Is NBA 2K16 worth buying?

Last week, I blogged about how the NBA 2K game series has improved throughout the years (you can check out this post here http://n8hn6bd.blogspot.com/2015/09/nba-2k-throughout-years.html). Well this Friday the game arrived at my front door, earlier than the release date. This was because I pre-ordered the game so I could play it early as well as receive 10,000 VC (virtual currency) that I could use in the game to either upgrade my player's stats in the MyCareer mode, or purchase extra things for my game (tattoos for my player, different backboards, etc.). I, along with many others throughout the world, was super excited to jump into the game and start playing. 2K advertised many additional features that would be available this year that wasn't available last year. So does NBA 2K16 live up to the hype that its received?
Probably the biggest advertised feature that 2K brought to NBA 2K16 was the "Livin' Da Dream" story that was a part of the MyCareer mode. 2K enlisted Spike Lee to direct a new story mode that NBA 2K fans have never seen before. Instead of usually starting as a rookie coming out of college into the NBA draft, you started as a senior in high school being recruited by some of the top colleges in the nation. Then you would play in college for a few games before finally entering the draft. This looked incredibly exciting to me and I was very eager to begin my adventure, but, along with many other gamers, was a little disappointed with how it turned out. 2K kept advertising the slogan, "Be the Story", leaving many fans, as well as myself, to believe you would be able to make choices along the way to create a story individual to the specific player. However, I was disappointed to find out that you would have to go through a specific story that is the same to all players throughout your rookie season in the NBA. Really, the only choices you get to make that is different between players is the high school you start in (but you only get three choices) and the college you go to (but once again, your options are limited). Another disappointing, and unrealistic thing is that no matter your race, you were born into a black family, where you were not adopted and have a twin sister who is also black. I wouldn't mind if they had just said you were adopted because it would have been slightly more realistic, but to say you were a twin of someone who is a completely different race than you with both your parents being of that same race just seems a little farfetched to me. I also thought it was impractical that they made your player have such a low rating. I understand how it's important to not let the player start as the best player ever, so they can improve as the game progresses, but it just seems illogical that a player who was drafted so early in the first round would be rated so much lower than everyone else in the draft who was drafted later. It's also ridiculous that I found myself on many occasions missing wide open layups. It just bothered me that they talk about your player like they are supposed to be the best player in years, but it is near impossible to even make a basket in your first games as an NBA player. Overall, I was let down by this story, which luckily ends after your first year as an NBA star. I think it was a cool storyline (I won't discuss it because I don't want to spoil it for any players who try it out in the future), and I think it would've been great as like a promotional movie for the game, but I didn't really enjoy the lack of autonomy the game allows in that specific story.
I hope anyone who is interested by this game hasn't changed their mind about buying this, however, because that is probably my only criticism of the game. After the initial "Livin' Da Dream" storyline, you finally get a chance to play MyCareer like you are used to playing, but even better. Right after the story ends, you go into free agency and choose three teams you're interested in playing for. For the first time, you get a chance to bargain with teams about your salary and your minutes before you even sign with the team. I really enjoyed this because one of the most frustrating things about the previous games is that you had to play through an entire NBA season, which could take up to a month or two depending on how much you played, before you could actually sign with a  team you'd enjoy playing for, but now you can do it in just a few days. I also love that the game isn't just repetitively playing different teams over and over until the playoffs. In NBA 2K16, your off days matter. On the days where your team isn't scheduled to play a game you have the choice to either gain endorsement deals for extra VC, connect with your fans or other NBA stars, or actually attend a team practice to improve your skills where you get to participate in drills to provide boosts for your player and shoot around with your fellow teammates. This is definitely one of my favorite features of the game and it allows me to upgrade my player much easier than I could in the previous games. Another great addition that they added to MyCareer was the chance to customize your very own basketball court. You can customize the floor, the rims, the backboard, and even the scoreboard. You can even invite your friends to your court to play scrimmages or just have fun shooting around. 2K also improved the graphics (notably, and strangely, the armpit hair of the players looks more realistic), improved the controls, and added a bunch of little extra things such as the refs being able to talk, hearing chants from the crowd and cheerleaders, and players messing with their mouth guards. They also added a variety of classic teams to play as.
Overall, while I was disappointed by the "Livin' Da Dream" story, I am absolutely obsessed with this game. All the little things 2K added make this game so much more fun and realistic to play. I would highly recommend this game to anyone basketball fan who wants a chance to experience the life of an NBA player. I know they will have a fantastic time spending hours playing as their favorite teams. So does NBA 2K16 live up to the hype its received? In this reviewer's eyes, yes. While the "Livin' Da Dream" doesn't exactly allow people to develop a realistic background for their character, it was still a pretty interesting, and very dramatic storyline. Also, 2K did an amazing job adding little aspects to make this incredible game larger than life.