Gawd – 2K Games just keeps these NBA titles coming thicker and faster than an arctic snowstorm. You’d almost think they had a wager with EA: who can churn out the most titles on a single licence. Not that we’re complaining, because as long as the quality is this good, they’re doing basketball fans with pipedreams of being the next NBA God a real service.

NBA 2K7 is very accessible to noobs. Straight off the start menu you can select Quick Play mode for an instant hit, select the ‘Rookie’ option and then get stuck into a single basketball match. Essentially all you need to know are the pass, shoot, tackle and change player buttons to get by. Penalties are taken using the right analogue and require a bit of practice. However, mastering the game will require co-ordinating dribbling and aggressive attacks, especially as the difficulty setting ramps up five tiers from Rookie to Hall of Fame.

What surprised us was the cohesion with which the CPU opponent plays, both in attacking and defensive stances. Even in Rookie mode, the AI seems to be aggressive in attack and tightly defends its goal, but still manages to play realistically at an appropriate level for the difficulty setting. Which is more than can be said for the character modelling; despite the realistic body movement in each jump, dash, slip and fall, the character models fail to live up to close scrutiny, looking more like the cast from The Munsters than NBA All-Stars.

The range of available and unlockable modes is impressive, ensuring 2K7’s longevity. In addition to the standard Quick Play, Season and Tournament modes, there’s Situation, Practice and Street. Association acts like a basketball management game and 24/7 Next is a story mode that takes a streetballer through the b’ball ranks in Rucker Park – the Old Trafford of streetball.

NBA 2K7 is a big game, and playing seasons and unlocking challenges will prove enjoyable solo, but it’s a far better multiplayer experience. Grab a mate and get playing.

Ben Biggs