back on 2k for the first time since 20 i believe. only real addition is the wnba stuff which, against all odds and almost entirely by accident, happens to contain the game's best mode. The W honestly feels like a cheap slapped together rendition of mycareer, 2k's most unique and interesting mode by far, a lot of the time but nearly all the ways in which they've pared it down are actually enormous improvements. the gaudy open world is replaced by a handful of menus, the gameplay reduced to the only thing it does well ie simulating basketball, level progression and cosmetics aren't purchased but earned through playing the game normally...that last one is the biggest thing ofc. not only does your character start out at an 85 overall (or 75 if you prefer it) so it's viable to take online right away, you progress at a perfectly reasonable rate by simply playing the game which doesn't seem like a high bar to clear for this kind of rpg experience but alas, the men's version does not. there you have to spend around $100 just to get your guy to the point that it's remotely fun to play with online and from there you're probably never going to make it to 99 unless you have no other interests or commitments in your life not to mention how much you have to spend if you want to wear anything other than a brown shirt. it's absurd. i don't know how this player base puts up with it year after year. my paint beast hit 99 ovr with a full wardrobe full of ridiculous shit within a week or two of me just playing the game not even grinding or anything. it's kinda ridiculous that they show you everything you could have while continuing to keep the game's meatiest content behind such an absurd paywall. i guess they know most 2k players aren't even gonna bother looking in the wnba tab so they can get away with it. lucky for me i'm a fan of the 4x wnba champion minnesota lynx so i did look and i did find it and i've been having a great time. although i will say the weekly community goals are always met within the first day and i can find a full match basically 24/7 so maybe people have caught on. i do wish it gave you access to full character customization (the archetypes cover basically every playstyle you could want though) and the online modes should definitely be beefed up a bit (at least make 5v5 an option) but also if they put any more into it it'll likely mean gross monetization so maybe it should stay exactly as it is. my biggest gameplay complaints have more to do with the lack of basic ball knowledge in today's youth than anything but that falls outside the scope of this review