NBA 2K14 might not have had the same hype as GTA 5, but the basketball fans that anticipated its release are just as excited.

The latest game in the 2K Sports series was finally stocked on the shelves yesterday after months of videos, rumors, and speculation about how 2K14 would hold up in comparison to its predecessors.

Even more interesting was how 2K Sports fed us LeBron James-featured content for months, so much so that there were no other key themes to the game beyond King James. Of course, that is what back to back championship titles will do for you. LeBron is plastered on the cover and is featured in the bonus pack as well as in the signature moves. He even reportedly helped choose the music for the game.

Considering that LeBron is on the cover for this year's game, one has to wonder whether people will start talking about a curse if he struggles this year. Curses are always a topic of much discussion in Madden games - dubbed the "Madden curse" -- since the cover athletes often come down with some sort of injury.

The reviews have been mostly positive thus far. Polygon describes the game as "the most incremental upgrade in the recent history of the acclaimed NBA 2K franchise."

In a game review for IGN, Ryan McCaffery wrote, "Unlike hoops sims from early in this console generation, it simply has no major weaknesses."

"When I drove the lane as LeBron, drew the defense to me, and kicked a no-look pass to the wing for an open trey by Mario Chalmers using the new Assist Pass modifier on the left trigger - after which a camera close-up showed Chalmers making the "Okay" symbol with both hands (the NBA's current three-pointer salute), NBA 2K14 proved its worth," he also said.

NBA 2K14 was released yesterday, just a month or so before the official start of the NBA season.