NBA 2K10 Hits Stores Today

2K Sports has announced that NBA 2K10 is now hitting store shelves at your favorite game retailer. A limited edition NBA 2K10: Anniversary Edition is also available that comes packaged in a specially designed 2K Sports locker configured for game storage, with exclusive items featuring 2009 NBA Finals MVP and cover athlete for NBA 2K10, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers.

“I take great pride in aligning myself with NBA 2K10 as it is simply the most authentic basketball game out there, bar none,” said Kobe Bryant, 11-time NBA All-Star. “I was fortunate enough to win a world championship when I was announced to be on the cover. I have learned, in my time working with the 2K Sports team that they, too, strive to be the absolute best.”

“NBA 2K10 is the dream package for any diehard basketball fan and will be available on more platforms than ever before,” said Greg Thomas, senior vice president of sports development for 2K. “It’s the 10th anniversary of the NBA 2K franchise and we’re celebrating in a huge way with Kobe Bryant on our cover and the NBA 2K10: Anniversary Edition that includes many awesome collectibles. NBA 2K10 challenges basketball fans of all ages – How will you take over?”

TotallyGN also recently had the opportunity to sit in on a conference call regarding this title. Sitting in on the conference call was Rob Jones (Gameplay Director) and Erick Boenisch (Lead Feature Designer). One of the most important changes this year is in the presentation itself and with that “NBA Today”. One of the most important aspects of “NBA Today” is the ability to get real life information using XBox Live or the Playstation Network and turn it into dynamic gameplay. The commentary has also received an overhaul and for the first time, you will experience dynamic commentary. The commentary will be based on the the events that happened in the NBA on the previous night.

There is also a “My Player” mode where you will start as an undrafted rookie in the Summer Circuit, and if their skills become advanced enough, they may get an invite to participate in an NBA team’s training camp or end up in the NBA Development League. The road to being an NBA star is long and hard, and each player has the opportunity to create their own unique experience making it to the League.

In addition to some of the new features the development team also fixed some issues from previous iterations. In NBA 2K9 there were instances where some animation sequences would take take a while. Now as soon as a player touches the ball they are able to get out of the animation to potentially change the play. In NBA 2K9 there was also a bug where point guards were able to make passes into the paint with too much speed and accuracy. The development team solved this by increasing the number of inaccurate passes and tweaking the steal system in an effort to make it more realistic.

This year will also mark the first year that 2K Sports has a Wii version to offer. Nintendo approached 2K sports early on about getting a title for their platform and the development team feels they have delivered a great title for the Wii audience. Unlike other Wii titles that seem to thrive on mini games, you won’t find that in NBA 2K10. There will also be online play in the Wii version, so hopefully that works out as well.

If you are a basketball fan, be sure to check out this title as it sounds like it is going to be a great one.