NBA 2K16 doubles down on customisation and Spike Lee

Much to my disappointment, NBA 2K16 isnt playable at Gamescom. Thats the bad news. The good news is that I still managed to discover loads of cool stuff about the new game, ahead of the very first hands on at the end of August. It seems that pretty much every mode in the game is getting plenty of attention again this year, from MyCareer all the way through to quick online matches.

Until now, all the world knew about the game is that Spike Lee is directing the story, and that the soundtrack has been hand-picked by three world-famous DJs. Oh, and Anthony Davis, James Harden, and Steph Curry are the cover athletes. If youre a serious 2K fan, though, here are some other nuggets of info thatll definitely interest you.

Spike Lees story - although under wraps - has a name. And it looks like youll be playing an up and coming basketball star from a poor neighbourhood, if the brief snippets of footage are any indication. Sure, you may be able to choose your economic background, but it seems unlikely.

The face-scanning system has improved since last year too. So, no more messing around with sliders to get a player who looks vaguely like a zombie version of you. No, sir, now you can create someone who looks exactly like a zombie version of you.

So, online has always been a problem for NBA 2K, and this year its a focus. ProAm is a new system that aims to get you in games as fast as possible, by quickly matchmaking you against a suitable opponent. It all uses in-game presentation, so youll see your team head out onto the court as the match starts, to all the usual fanfare.

There are heaps of leaderboards to keep track of how you stack up against the world too, and youll be able to filter by weekly, monthly, and yearly stats.

The game gives you a home court for your ProAm team, and you can change pretty much everything about it. Mess with the colours, the branding, and even the font used for all your text. You can change the kit your team wears too, and the video I saw showed off a Warriors strip which had a massive close-up of a face right in the centre - its that customisable, if you have awful taste.

Youll play matches on your home court, and youll visit other peoples courts, so expect to see some hideous sites if you go on the road.

Building your MyTeam roster is now even more challenging, because player stats will change dynamically throughout the season, based on the performance of their real-life counterparts. Westbrook going through a sulky, underperforming phase? Thatll be reflected in your stats. Hot rookie taking the NBA by storm? Youll have an even more valuable card

And theres an improved auction house too, where - like last year - youll be able to trade cards with other players.

The NBA 2K TV show is back, and theres a new episode every week, which you can view from inside the game, or the companion app. Itll be full of stuff like real player interviews, highlights submitted by the community, and a bunch of other stuff that Visual Concepts isnt talking about yet.