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NBA 2K
When NBA 2K dropped onto the Sega Dreamcast in 1999, there were a lot of video game basketball franchises out there. The big kid on the block, NBA Live, was sharing shelf space with Nintendo's Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside, Sony's NBA Shootout, Konami's NBA in the Zone, Fox Sports' NBA Basketball and Midway's NBA Jam-inspired NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC. -
NBA 2K1
In only its second year, the NBA 2K franchise took a quantum leap in both options and quality over what was already a stupendous debut. In addition to allowing you to play an entire season, NBA 2K1 introduced a genuine Franchise Mode, at last giving virtual GMs control over a team for the long haul. It also focused in on the game itself, introducing 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 Street Modes that let you play on the blacktop and it even had a functional if bare-bones online play component. -
NBA 2K8
It might not seem very revolutionary on the surface, but NBA 2K8's introduction of Signature Styles went a long way towards establishing the players on the court as unique individuals and laying the groundwork for the Signature Skills that would arrive in NBA 2K13. Now players not only had signature dunks-which went all the way back to Lakers vs. Celtics-but also dribbled and shot like themselves. -
NBA 2K11
NBA 2K10 had been a tremendously successful and critically acclaimed game of basketball. But 2K Sports stepped it up into another stratosphere when they put Michael Jordan on the cover and gave you the opportunity to replay some of His Airness' greatest moments from "The Shot" to "The Flu Game." It was wildly popular when it came out, but almost three years later now, it's possible to see just what a revolution the game was for basketball video games. -
NBA 2K13
2K13 sports two major innovations: the Control Stick and Jay-Z's involvement.Each has their proponents and their detractors, but there's little doubt that as much as the Control Stick changed the way players handle the ball by moving dribbling commands to the right stick.With a hand-picked soundtrack and-maybe most importantly-Mr. Carter's imprimatur on the product, NBA 2K13 served notice that it was not just the best simulation of basketball out there, but also a gold standard cultural product.