NBA 2K6 doesn't redefine the regular current gen version, but it refines it. If you have already played this year's version on the Xbox or PS2, then you won't notice much of a difference outside of the vivid graphics upgrade. After playing for a while, you'll see that the control is tightened up, and we can all welcome back the defensive stance button. It really is a great addition. It just feels natural to want to reach for the left trigger when manning up against an opponent. Thankfully it can't be used to keep offensive players completely locked down.

The game is gorgeous. Just as an observer, it's plain to see how smoothly and lifelike the game plays out. Part of this is due to the awesome graphics and animation, but a lot of it has to do with how players interact with one another. Screens are effective, and players bump and forearm check each other in one on one situations. Facial animation also plays a huge part. Players react to foul calls and big baskets. Really, from the Broadcast Camera, it's closing the gap with basketball on TV. The players are very easily identifiable from nearly any distance. The uniforms bounce and flow realistically throughout the game. Players sweat the more they're on the court (is sweat the new lens flare?), and it even pools up around their waistband.

Gamers who have played 2K6 on the Xbox or PS2 can probably stop right there and know if this is a big enough upgrade for you. Sure, they didn't completely build this game from the ground up like Live 06 or Madden 06, but they also didn't completely break the game in the process. Instead, they've kept all the great gameplay and game modes that have been a work in progress these last five years.

Where were we then? Basketball games have always had a problem with the one on one game. Early games took the approach of letting offensive players through the D without much difficulty. What you ended up playing was an arcadey dunk-fest that more closely resembled an And 1 street game than a real game of basketball. There were those that strived to keep the game more realistic by holding the ball handler in check. Without anything resembling weight or momentum, most of these games were hampered by odd collision detection and the feeling of being stopped by an invisible wall. As recently as NBA 06 on the PSP, even poorer decisions were being made. NBA 06 actually has the ball handler pick up their dribble if they made an attempt to drive past a defender, a penalty far more unrealistic than anything that had come before it.

Without being able to strike a balance between everyone driving the line and no one able to penetrate off the dribble, it came down to freeing up players using offensive plays. This was unfortunately another area that floundered. Players moved around on the court as autonomous entities instead of as a court full of athletes. Everyone seemed to have a small bounding box around their body, and there was very little interaction between players as they ran by one another. Picks were therefore ineffective, and what free moments you could create were quickly closed down by a nearby defender. Most of the time players would just be lost and stand around helplessly anyway. This lack of player interaction also made it very hard to play a big man, whether it be post up defense or, most importantly, rebounding.

Now, I'm not saying that NBA 2K6 is the first game to fix all of these problems. Certain games have shown signs of solutions here and there, but NBA 2K6 is the culmination of this progress. It is the game that has brought basketball in line with the other sports, for which one could argue have been faithful simulations for years.

There are many factors that contribute to this game's success, but the solid player interaction stands out the most. The one on one game is certainly better because of it. Defenders forearm check the ball handler, and they give and take ground for each other. I'm not sure if it's real momentum, or just a good set of animations, but the players lean around turns as they attempt to penetrate off the dribble. You'll also see a better job of calling reaching, blocking, and charging calls by the refs. Other individual ball handling animations also help a bunch. The classic pump fake is still viable, but now things like the jab step and hopping back on a drive to set up a jump shot further open up the man on man game. The combination of all these points really goes a long way towards overcoming the biggest hurdle basketball games have seen to this point. The balance still isn't perfect, but playable and enjoyable for sure.

The player interaction bleeds over to other areas of the game as well. Bodies clash in the post, and boxing out an opposing player for a rebound no longer means just standing between him and the basket. Along with good offensive AI, this also opens up your playbook as your teammates will set good screens and move without the ball looking for an open shot. At the present time, this is as close as you're going to get to reproducing Rip Hamilton's frenetic search for an open look. Guys will actually curl off screens for an elbow jumper and set back picks to free up big men in the post. Even on the defensive side of the ball, guys will get skinny to slide through screens on the baseline, and they lock into a post battle down on the block. Sure, it feels a little context sensitive, but it works.

New to this years game is the shot stick, which I have mixed feelings about. The right stick is used to give you more control over your shot selection. It replaces the former control over dribbling moves. The good news is that it becomes very natural after training yourself to stop reaching for the X button, which is still functional by the way. It seems like you can press any direction to pull off a jump shot, but around the basket or in the post, it gives you more control. Pulling back in the post is a turn around jumper or a hook shot, and while driving to the basket you can distinguish using your left or right hand by pressing left or right on the shot stick. It's a novel concept, to have complete control over your shot selection, but there are still plenty of times where the game makes the choice for you. I can press left in the post hoping to roll off the left side, but the player may still go right or fade away. In the end, it's not much different than what we had with left stick plus a shoot button.

The real downside to the shot stick is that dribbling control has become a little less user friendly. Instead of crossing over using the stick, now you have to hold the right trigger and press directions on the left stick. It actually sounds natural on paper, but it feels a little awkward to me in game. Not to mention, some things have become arbitrarily complex. For instance, the drop step in the post is now performed by backing down with the left trigger, then holding the right trigger, then tapping the left trigger twice. Whoa. But, it's all mechanics, and once you get used to it, it doesn't negatively impact gameplay.

Even though NBA 2K6 holds the crown for best playing game of basketball, there's still some areas where I feel it can improve. Of course I'd like to see player interaction continue to grow. As playable as the one on one game has become, I still feel it could continue to advance. Players recover a little too quickly as well. It's really hard to run an inside out offense. As a guard shades down to double team in the post, he recovers far too fast if the ball is fed back out to the three point line. There's just a small notion of momentum in switching directions that seems to be missing.

The post game plays out pretty nicely. I like the dump the ball in and watch the big men go to work. Turn around jumpers and a variety of low post moves look very realistic. The problem is the rest of the game in the paint. If you've ever seen a game on TV, the six or so feet around the basket can be a mad house. Hands slapping, fighting for the ball, and bodies clashing all define big league ball in the paint. At times, it can be too easy to score around the basket in 2K6. Guards penetrate and throw up layups and bank shots over and around big defenders with little resistance other than his own shooting percentage. I'd like the developers to make a statement next year and really show us the NBA inside game.

Like most of the other 360 launch titles, NBA 2K6 also gives gamers a real audio treat. Crowd noise and other sound effects make great use of surround sound. Deep bass is used to emphasize stadium music and rim-rocking dunks. Kevin Harlan and Kenny "The Jet" Smith handle announcing duty. Outside of being a little repetitive, which is hard to avoid when you play the game 30 times in a weekend, they do a really great job of recognizing game situations. Mid way through the second quarter, Pau Gasol pulled down his first rebound for the Griz, and Kevin was shocked, "Gasol pulls down just his first rebound of the game!"

I realize there is still room for improvement, but I'm very enthusiastic about NBA 2K6. I think it plays closer to a real game of basketball than anything we've ever seen on the market before. The jump up to the 360 saw a significant visual upgrade from almost photo realistic character models to smooth players animations and flowing uniforms. With the effort EA put out there with Live 06, there's really no competition. NBA 2K6 is the basketball game to own with your new Xbox 360.