NBA 2K7

2K Sports, PS2 $49.99 Xbox 360, $59.99 

Keep your high-top Chucks and moldy headband in the closet, there’s no reason to show off your weak “Cable Guy” air-ball jumper when you can just save face playing NBA 2K7. Arguably the greatest sports games to hit the market in 2006, this one puts its competition (namely EA’s horrific NBA Live 07) to shame. The game kicks off with one of the freshest soundtracks known to man. Dan The Automator worked with the likes of Mos Def, Ghostface, E-40 and a ton of others that’ll have you rocking through the various menus. Once the game starts, the obscene amount of eye-candy will make you feel like you just snuck into an actual NBA game. Each arena is perfectly reproduced and the on-court lighting makes the colors pop. The only visual hiccup - 2K7 just can’t do white dudes. Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki looks like he’s wearing a candy wig, and Phoenix guard Steve Nash looks like a cavewoman. But to make up for it, pretty much every player in the game, from superstar Allen Iverson to the tongue-twisting three-point bomber Sarunas Jasikevicius, shoot just like they do in real life. If you’ve never seen it in action, checking out Shawn Marion’s ball-flinging “jumper” is simply amazing. Plus, the right analog is the shot stick, so there is no button mashing involved. You’ll be nailing 15-footers with ease without having to spend hours on the practice court. Todd Zuniga 

www.2ksports.com

Love: Online Play, the Shot Stick, Feels Like Real Hoops

Hate: Dirk Nowitzki’s Caramelized Hair

Score: 9/10