's only so many times you'll want to try and keep your defender in front of the guard, and try to time the jump just right to get in his face as the shot goes up. I find it much more entertaining to play off the ball and try to get in the way of the AI's passing lanes and disrupt their plays.

One of the biggest upgrades in 2K7's presentation is in the animation. The amount of detail that is gone in to modeling many of the league's biggest players' signature shots is mind boggling. Though your casual player won't notice it, a real basketball fan will immediately appreciate Shaq's awkward free throw or Kobe's perfect fade away. In addition to the shooting animations, there are dozens of subtle motions that really bring the experience to life. Whether it's the guard bringing up the ball with a fancy dribble or your center leaning in on his defender, players move in a realistic manner that suspends disbelief. When it comes to player models though, the results are something of a mixed bag. Most players look real enough to ask for an autograph, while a few look downright hideous. While the models are still very highly detailed, they just don't look anything like their real life counterparts. In addition to paying attention to the little details on players, Visual Concepts provides the most realistic environments yet seen in a basketball game. Every stadium is modeled accurately with a fully 3D and animated crowd. Not only that, but they've added many small touches that fans will be sure to appreciate. Making a substitution at your next time out? Watch as the player gets off of the bench and sits down in front of the scorer's table until the next stoppage. Just sink a spectacular shot? Don't be surprised to see cheerleaders and your team's mascot on the sidelines cheering, as well as your team's bench. Even the coaches will pace up and down the sideline and react according to the action on the court. I only hope that next year they'll model each coach's personality - Phil Jackson doesn't pace during a game guys.

2K7's audio manages to provide an experience as rich as the visuals. Kevin Harlan, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, and Craig Sager are back again, and they do a pretty good job of calling the action. There are some rare cases (a blowout for example) where they'll say the same thing more than a couple times in a singe game, but most of the time the commentary stays fairly varied. The game's sound effects are phenomenal, and the only complaint I can muster is regarding the crowd's audio. It's amazingly similar to a laugh track in a sitcom, as it's the exact same sound any time you make a big play. Not only that, but it gets cued at strange times. I can recall several times where my team made huge, momentum-changing plays and the crowd was nonexistent. All in all though, the audio quality holds up to watching the real thing on TV.

When it comes to gameplay modes, NBA 2K7 has several outside of the typical quick match. There's a tournament mode, street ball, the Association (franchise play), and 24/7: Next. 24/7: Next is an interesting distraction that plays out like an aspiring baller's dream. You create your player and proceed to play your way from the street courts to the NBA. Visual Concepts should get some praise for including it, but it's definitely no NBA Street. The Association remains the most robust franchise mode in any basketball game and has plenty of options to keep you occupied. Every day you can assign practices, and manage every possible detail of the team. Three way trades are now possible allowing even more complicated league negotiations. Lastly there's Xbox Live. As expected, NBA 2K7 shines online. There are the requisite tournaments and online leagues, as well as ranked matches and leaderboards. In my experience the online experience was always smooth, and I didn't notice any show stopping bugs.

NBA 2K7 brings together the total package for any gamer. Whether you want to simulate the complete experience or just kick back and play with no rules, NBA 2K7 caters to players of all skill levels. The excellent graphics combined with a great audio mix will make your friends do a double take and ask what channel you're watching. There's no question that the basketball game to be playing this year is NBA 2K7.