Wayback Wednesday: NBA 2K7 Retrospective (Xbox 360 & PlayStation 3)
This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 version of NBA 2K7.
As someone who grew up with NBA Live, my familiarity with the series and a sense of brand loyalty often made it difficult to give other games a fair chance. Over the years, I’ve become a fan of the NBA 2K series, and have also enjoyed collecting and revisiting other titles that were competing with the NBA Live games that I played. It’s been rewarding to give them a second look – or in some cases, a first look – with fresh eyes and more of an open mind. I’m far more willing to adapt to a different style of controls than I was when the latest NBA Live was still my game of choice.
It’s why all these years later, I found myself on an extended retro kick with NBA 2K6. Indeed, it’s retroactively become one of my favourite games, and to this day, I enjoy keeping it in the rotation whenever I feel like changing up what I’m playing. With that in mind, I’ve been giving other NBA 2K games from that generation another look, to see if any of them capture my imagination as NBA 2K6 did. To that point, has its immediate successor, NBA 2K7, also succeeded in becoming one of my favourites? Let’s take a look back…way back…
NBA 2K7 marked the series’ debut on PlayStation 3, and like NBA 2K6 for Xbox 360 the previous year, it was a launch title. As such, 2K beat EA Sports’ series to Sony’s seventh generation platform due to the cancellation of the PS3 version of NBA Live 07 for unspecified reasons (though a combination of technical difficulties and poor reception to the Xbox 360 release are commonly speculated to be responsible). That gave NBA 2K even more momentum, as it essentially became the preferred basketball series for PS3 gamers by default. Sony’s NBA 07 was also a PS3 launch title, but it was a North American exclusive, not to mention vastly inferior to NBA 2K7 as well.
On the sticks, NBA 2K7 is very reminiscent of its predecessor. With controls that are practically identical to NBA 2K6 along with some new dribbling moves and on-the-fly coaching functions, there’s an immediate familiarity. As much as we want games to innovate and not feel like a re-skin of last year’s title, I’ve always appreciated when the controls can achieve consistency from year-to-year; as long as they’re working, of course. There are some issues with that control scheme, but I have grown more adept at it, and that’s fostered a greater appreciation for what 2K was doing at the time. I can make it work, and I can also see why many of my fellow gamers enjoyed it back then.
With that being said, the biggest knock on NBA 2K7’s gameplay remains Isomotion. I maintain that the series didn’t introduce great dribbling controls until it adopted right stick mechanics similar to NBA Live’s Freestyle, though NBA 2K10 through 2K12 do feature the best version of the original approach. Even though I know what I’m doing and can pull off moves, it’s always going to feel a bit clunky to me. For example, to perform a hesitation crossover, you need to hold both triggers (or R2 and L2), and quickly throw the left stick in the opposite direction of your dribbling hand, relative to the camera. In NBA Live 07, that’s a consistent two-direction move on the right stick.
My distaste for Isomotion has always come down to how easy it is to veer off course while trying to make a move, since the left stick is controlling both player movement and dribble move input. NBA 2K7 didn’t make any improvements in this regard, so I will say that NBA Live 07 still has better dribbling controls. Mind you, the quality of the animations and motion system matter here, and NBA 2K7 is far superior in that regard. Sure, Freestyle in NBA Live 07 feels more accurate, but it doesn’t feel nearly as good on the sticks. Movement is freer and lighter in NBA 2K7, with much nicer animations that transition smoothly into one another, and thus look far more lifelike.
I’m a fan of the size-ups that were added in NBA 2K7 as well. They’re performed by tapping the left trigger/L2, a simple input that can nevertheless be effective in setting up an ankle breaker. It’s funny how size-ups are a move and mechanic that’s come and gone from the dribbling controls in both NBA 2K and NBA Live over the years! Once again, the original Isomotion will always feel clunky to me compared to right stick dribbling controls, but you can definitely pull off some satisfying moves on route to a spectacular finish. More signature animations have also been added, exemplifying how mid 2000s basketball games were beginning to incorporate more authenticity.
Speaking of additions in NBA 2K7, the new on-the-fly coaching menus – accessed with the D-Pad during gameplay – may not seem all that exciting at first. Mind you, that’s because functions such as the ability to make substitutions and change strategic options without pausing the game, and in-depth playcalling pop-ups, have become staples of basketball games. That makes them easy to take for granted now, but in the mid 2000s, making these adjustments without interrupting the flow of gameplay was an innovation. It also made it easier for sim heads to quickly call a wider variety of plays, rather than being restricted to just four customisable quick plays on the D-Pad.
On that note, like NBA 2K6, NBA 2K7 plays a great, realistic game of basketball. Like its predecessor, the CPU is intelligent and capable of being challenging even on the lower difficulty levels. Naturally, a skilled gamer will end up with more blowouts on the easier settings, but if you mess around, the AI will make you pay. Similarly, if you play patiently and smartly at both ends, you can pull off an exciting comeback victory. As with NBA 2K6, there are moments where the game is frustrating, with the CPU blatantly tilting the balance in its favour to maintain the challenge. It’s not out of control though, so it keeps you locked in and coming back rather than ragequitting.
Overall, NBA 2K7’s gameplay is very similar to NBA 2K6 in design and quality, while also making a couple of notable and pleasing improvements. However, in my view, the tilt controls for free throw shooting in the PS3 version are not one of them. Using the Sixaxis’ motion-sensing tech to simulate a shooting form might’ve sounded good on paper, but it was cumbersome and gimmicky in practice. It also doesn’t work with all third party controllers. Conversely, timed releases using the right stick is an effective method, and should’ve been the default setting. Not only do I prefer it to the Sixaxis tilting, but it’s also better than NBA Live 07’s easy-to-botch down-up method.
In fact, apart from dribbling, NBA 2K7 easily leaves NBA Live 07 in the dust as far as its controls. The ability to make slick moves in the post with the Shot Stick, as well as control the type of dunk or layup you want to attempt, is much better than relying on a contextually-appropriate animation that may indeed not actually be preferable. The deeper controls can be more intimidating than what you’ll find in NBA Live 07, and no doubt that also turned me off NBA 2K all those years ago. Then again, that was the year that NBA Live had three separate shoot buttons, a concept that didn’t work out. Even if you master it, NBA Live 07 is a much poorer on-court experience.
Honestly, if I’d been able to adapt to Isomotion and some of the other differences in NBA 2K7, it may well have become my game of choice for the 2007 season. Mind you, it does have the drawback of being a console-only release. Given that I was very involved with the NBA Live modding scene on PC at the time, switching brands and platforms was probably always unlikely. Still, as with NBA 2K6, had I given NBA 2K7 a fair chance when it was new, I might’ve gotten into the 2K series earlier, going back and forth between 2K on console and NBA Live on PC. In any case, if we’re to rank all of the 2007 season titles, there’s no question that NBA 2K7 is number one.
Although gameplay is paramount, closely followed by modes, as the second NBA 2K title released on Xbox 360 – and the first on PlayStation 3 – it’s fair to note that NBA 2K7 is let down by its graphics. It’s not a terrible-looking game – then or now – but it also didn’t make a huge improvement over NBA 2K6, especially in terms of player faces. Too many of them are inferior to the models in sixth generation NBA 2K titles, particularly ESPN NBA 2K5. It doesn’t bother me too much because I’ll always take great gameplay over great graphics, but it’s worth noting that at the time, NBA Live was the better-looking game; in screenshots, at least. In motion, NBA 2K easily wins!
Apart from the lack of an All-Star Weekend, NBA 2K7 also has NBA Live 07 beat in terms of modes and features. Its array of modes is very similar to NBA 2K6, but that isn’t a bad thing. The Association didn’t receive any significant upgrades, but it’s as deep as any franchise mode you’ll find in games at the time, with a few options that NBA Live’s Dynasty mode was lacking. That was also the year that NBA Live added a well-intentioned but unfortunately broken rotation menu, so again, if I’d been able to adjust to the gameplay, I could’ve had far more fun playing through an Association game during the 2007 season. As it stands, it’s deep enough for retro gamers to enjoy.
24/7: NEXT introduced a new streetball campaign. The goal is still to barnstorm your way to Rucker Park and become a streetball legend, but now there’s a fully developed story very similar to the tales we’ve seen in MyCAREER. The acting is rather corny and the characters are very much of the era, but honestly, that’s nostalgic now! It also opens up with a free throw shootout against cover player Shaquille O’Neal that’s in first person, which is pretty cool and creative. The variety in the pick-up games and challenges keeps the campaign fresh and interesting, and it’s a novelty to look back and see the roots of the story-driven approach that MyCAREER has since adopted.
One of the most interesting aspects of this version of 24/7 compared to its predecessor and MyCAREER nowadays is that there are no attribute upgrades. Your player has all the skill that he needs, so instead it’s about unlocking new streetball moves and raising your Rep by taking on a gauntlet of challenges at each location. As you build up your Rep, you’ll be able to choose teammates from a wider selection of players, and unlock the next city. Making it a Legends Tournament is also a fun way of incorporating a few of the historical players as the hosts at each stop, and the antagonist – Bernard “Skills” Rogers – is an enjoyably cheesy villain. The text messages are also amusing.
A campaign/story/career mode that doesn’t require grinding to level up, or indeed, microtransactions to speed up the progress, is simply unthinkable today! Even back then, levelling up your skills was usually part of such modes. That’s a logical and fun approach when it’s done well, but I quite like the idea of simply creating a player and leaving everything up to stick skills against a gauntlet of better and better opponents. Considering that your player is meant to be a talented streetballer, there’s a lot more gameplay and story integration compared to basically every MyCAREER tale, where you’re supposedly a top prospect but have the low ratings of a benchwarming scrub!
Unfortunately, Tournament mode remains a puzzlingly inaccurate representation of the NBA Playoffs with cumbersome customisation of the brackets, so it’s not really ideal for jumping straight into postseason play. It’s better than NBA Live 07’s lack of Playoffs mode, but that’s a low bar to clear. 24/7 seems to be the mode that received the most attention, and it certainly could be argued that it had more room to innovate. I’m guessing it was far more popular with gamers as well, and since it was laying the foundation for a single player career mode, it’s understandable that it was a higher priority. Still, NBA 2K7 should’ve had a much better standalone Playoffs mode.
NBA 2K7 includes familiar roster customisation functions, except that it’s no longer possible to move players to or from the All-Decade teams. Some of the All-Decade team rosters have changed according to which players could be licensed – Charles Barkley is notably out once more – and the 2004 Draft Class has been added. There’s also the International All-Stars, a developers team, a Superstars squad, and a team of Topps-branded stars, but the All-Time teams for the Lakers, Celtics, Supersonics, and 76ers are gone. That still leaves the game with a plethora of bonus content on top of retro jerseys for every team except the Bobcats, so it doesn’t feel at all barebones.
The Crib is also back, and while it’s not something that all gamers enjoy or desire, I do like the idea of an area that you can personalise and decorate in sports games. It’s why I enjoyed MyCOURT, as well as the Locker Room in a few WWE titles. NBA 2K7’s Crib allows you to decorate the space with trappings related to your favourite team, houses trophies that are unlocked by completing challenges, and still includes air hockey and darts mini-games. The challenges are something for completionists to tackle, the two mini-games are a fun way to kill time between sessions on the virtual hardwood, and again, there’s something satisfying about having a place to customise.
Even though NBA Live 07 had brought back Dynasty and All-Star Weekend, NBA 2K7 remains the deeper game, and most importantly, is way better on the sticks. I do have to point out that more care could’ve been taken with the ratings of the historical players, though. Way too many Legends are rated 99 Overall with inflated, copy and paste abilities, and there are inaccuracies such as the late Bill Walton being unable to dunk. It goes to show that while the quantity of content has been there in NBA 2K for many years, the quality has been hit and miss for just as long. It’s still fun to play with the Legends, but there’s no question that they were cutting corners back then, too.
I also have to nitpick the frontend in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 version of NBA 2K7. It’s not the worst as far as layout, design, or the amount of back and forth, but it does have one very annoying aspect. Every time you back out to the Quick Game screen, there’s a cutscene of an energy blast flying through a city until it reaches a couple of skyscrapers with team logos projected onto them. It’s a creative approach to presenting the team selection for quick play, but it doesn’t take long to get sick of it. College Hoops 2K7 has a similar unskippable cutscene, and the style just isn’t worth the frustrating loading time for a sequence that should only be seen once per session.
Aside from that however, it has the great TV-style presentation during gameplay that was established as a staple of the NBA 2K series very early on. Kenny Smith handing out his stamps of approval and disapproval is just the kind of segment you’d expect to see during a halftime show, and is a unique way of showcasing highlights and notable performances, good or bad. These touches that end up being a once-off often become extremely nostalgic, so I’m not surprised that even as early as NBA 2K10, there were gamers mentioning Kenny’s Stamps as something they wanted to see return. In that respect, it reminds me of the Dynasty Cutscenes that were only in NBA Live 2004.
Wrapping up with some odds and ends, NBA 2K7 was the last 360/PS3 release to use the button-mashing mini-game for the opening tip, with NBA 2K8 switching to the jump timing method that’s been used ever since. Street mode, as Blacktop was called at the time, retained a selection of courts including Rucker Park, and also added some exclusive size-ups and streetball moves that carried over to 24/7. The weather option was removed however, so no more balling in the rain. Other features from NBA 2K6 such as the ability to save replays, online league play, and official roster updates also returned, though obviously the game’s servers have long since been shut down.
The 2007 season isn’t my all-time favourite campaign. Between the Bulls signing Ben Wallace, their disappointing second round exit, an underwhelming NBA Finals, and NBA Live 07 being subpar, it’s less nostalgic for me than other years. That might still be the case even if I’d been able to get into NBA 2K7, but if nothing else I could’ve had more fun on the virtual hardwood in a new game that season. It was always going to be a long-shot with Isomotion and my preference for PC releases because of their modding capabilities, but I do wonder what might’ve been if I wasn’t so stubbornly brand-loyal. On the bright side, I can now enjoy NBA 2K7 all these years later!
On that note, where does it rank for me now? While it is an excellent sim game that continued NBA 2K’s upward trajectory, it hasn’t cracked my Top 25 as NBA 2K6 did…yet. Perhaps I just need some more time with it in my rotation of retro games, but I do think the novelty of Charles Barkley in NBA 2K6 made it special. I also have a greater fondness for the 2006 season, and NBA 2K6 holds its own despite NBA Live 06 PC being my all-time favourite basketball game. Being kind of lukewarm on the 2007 season is unquestionably a factor as well. Enjoyment and subsequent nostalgia for a season a game is set in go a long way in establishing it as an all-time favourite.
Nevertheless, I do hold NBA 2K7 in high regard, and looking back at it now, I believe it made some welcome improvements over NBA 2K6. It may seem like a backhanded compliment given the roughness of NBA Live 07, and NBA 07 for that matter, but it’s easily the best sim title of the 2007 season. Like NBA 2K6, I have a feeling that the more I play it, the more I’ll come to appreciate it. I’ll admit it’s even casting the 2007 season in a new light, as playing some exhibition games with an assortment of teams has reminded me of some fun squads and matchups! NBA 2K7 was another triumph that gave the series even more momentum in 2006, and it’s still worth playing in 2024.
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