The 2k series continues to listlessly drift along as an exercise in bringing gacha games to consoles. But unlike mobile gachas which are typically free to play before walling you, 2k gives you a $60 entry fee. It's even so transparent because the game itself becomes completely free (via PS+) or essentially free (on sale for <$5) relatively quickly into its life cycle as an enticement to bring the leftover stragglers to the slot machine.
MyNBA is mostly fine. It's the same game now for several years in a row. A few features are now completely broken (like expansion teams) and some features have received no additional attention or improvements (the Eras missing huge amounts of players in draft classes). It is still pretty good but it's no different than it's been for many years, so there's hardly a reason to upgrade here.
Outside of MyNBA very little of the game is redeeming at all. The WNBA modes are still a bizarre red-headed stepchild shoehorned into the game for PR reasons. They don't have feature parity with the 'core' game of NBA simulations and they lack just about any depth or engaging character to warrant their own game mode. The one advantage The W has is that it doesn't have the same horrific paywall problems as the MyCareer.
Which will stick you stuck as a 68 overall player unless you pour both lots of money and a thousand hours into fixing. It's brutal, perverse and just not fun. Wanna take things online instead? Better be prepared to open your wallet and shell out a hundred bucks for VC to upgrade your stuff.
The gameplay itself is also the same as ever. Animation dependent, with a scant few new animation additions (hilarious they chose to add a bunch of Dr. Disrespect ones this year). It plays about the same as the game has since 2k18 or so. There's not much new. Online is still plagued by people mastering three point shots with Shaq and Yao Ming to abuse 'greens' or playing the more realistic online MyTeam modes but still being littered with Giannis-LeBron teams that kill build variety. The meta is stale. It's the same as its been for a few years and its even more opaque to get through as 2k has begun to cultivate a culture around its cabal of online degenerates that fuels a gambling trap. You've played 2k for years, paid a lot of money to do so, gotten good at it, learned the meta, now you'll continue to do so every year, hereout while 2k designs systems and traps specifically for these players to play more.
The whole thing just feels kinda gross. The yearly cycle of sports games are already bad but this headlong deep dive into the gambling-gacha intersection designed to drain you of every extra penny you have is just unforgivable and this year's 2k has the fewest new additions and innovations to even pretend the game's mission is anything else.
MyNBA is mostly fine. It's the same game now for several years in a row. A few features are now completely broken (like expansion teams) and some features have received no additional attention or improvements (the Eras missing huge amounts of players in draft classes). It is still pretty good but it's no different than it's been for many years, so there's hardly a reason to upgrade here.
Outside of MyNBA very little of the game is redeeming at all. The WNBA modes are still a bizarre red-headed stepchild shoehorned into the game for PR reasons. They don't have feature parity with the 'core' game of NBA simulations and they lack just about any depth or engaging character to warrant their own game mode. The one advantage The W has is that it doesn't have the same horrific paywall problems as the MyCareer.
Which will stick you stuck as a 68 overall player unless you pour both lots of money and a thousand hours into fixing. It's brutal, perverse and just not fun. Wanna take things online instead? Better be prepared to open your wallet and shell out a hundred bucks for VC to upgrade your stuff.
The gameplay itself is also the same as ever. Animation dependent, with a scant few new animation additions (hilarious they chose to add a bunch of Dr. Disrespect ones this year). It plays about the same as the game has since 2k18 or so. There's not much new. Online is still plagued by people mastering three point shots with Shaq and Yao Ming to abuse 'greens' or playing the more realistic online MyTeam modes but still being littered with Giannis-LeBron teams that kill build variety. The meta is stale. It's the same as its been for a few years and its even more opaque to get through as 2k has begun to cultivate a culture around its cabal of online degenerates that fuels a gambling trap. You've played 2k for years, paid a lot of money to do so, gotten good at it, learned the meta, now you'll continue to do so every year, hereout while 2k designs systems and traps specifically for these players to play more.
The whole thing just feels kinda gross. The yearly cycle of sports games are already bad but this headlong deep dive into the gambling-gacha intersection designed to drain you of every extra penny you have is just unforgivable and this year's 2k has the fewest new additions and innovations to even pretend the game's mission is anything else.