I love video games. I love to play them, watch people play them, and read about them. I play an arrangement of video games like Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Crusader Kings II, The Witcher, and more. But there is a game on my laptop that I've played over 340 hours on since October: NBA 2K16. Sports games are my favorite kind of video game. I also play many other sports games like UFC 2, whatever PGA Tour game is out, and Madden. Madden, no matter how awful it may become, will always have a special place in my heart. I loved making my own teams and matching them up against others' teams. I get a thrill from seeing a created player work his way up in the ranks to becoming a starter for my favorite team and then becoming the MVP of the league.

Recently, I have been going back to NBA 2K16 more than any other game however. I played Rory McIlroy PGA Tour for a small time, but I got disappointed from the lack of features, golfers, and courses. The same happened with UFC 2 as the core mechanics were the richest they had ever been, but the modes, while an improvement over the previous, were still not good enough to make me stay. The game that got the most attention from me that wasn't basketball related was Madden 16. If it wasn't for my love of football, I probably wouldn't have played it as much as I did. The features and modes were far better than UFC or Rory McIlroy, but the gameplay was infuriating. One-handed catches were seen everywhere by 80 overall players and the defensive was inept guarding the middle of the field. Thankfully my favorite team is the Carolina Panthers since 2007 so I could manually use Luke Kuechly to prevent losing as much online.

There is a reason I came back to NBA 2K16 far more than the other games. It contains a range full of modes to play like MyGM, MyCareer, MyLeague, and MyTeam. These modes are deep in their own ways and they warranted multiple playthroughs. The only thing that was a disappointment about 2K16 was the story in MyCareer as it ruined the rookie year for any player you created by "Livin' da Dream" with Frequency Vibrations. Something that the NBA 2K series does better than any other sports franchise is consistently improve. It seems that every year NBA 2K improves their game modes and their core mechanics, whether it is improving the defensive A.I. or putting more features into their deep MyGM mode.

Rory McIlroy PGA Tour was a kind of "reboot" for the PGA Series so it is fair to assume they will put in more features in later editions along with the UFC series. But one franchise has been cranking out new releases every year to be examined: Madden. Madden is extremely inconsistent with their quality. Websites like to give Madden a seven or eight every year because it technically the best football game on the market. But every year we get slightly improved graphics, the same Connected Franchises mode with slight improvements in college scouting and free agency, and "completely" reworked A.I. The only thing that stays consistent is EA's desire to keep putting out new card packs for Madden Ultimate Team, the only mode that involves spending more money to get better. Time will only tell if EA will treat the UFC and PGA series just like the Madden series.