Although Britain's indifference towards basketball will see NBA 2K7 arrive on our shores with minimal fanfare, be assured that its release on the other side of the Atlantic is quite an event. Much like the battle between Pro Evolution Soccer and FIFA on our shores, the rivalry between the NBA 2K series and NBA Live franchise is bitter and long running.

The NBA 2K series started on the Dreamcast under the Sega Sports 2K banner and was immediately singled out as the basketball players' game of choice. Okay, so it never had the looks or razzle dazzle presentation of NBA Live, but it was, and still is, the closest thing to a realistic interpretation of the sport. If you have followed the rivalry between Pro Evo and FIFA, this is all probably starting to sound a little familiar. Although undoubtedly still the best basketball game around, the NBA 2K series has, to an extent, become a victim of its own success. As is the case with many videogame franchises that get it a little too right first time around, it becomes very difficult to change the winning formula, especially when you amass the kind of fanbase that the NBA 2K series has; improvements are allowed, but not overhauls, tweaks are acceptable, but not full blown changes. This, more than pressure from its main competitor, seems to be the major difficulty that 2K Sports are now facing with their ongoing franchise. Let's be honest though - a game being too good to overhaul is a problem many publishers wish they had, and with its major competitor still not getting close in regards to gameplay, you can't blame 2K Sports for their stance on the franchise. Luckily though, the tweaks that have been made for NBA 2K7 are nearly all for the better and in the process have given us the first truly next-generation basketball title, with much smoother visuals and an array of new animations, as well as a host of new features.

In fact, NBA 2K7 has quite possibly the largest array of game modes available for any sports title out there. Combine that with a hugely immersive online mode and what you are left with is a game with almost endless content to offer. NBA 2K7 has the usual game modes that you'd would expect - Quick Play, Tournament, the return of 24/7, a surprisingly deep and well rounded game mode that allows for some impressive street balling action, complete with street specific moves, and a host of multiplayer options. However, the real meat of the game comes in the ridiculously deep and often compelling Association mode. Here you can take your team through numerous seasons, with players' attributes raising and falling depending on their age, the kind of training they undertake and the amount of minutes they get on court. For instance, a player with too many minutes on the court or one who has been trained too hard will become fatigued and won't be able to perform to the best of his abilities. Issues such as these are just the tip of the iceberg once you take charge of your chosen franchise, with coaches needing to be hired, each with different strengths and weaknesses, practices needing to be organised and general management duties all being down to you - not to mention the fact that you have to actually play the game once you finally get there! This is likely to only interest hardcore basketball fans, but if you fall into that category then you are in for a truly immersive and well-rounded experience.

Speaking of well-rounded experiences, the online mode for NBA 2K7 is by far the best and most user friendly of all the sports title on the Xbox 360. Much like the rest of the game, the options here are hugely extensive, allowing up to thirty players to join an online season, or eight players to go at it simultaneously. There has also been the inclusion of quick matches and tournaments, all of which are set up quickly and run very smoothly given the amount of action on court at any one time. Newcomers should be warned though - online you are likely to meet stiff opposition from Americans who know the game inside, so don't be too downhearted if you take a bit of a beating the first few times around; if you persevere, once things start clicking into place it will be all the more rewarding when you succeed, much like most aspects of NBA 2K7.

The real ace up the sleeve of NBA 2K has always been the gameplay and unsurprisingly few changes have been made to the already extremely impressive and fluid gameplay mechanics for this year's update. Although newcomers are likely to find it hard to pick up, perseverance is everything when it comes to NBA 2K7, with a very deep game to be uncovered if given the chance. Veterans will find more of the same, which is no bad thing, given the almost endless depth to tactical approaches both on and off the court. Substitutions and play calls can be made with the use of the D-pad, while a timeout allows for an altogether deeper look at your team's strategy and options. In-game, players react and line up much like they would in real basketball, making sliding past two players before finishing off with the old 360 dunk quite the rare occurrence. In fact, you will find yourself having to use space wisely, looking for the picks and using screens to make space for the wide open jumper or dunk. This kind of slow, often meticulous build up play won't be for everyone, with NBA Live probably the better option for the casual player. If, however, you know your Shaqs from your Iversons then this is definitely still the number one game out there.

The control layout is pretty much identical to NBA 2K6, although a few new tricks have been added this time around, giving the player a greater array of moves in which to humiliate their opponent or just generally show off given the chance. These moves are again done via the ridiculously named 'isomotion' controls, which are simply a combination of pulling the left trigger and moving the left analogue stick. I say simply, although this is actually a little tricky to master, especially in regards to pulling off anything remotely useful. Again though, patience is once again rewarded for those who put the effort in, with spit moves and shimmies available that can leave an opponent for dead if carried out at the right time. The same goes for analogue shooting, which while giving the player greater control over shots, such as faders, simply pressing the X button works just fine and generally leads to a higher shooting average come the end of the game, unless you are a true veteran of the series. One thing players should be wary of before they start is the great difficulty in shooting free throws. Although you might expect to hit maybe 90% of free throws, especially with the better players, you are more likely to hit 70% - and that is if you have done well. Due to the changing camera angles, no two free throws ever seem to be the same, making finding a rhythm very difficult. This however, like everything else in the game, can be adjusted in the huge array of options.

For the most part, NBA 2K7 is a fluid and well constructed game of basketball, if you can handle the realistic pace and admire the subtleties of gameplay. However, for some reason, the game seems determined at times to keep scores down, with a rather high percentage of passes going wayward and even simple dunks and lay ups missed on an all to regular basis, especially when considering that these are supposed to be professional players at your disposal. Although tweaks can be made to the gameplay amongst the mountain of options available, it simply seems unnecessary for things to be made quite so difficult. It is especially annoying when you come to the end of a slick move only for your player to crash the wide open dunk against the rim. Although it has to be accepted that this will happen every so often, and rightly so for that matter, it becomes quite irritating when it happens for the third time in one match. This however is a minor quibble, especially when you consider that changes can be made to reduce these mistakes.

A more worrying aspect of the game however comes in the guise of the AI, which can be a little sketchy at times, to say the least. Although players line up impressively in both defence and attack, it's their movement afterwards that is a little more suspect, with players often refusing to take a drive to the key when attacking, while refusing to pick up players while in defence. Once again though, when looking at the bigger picture, these can again be seen as minor negatives in an otherwise exceptional package, given that despite the minor issues with AI, on the whole the AI is still superior to every other game in the genre - it's just a shame that these problems couldn't have been ironed out, thus turning a great game into a potentially exceptional game.

The graphics at first glance are very similar to that of NBA 2K6, which is hardly a bad thing. However, look a little closer and the new animations, especially those of the star players, are very noticeable, with each player moving and reacting a lot like their real-life counterparts. Although these player-specific moves will go largely unnoticed by the majority of gamers, those in the know will surely appreciate the subtle changes in style that each player possesses, thus adding to the fact that this truly is the basketball player's game of choice. Much like in the case of Pro Evo and FIFA, although NBA 2K7 is a very good looking game, at a glance it seems inferior to NBA Live - but much like Pro Evo, it's the animations that set it apart come game time. Players move extremely fluidly and realistically; in fact, squint a bit and you will think that you are watching real basketball. Little touches also add to the overall experience, with past arguments that the 2K series doesn't capture the glamour of basketball all but put to bed with beautifully realised stadiums, light shows before matches and cheerleaders prominent at intervals, giving the game an even greater sense of realism.

The audio throughout is also excellent, with the commentary keeping up with the play very impressively. Crowd noise and on court action also sounds great, with each squeak of a sneaker on the hardwood floor and every call from on-the-court players truly adding to the overall presentation and immersive feel of the game. The halftime analysis and quarterly updates are again very impressive and certainly give the game a TV-like presentation.

Although not a huge amount has been changed from NBA 2K6, when a game is this good it's hard to care, especially when almost everything added works so well. Although not quite the defining basketball experience that you might have hoped for, NBA 2K7 comes dangerously close, while still giving the impression that it has a few more tricks left in the locker. Maybe the inevitable NBA 2K8 will answer the minor issues still left unanswered, but until then basketball fans need not look anywhere else - because NBA 2K7 is still without doubt top dog when it comes basketball.

Reviewed by Liam Pritchard for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).