Players mostly play NBA games with any real world team, and may customize certain aspects, such as the camera angle, sound levels, and sliders, which adjust the realism.

O'Neal worked with the design teams to help create new animations, providing the motion capture for some of the pump-fakes, drop-steps, and blocks the players in the game perform.

If you're an optimist, NBA 2K6.feels like a natural evolution of the franchise more than something that makes you want to rush out and buy it to show off your shiny new console.

"[37] Matt Martin of Eurogamer thought the PlayStation 2 version's soundtrack was "excellent", praised the gameplay for its refinements and additions, liked the Association for its depth, and said the designs of the players are "very realistic".

He said that even though some visual aspects are "blocky and rough", such as the crowd, the motion capture and animation is "top notch", which in turn allows players to move like their real life counterpart.

Martin did, however, dislike the introduction of a new control scheme, calling it "unnecessary", and said the menus were "ugly" and "broken", wishing there was a more simple system in place.

[12] IGN's Jonathan Miller said of the Xbox 360 version: "In the end, NBA 2K6 is a solid basketball title that really rests on the laurels of its predecessors.

"[28] Ronnie Hobbs of GameZone felt the gameplay of the same console version was good, but could have been better, thought the player's designs were "unbelievably life-like", but other visuals, such as the court, were lacking, praised the commentary, calling it "perfection", and liked the "fun" online modes, even if partially plagued by technical issues.

The decision is a no-brainer for people who don't already own it on the Xbox or PS2, but for those who have played it before, the slick presentation just might not be enough to warrant an upgrade.

"[18][19] VideoGamer.com's Greg Vallentin praised the simulation gameplay and the amount of content, but criticized the Xbox 360 version for not offering enough improvements.

He stated: "NBA 2K6, like its predecessors, delivers a solid simulation basketball game that's worth picking up if you've got a hankering for the sport, not to mention the fact that's it's incredibly affordable.