When the NBA finals having just happened, it seems appropriate to upgrade my basketball video game experience from “NBA 2k14” to 15.

The latest edition of this franchise doesn’t have anything in the way of new features, but that’s OK.

The game has introduced new features and gameplay modes in the past several editions that are solid enough to the point that they don’t need any more added on.

The game really just shines as the definitive basketball sim.

NBA live has seen a resurgence recently, but is almost like an amateur effort compared to the brilliance that is “NBA 2k.” And everyone plays “NBA 2k” — your roomie, your roomie’s annoying girlfriend who is basically an unpaid resident in your apartment, your co-worker — practically everyone knows what “2k” is.

Another thing I love about the latest version of “2k” is that if you’re a roster freak like me, automatic roster updates are pushed to your game every time you open it, so your matchups are guaranteed to be as life-like as possible.

The player-creation feature is incredibly in-depth, and it’s kinda fun to use the My Career Mode to try and get your mohawked and mustached player onto an actual NBA team.

One major difference is if you’re playing on an older console or, last gen, for all you tech savvies out there, the difference in graphics and blocky gameplay is painfully noticeable compared to running it on a PC, or even a next gen console like the Xbox One.

If you don’t have a strong enough processor on your PC, the performance still may not be desirable. If your computer is strong enough to handle it though, the “2k” experience is second to none.

It’s eerie almost how life-like the entire process of a game is, from the player introductions to TV personalities Ernie Johnson and Shaq talking animatedly while the game loads.

For the true basketball aficionado, “NBA 2k” has been the only way to go and will more than likely continue its brilliance into the foreseeable future.

Rating: A+