Actually, basketball simulation would be a more appropriate description of NBA 2K7. It takes some time getting used to the game mechanics (especially on defense, like learning when to time your blocks and steals and knowing when to double team a player), but you'll the hang of them eventually. And once you do, you can try out some more advanced moves and crank up the difficulty and realism settings to keep the game challenging and enjoyable. Compared to last year's edition, shooting is more of pickle. You have to time your shots well (press and release the square button), else they won't hit the basket. You can also use the right stick to shoot, but I thought it was much more effective to simply press square. Granted, using the shot stick can give you the right type of shot in any given situation, but it's very easy to mix them up in the heat of a match.

NBA 2K7 has a wide variety of different game modes, so it can keep you going for a long long time. The most important one is 'association' (basically a dynasty mode), in which you assume the role of a NBA team's manager over a number of years. Pretty much every important aspect of running a team is covered, be it practicing, keeping your club's financial balance in check, drafting players and of course playing matches. Furthermore, the game offers the self-explanatory 'quick play', 'practice' and 'tournament' modes, 'situation' (where you set up a match with a lot of different parameters), 'street' (all kinds of different streetball games, such as full court, 21 or one-on-one) and of course 'season' (less of a hassle than association, so perfect if you just want to play, while still having a goal). There's also a elaborate online mode (with exhibitions, tournaments, leagues, quick matches,...), and though it's certainly fun, nothing beats playing with a friend on the same console.

New to NBA 2K7 is '24:7 NEXT', a street basketball mode where you create your own player from scratch. 24:7 NEXT features a half-assed storyline, that will take you past a lot of different courts and famous NBA stars. You start out on your home court, where you see Shaquille O'Neal practicing his free throws and you decide to challenge him for a free throw contest. As you all know, Shaq is about the worst free throw taker in the entire NBA, so beating him shouldn't prove too much of a challenge. It also serves as a nice introduction to the new free throw system in NBA 2K7, which makes full use of the Sixaxis' motion controls. You basically simulate the free throw movement by first tilting the controller back and then forth. You can see from the movements of the player when you have to move forward exactly. Every player has a different timing, but with some practice, you'll quickly start scoring free throws.

The presentation of NBA 2K7 is pretty good overall, but it does have its flaws. The most annoying part is the new menu system. By bumping the right stick at any given moment, when not in-game, you pull up the game's menu. Unfortunately, this system is fundamentally flawed. It doesn't feel intuitive at all and when you want to go back to a previous menu, you'll often get kicked back to the main menu. Luckily, the in-game graphics (available in 1080p for the lucky few) look really good. Famous players such as Kobe Bryant, Shaq, Tim Duncan, Yao Ming, Dwayne Wade or Tony Parker are instantly recognizable and they all have their unique signature moves. Animations, sweat and clothing are all very realistic and the mirror-finished basketball courts look truly fantastic. The framerate is very smooth (though, reportedly, it suffers in 1080p), which makes the game all the more enjoyable. A less interesting trademark of NBA 2K7 is its nauseating amount of in-game advertising (Gatorade, Toyota,...). 2K Sports really crossed the line this time. The commentators are decent, but they are a tad too repetitive. 'Kenny's half-time report' is cool, though. Kenny (one of the commentators) gives awards to players (both positive and negative), so you can immediately see which players are on fire, and which aren't. The (mostly R&B) soundtrack is decent, but not as good as the one in NBA Live (for PS2).