Revue NBA 2K24
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, NBA 2K24 returns for another year of basketball with cover athletes Kobe Bryant and Sabrina Ionescu. Having played the 2K series for about 15 of those years, I’ve seen the series grow and evolve over three console generations. Although many things have changed, one thing has remained constant. NBA 2K is still the king of the court when it comes to basketball video games.
Undeniably, NBA 2K24 (and the 2K series in general) offers solid gameplay, cultural relevance, and high engagement with active NBA players. Gameplay elements continue to improve with each passing year. However, these improvements are admittedly difficult to notice when you play the game every year. That’s not to say the game is the same every year, but it certainly can be the case at times. This is not a major blow to the 2K series, however. Most sports games deal with the same cycle of improvements as over-the-air content updates. What 2K has going for it is that even though the gameplay is similar on a year-to-year basis, the gameplay is still good.
No matter which mode you play in, you’ll find that NBA 2K24 has a strong gameplay element. At its core, the game is very easy to play, whether it’s passing, shooting or defending. Where things get a little more nuanced is when it comes to the variables one might expect in real life. For example, it is easier to score an open shot rather than being defended closely. Therefore, despite hitting a shot perfectly, other variables such as player attributes, defenders, and even how hot or cold a player is play a role in making or missing the shot. Unfortunately for NBA 2K24, most of its in-game brilliance remains on the court.
The gang is back
If you’ve played an NBA 2K game in the past few years, you’re probably familiar with the game’s modes. Core courses include MyCAREER, NBA 2K’s career mode, MyTEAM, NBA 2K’s ultimate team mode, and MyNBA, the NBA 2K franchise mode. As someone who plays 2K’s career mode almost every year, it’s hard to ignore that the mode has seen better days. Every year, the integration of career mode with the City functionality increases. This allows players to take their players into streetball mode. However, this correlates with a decrease in career mode functionality, which is a sore point with some fans.
Additionally, the increasing incorporation of virtual currency, or VC, into most game modes diminishes the enjoyment of offline players. I can respect the need for VC to make purchases in MyTEAM. However, it is a bit frustrating that VC is also required to upgrade my player in MyCAREER due to city interaction. Everyone plays the game differently. I like playing MyCAREER for the game mode itself, not to create a character for the city. By doing so, I now have to spend VC to develop my character. This takes funds away from purchases for MyTEAM. It also slows down character building, unless you’re shelling out money for VC.
Gameplay and features aside, NBA 2K24 remains the best-looking iteration of the series to date. While the descriptions of the improvements may seem exaggerated, you can’t deny that the game continues to look great every year.
NBA 2K24 continues to dominate the paint when it comes to mainstream success. It also seems like it dominates fans’ wallets every year. The game is undoubtedly fun to play with its excellent gameplay and graphics, but the removal of MyCAREER and the increased incorporation of virtual currency sometimes leaves a bad taste.
**A review code was provided by the publisher**
Good
Unparalleled gameplay Stunning visuals
70
The bad
My CAREER is getting worse and worse Focused on virtual currency Minor improvements
2023-09-22 15:32:14
#NBA #2K24 #Review #Shine #Bright #Court
