Which Virtual Pro Are You?

How do you know when it’s fall? Is it the clearance rack filling up with tank tops, the arrival of pumpkin pie, or maybe just the back-aching labor of raking leaves? All of those are terrible ways to know if it's fall or not, but a good way to know is the arrival of sports based video games. These games tend to arrive in a bunch, and that makes it hard to decide which to buy. I'm figuratively here to help you with that decision by providing a simple review of some of the games recently released.

NBA 2K16

Some sports games release every year, and the only updates are new jerseys and the addition of rookies. Fortunately for us, NBA 2K16 isn’t one of those games. The most noticeable improvement to this franchise is the updated story mode (My Player) which created basketball players perform in. Previous versions of this game mode simply allowed you to play 82 basketball games with meaningless cinematics appearing after select accomplishments. This new and improved version still brings you cinematics and cut-scenes after accomplishments, but now these cut-scenes are part of an ongoing story produced by critically acclaimed director, Spike Lee. I’m not going to ruin the story for you, but if you’ve seen any Spike Lee movie you’ll be able to figure out the plot pretty quickly. Along with the new and improved story are new mini games that allow you to participate in activities outside of the NBA.

The in-game play has also improved with what seems to be an emphasis on the ability to play defense, a more realistic use of athleticism, and a more accurate player rating system. Of course there are flaws in the game, like the grading system used to determine your performance in a game, players being somewhat uncontrollable when running, and of course the constant problem of online servers going out. With all that considered, I’d still recommend purchasing this game if you’re a fan of video games, and/or the NBA. It’s without a doubt the most realistic game based on the NBA, and well worth the $59.99.

NBA Live 16

NBA Live 16 is picking up where NBA Live 15 left off. If you don't know where NBA Live 15 left off, then you're in the majority. No one bought that game, and I'd tell no one to buy this one. This video game has been dying a slow death since 2008, and I'm ready to write its obituary. The game provides you with great visual aesthetics of things like shoes that are unimportant in the grand scheme of the game. Everything else looks like unrefined the players aren't even their natural shades of brown, or white. The gameplay is as unrefined as everything else is with it's lack of an ability to play defense, and it's overly complicated way to play offense. To be fair to this game I'll list all 3 of this games accomplishments. It game allows you to scan your face onto your created player with an app you can download on your phone. It's quite simple and accurate compared to its competition NBA 2K16. The soundtrack is fun, and features a ton of upcoming artist from the hip-hop genre to the EDM genre. Finally the last achievement is that this game is still somehow better than the previous version of the game. I guess EA may be trying to start a trend of making better basketball games, but they're years away from making this a real competition with 2K.

FIFA 16

I want to say FIFA is back, but honestly it never went anywhere. I don’t know the phrase to use for something that’s consistently good, that subtlety goes from good to great; if you know it, apply it to FIFA. For years FIFA has stood virtually competitionless, but with long-time rival Pro Evolution Soccer making a statement that they’re here to compete FIFA needed to respond. They responded by slowing down their game, adding a more realistic feel towards defending, and including 12 women's national soccer teams. The most subtle change to the game has to be the new way you can pass the ball that allows you to squeeze it between competitors. In the previous versions you didn’t have that type of control so this new pass is a great way to even out the offense and defense battle. Of course FIFA does the small things too, and updates the appearance of all the characters included in the game, all 16,000 plus characters. The small updates such as better haircuts, new uniforms, and updated stadiums are always my favorite. FIFA has never lacked in the graphic department so being able to play my fantasy soccer matchups with an almost real life quality is always great. FIFA’s improvements are outstanding, but they tend to lose a bit of their shine because of the strides PES made this year. My final verdict after reviewing FIFA is that Pro Evolution Soccer is the superior game as far as gameplay; however as an overall game, FIFA wins.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2016

Pro Evolution Soccer is the other soccer game on the market. If you have never heard of PES, that's fine. The game’s producer Konami would benefit from a UCBA marketing course. The game is great this year but hasn't been in the past. Add in the consistent success of its rival FIFA, and you have a recipe for disaster. However, this year PES is a more enjoyable game to play as far as actual soccer gameplay goes. Where PES falters is with their complicated menu system. To be fair it's a very pretty menu screen, but it's obviously fighting the substance over quality fight. There other problem the PES series has is the fact that they don't have licensing agreements with as many teams as FIFA. The game ends up using generic named and colored versions of the teams they don't have rights to. The great things about those problems are that they are cosmetic and don't affect the actual on field play of the game. The on field play is superior, and I believe it's because developer Konami embraced that it's a soccer simulation game, but most importantly still a game. My favorite part of this game is that you have more control of the ball in this game than any other sports game of any genre. It also gives you the best defensive control of any game and even allows you to do some more cheeky soccer moves on defense. Those uncalled fouls make the game more fun and exciting. I recommend this game as a buy on the condition that you can overlook the lack of actual team names.

Next issue we compare Madden 15 and 6, look at EA Sports' best game, and consider WWE 2K16.