So the 360’s line-up of sports titles makes the inevitable jump to PS3 and what do we get out of it? Generally speaking, the same as we had with the PS2 versions only shinier and, specifically in the case of NBA 2K7, some fiddly controls and cause for frustration. Unlike other American sports our appreciation of basketball isn’t all that limited. We know who won last season’s Finals MVP award and we know that Tim Duncan has an oddly-shaped head. We also know that it’s a smooth, end-to-end game where attack follows attack, which is just something 2K7 doesn’t offer. It does the end-to-end part okay, but it’s about as smooth as a choppy sea of hedgehogs. What should be a simple pass and shoot affair is blighted by controls that demand too much and team-mates that don’t go where they’re supposed to.

The game also suffers from the same problems every basketball sim has since the late Eighties. Rebounding is too random and you never feel as though you will improve your chances of winning them. Equally, stealing is just about tapping the button repeatedly until something happens; indeed, there’s just a general lack of control over the defensive proceedings.

All things considered, NBA 2K7 is just another basketball game that fails to inspire or excite, but it does give a decent enough impression of the sport to please fans. It helps that it looks nice as well, we suppose.

Aaron Asadi