Why are you doing this 2K? Why give us a near-perfect basketball game that many have wanted for years and then switch to something with extreme pay-to-win methods? Well, let me start with the positives, which is that this is an incredibly good game. There is a lot of content with new additions, suitable for both offline and online players. We find basketball to be a lot of fun and more polished than I can remember from the last (quite many) years. And there is a presentation that is possibly the best in the world of sports betting. But then it hit the spot with a focus on microtransactions. So we might as well start there to get it out of the way because I really want to be mostly positive about the game.
Unfortunately, that’s what the NBA 2K series is most associated with for the masses: microtransactions. And it’s not entirely undeserved as this is the greediest sports game out there. Nothing else asks for so many different things and at pretty outrageous prices too. In MyTeam, the game’s ultimate team, it’s no secret that microtransactions rule the roost. Buy packs of cards, try to get the best cards, probably fail, spend a little more, and over and over again. What I really dislike this year is that they introduced pay-to-win from day one. In the early card packs, there was a Steph Curry with an overall attribute rating of 95. Usually, the game starts with a slightly lower rating to gradually introduce better players. But no, from day one it was possible to try to draw this incredible card that will give an extreme advantage over players who didn’t manage to spend enough money.
Otherwise, the game mode is structured the same as last year and looks basically identical. All casino elements remain, such as roulette and pachinko. In the MyCareer career mode, which I’ll go over in more detail a little later, you’ll also need to spend the big bucks to compete against the best in The City’s online mode. Gone are the days when we could develop our players just by playing games, and attributes would increase based on how well we did. Virtual currency is now required for every small dot in the trait tree. And they are not particularly cheap. Sure, it’s possible to get coins by playing matches in career mode, which is basically your salary, but it doesn’t go very far. And when I see players who are already 90+, I wonder how much they’ve spent, but then I realize I probably don’t want to know. At the same time I fight with my player who has a skill of 63. Because everyone starts at 60, which undoubtedly could be increased.
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Luckily, there’s a great new addition to The City, namely The Theater. There are four special game types that rotate every Friday, and in the first week there was, among other things, the option to only play with and against players who have a maximum of 75 properties in total. This means that it is at least possible to play online even if you don’t want to spend a lot of money. Other match types might include things like a 12-second shot clock and a two-on-two where the winners remain. It’s things like this that can keep online mode fresh for anyone who isn’t quite the hardcore gamer. Career mode is now structured as both a story and an online hub. Gone are the story modes with a multi-hour cinematic experience and you can now choose how you want to play. If you just want to bet on the story, just go from point A to point B in the city and unlock the next cutscene with different objectives to advance.
The story about MP is nothing revolutionary, but it is interesting enough to play. MP is drafted one spot ahead of the player that the vast majority of fans in town wanted to see, Shep Owens. This, of course, builds a rivalry with said Shep, who is a real jerk but a good basketball player. Meanwhile, MP must try to convince fans that the team did the right thing by drafting him, though two-thirds are either disappointed or angry. There’s a greater focus on the arena experience itself before and after games, with photographers waiting in the arena as you emerge from the garage, cheerleaders sprinting onto the field, and locker rooms and press conferences as you walk into be able. There’s a special feel to Matchdays, which I appreciate.
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2023 is the year and of course Mr. 23, Michael Jordan, is being celebrated. One of the new game modes guaranteed to be exclusive this year is the Jordan Challenge, where we can play through a series of moments from his career. It begins with a college game featuring Jordan’s North Carolina versus Georgetown with one Patrick Ewing. Then it goes all the way through his Bulls career. Each game has specific missions to accomplish, such as scoring a certain number of points or making X rebounds. In addition, there is a filter that makes it feel like watching a TV show from that moment on. It’s fun for a while, but it gets really annoying quickly, so it’s lucky you can turn off the filter. This is a well-crafted game mode that fans of basketball history will enjoy.
Speaking of basketball history, MyNBA (Franchise Mode) has received one of the best additions in years. It’s now called MyNBA Eras and you can play the franchise mode in four different decades, from the 80’s to today. These four decades, or epochs, are all playable with all era teams (like the Seattle Supersonics) and rules. A little introduction shows what applies, such as that some new teams are added in the 80’s and that harder games are allowed. Although the content of the game mode itself is still the same, this makes MyNBA Eras the franchise-like mode that most deserves to be played, regardless of the new sports game.
And NBA 2K23 really deserves to be played, despite its greed. It’s incredibly fun on the course and flows really well. For the first time in a long time, it feels like you can have fun here without spending any money. Especially when the game looks as good as it looks, has the amount of content it has, and has the best presentation in the sports gaming world. Mix that with a well thought-out career mode, new animations, and various tweaks, and NBA 2K23 is quite a winner after all.
