NBA 2K17: The Prelude

The premise for this is absolutely bizarre. We are going to release another annualised Basketball title (one I have absolutely no intention of playing by the way), so let’s have a free to play game that showcases the career mode... or pre-career mode? It makes no sense as a concept but what the hell, we’ll run with it.

So the story (yes there is a story) follows The President, a high school basketball star who makes his way through college to eventually gain a professional career. Along the way he is faced with the standard trials and tribulations of college – school work, friends, distractions, fast food and girls.

So what is there to experience in The Prelude? Well, there are a couple of basketball matches and some stats stuff... but that’s it. I’m not even exaggerating when I say that most of the time you will spend in the game is looking at the unrepresentatively long loading screens between cut-scenes and basketball games. And there are more cut-scenes than games.

If I’m being kind I would say it looks pretty. That’s all I can say though. The Prelude isn’t here to showcase the game’s sound track either. For the short time I was playing, it must have given me same stupid song five or six times. It didn’t help that I’m not a fan of popular music either.

Achievements – 1,000 Points – 10 Achievements

For completing the ‘experience’ you will get 7 of these achievements. That just leaves 3 achievements that you need to go off the not-so-beaten track to get. You need to play a tutorial game, equip a custom animation and purchase an attribute upgrade. This last one is the only troublesome one in that if you don’t get enough points to get an attribute upgrade, then you will have to use cash money to get it. I was fairly horrendous at playing the game and still had enough points to do this so it shouldn’t be too troublesome.

Downloadable Content – N/A

It’s a short review but it’s a game short of any mentionable content. It’s not even a real game. It’s a preview of a game. With achievements. A Gamerscore hunter’s dream but nothing more.

NBA 2K6

Another sports game from 2006 when developers only put achievements in because they had to. It has five achievements that take a maximum of thirty minutes attain if you do it right.

There’s not really that much to say. The controls are as simple as NHL 2K6 which makes it an easy game to pick up and play and the graphics and sound effects are as expected from a 2006 release.

Achievements – 1,000 Points – 5 Achievements

All achievements can be unlocked in one game if you get it right:

1.      Get a Triple-Double – All of your players have six in-game stats by which they are measured. You simply you have to get ten of each of three of them. Easily done by tackling, assisting and scoring with the same player.

2.      Score 50 Points With Any Player – Self explanatory.

3.      Score 140 Points With Any Team – Again, self explanatory.

4.      Make 15 Three Pointers In One Game – Score 15 times from outside the area in one game.

5.      Grab 20 Rebounds With Any Player – This was the only one that posed an issue for me in that I didn’t really know what a rebound was. What I did was go long from the half way line, hit the back board and score from the rebound. I managed to do this 20 times with three players before the end of a twelve minute game.

Downloadable Content – N/A

And that’s pretty much it. One game; five achievements; boxed and returned. Simple. It is probably the second easiest 100% I’ve done behind Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Burning Earth.