Between the two basketball games released on Xbox 360 in time for Christmas, there are distinct differences. NBA Live 2006 showed that they wanted to be more of a visual and audio experience, sacrificing their gameplay for their presentation. However, like most things that have style before substance, the end overall result is an empty feeling. With 2K Sports? NBA 2K6, the graphical and sound presenation aren't exactly top-notch, but it more than makes up for it when much better gameplay than NBA Live 2006.

And here's the tip...

NBA 2K6 is another in the long series of 2K Sports basketball games. Even with the loss of ESPN, they didn't forget their roots, as they amped up the feel of the basketball game in the newest version. You can choose from a number of different gameplay modes and each one of them captures a distinct essence in basketball. For example, if you want to become a street legend, then the 24/7 mode is right up your alley. Go out in search of your game as you travel to sights all across the United States to some of the legendary spots in street ball history, including the one and only Rucker Park in New York City. Rucker Park is the place where legends are born, and in this mode, you can actually unlock celebrities to help you out in your quest, including a certain flavorful DJ from Public Enemy, Flavor Flav.
Design your character from the beginning. Go ahead and make yourself, or go ahead and make that 7'6" white dude with an afro that you have dreams about at night. Pick your shoes, pick your tattoos, and then pick your number because you want a number everybody is gonna remember. When you're ready to go, you arrive at the map of the United States of America, a vast pool of street ball for you to dive into.

At each city, you have certain tasks to perform. Everything from your basic 1-on-1 pickup game, to spotting somebody 5 points in a game to 11, to trying to have a game where you can't let your opponent steal the ball, to many other tasks that get harder and harder as you travel to more cities. You can pick up skill points for achieving each goal, and then go train hard in the gym to improve your game. Don't like the fact that you're a brick house maker from beyond the arc? Work on your shooting to improve your rating from 3-point land. Want to have a killer post up game? Back down somebody and work on your turnaround jumper. Take your time to really work on your game in the gym because that's the only way you're going to improve yourself in this mode. Soon, you'll be good enough to hang with the big boys, and from there, the sky is the limit.

Players who like to be the GM-type can go on and select "The Association" mode. Here, you get to manage an NBA franchise to the top of the league, working out numerous trades and trying to get people interested in your team. Hell, if you don't like what the owner is doing, you can fire him, too! It's a complete experience if you really want to get into the simulation aspect of NBA 2K6, and it's just a whole lot of fun to play with, as well. If you feel that Kobe Bryant is better suited in blue and orange than purple and gold, go ahead and make that trade to send Bryant to the Knicks for Channing Frye and a player to be named later...that is, until the computer vetoes it, of course. Once you get a feel for The Association, you can take your team to an NBA Championship and send the San Antonio Spurs home crying to their mamas. Of course, Tony Parker gets to go home and cry to Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria, so I don't think he'd really mind that as much.

There's also the basic season mode that lets you take a team throughout an entire 82 game season for a one-shot deal to get a ring. This mode isn't as deep as The Association mode, but for the arcade types, it will fit in just fine to allow the player to really get into the game right away. Yes, even you can take the Charlotte Bobcats to an NBA Title in just their second year. Gerald Wallace for MVP! You can also do a quick play for some 1-on-1 fun with a friend (get your mind out of the gutters) and you can also hit up Street mode for a little bit of blacktop ball. If you have a big group, put it on Tournament mode to see who the king of the living room is.

The online play has a lot of different ways to experience NBA 2K6. You can just go online and play random Xbox Live players, or you can join leagues and tournaments that are put on. The League play offers many aspects to it that allows the players to run it the way they see fit. It's almost set up like a fantasy basketball league, where a league administrator looks over the league and oversees trades and the like. Unruly party in the league? It?s your league, so kick him out. Of course, play nice, kids. It's always good to play nice. Tournaments online are set up just like the tournaments in-game, as you choose how many players are in the tournament, how many games, etc. This is definitely a fun aspect of the game as it adds another dimension and utilizes Xbox Live very well.