Graphically, NBA 2K10 definitely comes out on top in terms of player model likenesses, at least for most of the models. Admittedly, I was disappointed that more named players (I'm not necessarily talking about the guys who never step foot on the court) didn't look better, however, as it is obvious that there were priorities set for those who get more face time. Still, the overall quality of the visuals definitely holds one's attention. In addition to great player models, the stadiums and fans take their own personality and inject it into the game. The developers even went one step further for crowd animations with people (or I should say the same person) walking up and down the isles. The overall presentation, as well, has been amped up so expect more great graphics and crawls with stats on the screen as you play your games.

The audio is also outstanding all around, but especially coming from the commentators' microphones. Kevin Harlan and Clark Kellogg call the action with great form as the play-by-play and color commentators, respectively. Sure, you'll hear some of the same quotes in the color commentary department, but NBA 2K10 delivers a great presentation to your ears, with their standout being up to date, dynamic, real-life stats that are handed down from the network and coming from the commentators' voices. NBA 2K10 is very impressive in this feature, as player stats, team stats, and upcoming real-life matchups are displayed on-screen and through the speakers. For example, the announcers may mention that Kobe Bryant had XX number of points and that the team shot XX.X percent in their game against the team they played the other night... and sure enough, if you hop online and check out the Lakers' stats on nba.com, you'll see exactly what the commentators were telling you.

NBA 2K10 once again has some great gameplay features that stand above all others. My personal favorite is actually playing defense off the ball rather than always switching to the matchup with the current ball handler. The ability to close down on the passing lane is outstanding, and if you happen to get the jump on a pass, you will at the very least be able to knock the ball down or pop it out of bounds, and at the best, you will directly pick it off and begin a fast break. Unfortunately, I've found it a bit frustrating that when you do get on a break, the defenders often are able to catch up instead of allowing your player to run the floor coast to coast for the easy deuce.

Adding to the great defensive controls are colored circles that follow you and your offensive matchup, and you'll also have arrows showing you the direction of your matchup at all times, just in case you get a bit disoriented. Because of these factors, I actually fell in love with the My Player feature of NBA 2K10, where you'll create your own would-be superstar and bring him up through the ranks to sign with an NBA team. Being that you'll control your character and only your character, you'll be forced to play off the ball most of the time, on both offense and defense. Fear not, though, because you'll have plenty of drills that allow you to both practice game-time situations and also earn Star Points that can be used to improve your player's stats (which start out really bad). Filling your player's attributes is also based on performance, so too many mistakes will take you in the negative while being a true team player and fulfilling your objectives will gain you more skills.

NBA 2K10 doesn't stop there as far as game modes go... there are actually a TON of options, but best of all, there is a sort of always-online presence that allows players to essentially play any mode through the network. It should be noted, however, that at the time of this writing, taking you're My Player character online in pickup games and such was broken, but in theory, this will be a sweet option to show the world your skills. Other gameplay modes include standard Quick Matches, Franchises (called The Association), Team Play with user-created Crews, and NBA Blacktop, where you'll also be able to get on the playground and have a 3-Point Shootout, Dunk Contest, or play a game of 21.

Being that NBA 2K10 appears to have great presentation on top of a ton of game modes, you'd probably think that it is the ultimate basketball game of all time, but there are some ever-present issues that arise. The gameplay itself is bittersweet. As mentioned, playing defense can be a very fun experience, especially off the ball. With that said, however, the controls still feel slightly too loose at times, which makes for a bit of a clunky experience. On the opposite side of the ball, I also don't feel like I have the control that is needed for playing offense, especially when it comes to post up moves. Although there are a number of moves that can be performed, they didn't exactly feel natural. Another big annoyance is that with the alley-oop button the same as the pass button (with a (LT) modification), I found myself throwing up prayers way too often, which felt like it was the engine deciding when to perform this highly-disciplined action. In some cases, this action will result in an unexpected dunk, but in many instances, the alley-oop results in a turnover or other type of errant pass. Feeling uncontrollable, it would be nice if this could be avoided.

It should also be mentioned that NBA 2K10's overall gameplay definitely takes some getting used to and isn't quite as user-friendly and easy to use as it could be. The frustration level doesn't end with the gameplay itself, unfortunately, because there a number of frankly unacceptable bugs that pop up all too frequently. First and foremost, there are certain times when the game has noticeable framerate drops. There are certain arenas where things are worse than others, which require you to adjust some gameplay/camera settings to help out in this area. Another annoyance is when the in-bounds player and the ref play catch for a lengthy set of time until the A.I. finally figures out what's going on. I've also had the great presentation hinder my gameplay by leaving an overlay graphic of upcoming schedules on the screen (coving nearly the entire screen, might I add) while the game continued behind it. Finally, while I am sure that NBA 2K10 plays great on a widescreen television, gameplay certainly wasn't meant to work as well with older TVs because the action is often cut off, and the score and ticker aren't far enough within the safe areas to be unaffected by the way tube televisions cut off the edges of the screen.

Another great gameplay feature that is simple, yet effective, is that there is a stamina meter that appears under your feet at all times. On the other end of the court, using the default passing button (without precisely passing to set icons) is dangerous. I lost count of how many times I ended up throwing to an unintended receiver instead of a near-sure scoring cutter.

If you can put some of these annoyances and frustrations behind you, then NBA 2K10 is certainly worth taking a look, so don't let me scare you off.

NBA 2K10's default difficulty settings are, quite frankly, very frustrating. I often found myself screaming at the TV in disbelief as my players missed easy shots, had the ball popped from their hands, and lost the ball nearly every single time that I performed a spin move in traffic... even if that only includes a one on one matchup. If you can't tell, personally I got very frustrated while on offense, as the computer's Artificial Intelligence seems to be able to do whatever it takes to counter moves on a whim... essentially giving the feeling of the computer "cheating" you out of victories. In fact, I managed to only squeak one (yes, one) win out in all of my tests on the default difficulty, and that felt like a fluke.

The computer's A.I. also (by default) seems to be able to score from anywhere at any time, no matter how great your defense is played. Being scored upon and not being able to score tend to be a recipe for disaster, and that recipe calls for a pinch of cursing at the screen before finally giving in and just going through the motions. This feeling wasn't limited to just normal gameplay modes either. The Dunk Contest still eludes me because I found it completely unintuitive and ridiculously frustrating to the point of not even wanting to waste my time.

Now, with all that said, it should be mentioned that NBA 2K10, like past games in the series, does come with a host of sliders that can be adjusted for any level of fan. With some tweaking, everyone should be able to find a balance that fits his or her style of play.

Controlling NBA 2K10's players flat out drives me crazy sometimes. Even with very simple controls (you can certainly make complex moves as well), I find it difficult to put the ball on the floor sometimes, or even to square up to my defender while playing off-the-ball defense (sometimes the player's back will not be toward the basket). Even in games like playing Twenty-One, it feels impossible to take the ball back past the three-point line without being forced to slowly backpedal instead of using turbo to run with the ball. Sometimes simple controls can actually be a hindrance, and this basketball game is definitely a case study of that fact. It disappoints me that the controls are not more instinctive and intuitive. The Right Analog Stick is basically used for shooting (different directions in combination with the triggers yield different results), but using it for shooting (you can also use the (X) button) seems like a waste as the fluidity of controls is reliant on court position and whether you can remember which movement to do in the exact situation.

The defensive controls are definitely a nice improvement, and playing off the ball is generally an enjoyable experience. The ability to quickly see your colored circle under your opponent's feet is also outstanding so that in a jumble, you can quickly find and defend your matchup. I did feel that the game offered too many layups that should have been slam dunks underneath, especially from big men who then failed to make the gimme shot. Adding to this frustration was the clunkiness of post play, and not knowing exactly how to control the centers of the game in clutch situations, especially when it comes to attempting to roll off the defender toward the bucket. I'm sure with more practice, things would have gotten better, but as a rule, one should be able to pick up and at least be able to compete without having to think that heavily, or you run the risk of turning newcomers off to the controls.

In all, NBA 2K10 is a worthy game and certainly worth taking a look at. There are many great features in terms of Game Modes, Presentation, Gameplay, and Real-Life (dubbed NBA Today) synchronization that absolutely make NBA 2K10 a top contender in the videogame basketball market. I do, however, recommend that gamers looking to purchase only one baller this year take a look at Game Vortex's review of EA Sports' NBA Live 10 and the comparison chart in the news story, The Ruling on the Court for full details about my hands-on with both titles.