NBA 2K once again sits in the top tier of sports games for the reasons that matter most, but a pay-to-win scheme continues to infect some of its best aspects.
By Mark DelaneyTwitter on September 10, 2024 at 3:28PM PDT
Like its past several installments, NBA 2K25 is the best sports game I’ve played this year, but it still comes with a bolded, can’t-miss asterisk. This year’s basketball sim from Visual Concepts represents the latest in a series that has been lapping the competition in the sports genre–a group of games each seeking to be your live-service obsession. None justify their time commitment as well as NBA 2K25, which is in a league of its own–for presentation, gameplay, and overall immersion first and foremost–but the whole is actually less than the sum of its parts due to long-embedded pay-to-win tactics I fear will never be undone.
This year’s biggest changes involve a new dribbling physics system that gives ball-control a more realistic feel. The impact of this is hard to explain but easy to recognize when you’re playing it, aided by enhancements to the game’s ProPlay animation system that converts real-life game footage to in-game mechanics. Virtually everyone has, at one point in their lives, played basketball, even if it’s just shooting baskets at the park or a friend’s house. You know what it feels like to maintain ball control and dribble, keeping it away from other players and feeling the weight of the ball as you learn to control it without needing to observe yourself doing so. NBA 2K25 captures that authentically, adding additional support to an already-excellent gameplay foundation that goes back years.
While other gaming franchises might abandon concepts that don’t initially succeed, NBA 2K stands out for its commitment to refining and improving every aspect of its gameplay. This dedication is evident in the evolution of the ProPlay feature in NBA 2K24, which introduces a range of new animations designed to mirror the distinct styles of real-life basketball players. No two players on the court are the same, and NBA 2K25 aims to capture this diversity with enhanced player-specific animations, including unique jumpshots, signature moves, and authentic post-score celebrations.
Last season, fans expressed concerns over the game’s “green-or-miss” shooting mechanism, where shots would only succeed if perfectly timed. Responding to this feedback, NBA 2K24 offers two shooting modes. The first retains the high-stakes “green-or-miss” approach, rewarding precision and skill in challenging situations. The alternative mode, reminiscent of Madden’s “sim” style, provides a more forgiving shot attempt experience that factors in player positioning and defensive pressure.
This year’s game enhances player control by improving the user interface and the custom jumpshot creator. Gamers can now modify their shot meter’s appearance and position and craft a personalized jumpshot to match their gameplay style. These options increase accessibility and enjoyment, catering to both newcomers and veteran players.
For beginners or those looking to sharpen their skills, NBA 2K now includes a comprehensive training mode. The ‘Learn 2K’ feature offers a deep dive into basketball fundamentals and advanced techniques, accommodating everyone from novices to professionals looking for a practice space. This mode focuses on teaching essential skills and high-level strategies, ensuring players can master the game at their own pace.
This new feature is indeed a welcome addition, as sports games often become too complex over time since they assume most players are familiar with previous editions. With each game potentially being someone’s first introduction to the series, having such an extensive new player guide is beneficial.
For a long time, no other sports game has replicated the feel of a live TV broadcast as well as 2K has. This standard is maintained in 2K25. Although there might not be any spectacular new features in the presentation this year, it’s difficult to imagine how further improvements could be made. The series seems to have reached its peak in this area, a peak that is commendable, with no other game in this genre coming close to this level of achievement.
The commentary remains top-notch and as realistic as ever, setting the standard for video games. It features several commentary teams including the beloved Kevin Harlan. The commentary team maintains a lifelike feel, with a natural flow and detailed analysis that could make anyone think they’re listening to a real NBA broadcast. They reference previous games accurately and discuss NBA history and future key games, followed by interactive post-game press conferences where players answer questions from journalists.
During timeouts, the game transitions between strategic discussions led by coaches and players, and vibrant court-side entertainment featuring mascots and dance crews that energize the game during breaks. The overall atmosphere, including the score display, reactions from the crowd and commentators, remains extraordinary. While this excellence has been consistent for some time, it continues to be a highlight of the game.
Halftime shows in NBA 2K25 manage to be both humorous and engaging, making them a treat to watch. The program hops between various games, offering a mix of entertainment and insightful analysis on other matches and highlights. The in-game TV show, often a miss in other sports games like MLB The Show and Madden, hits the mark with engaging animations and discussions, such as debating historical league dynasties, making it too good to skip.
Unlike other sports titles, NBA 2K25 goes the extra mile with these features, ensuring they are intricate and enjoyable enough to keep players from pressing the skip button. From the beginning of the season with the Celtics, I found myself engrossed in the realistic championship-ring ceremony, enhancing my appreciation for basketball through its lifelike presentation and features.
MyNBA, the franchise-mode of NBA 2K25, remains a standout with its introduction of Eras. This innovative addition allows players to start their league journey in different historical decades, each authentically recreated with appropriate attire, playstyles, and presentation. The inclusion of the new Steph Curry Era continues to expand this feature, offering a contemporary starting point within the game and introducing elements like complex player contracts and a new tournament for the NBA Cup, albeit it’s the least nostalgic compared to past offerings.
NBA 2K has been developing its WNBA modes with more depth each year, and this year’s edition is the most comprehensive yet, although it still lags in some features compared to the men’s league. The increasing popularity of the WNBA, highlighted by esteemed rookies like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, is well represented in the game. The attention to quality presentation underscores the significance of this era in women’s basketball. In The W mode, similar to the men’s MyCareer, players can participate in press conferences as their custom athlete for the first time, emphasizing the pursuit of historical accolades and challenges to surpass the performances of notable rookies, aiming for the status of the WNBA’s greatest of all time.
The WNBA perspective offers a fresh learning experience compared to the more familiar historical explorations of the MyCareer mode. This fresh angle allows players to delve into the history and notable achievements within the women’s league through gameplay, such as Becky Hammon’s consecutive championships with Las Vegas. Press conferences in the game provide deeper insights into the league’s dynamics, aiding in understanding its evolving prominence, mirroring its real-life trajectory into greater visibility and relevance, adequately captured by 2K’s enhancements.
However, players cannot bring their WNBA character into the broader social areas of the game, a detail that highlights room for growth in the series. Yet, the substantial expansion of the WNBA modes suggests a significant commitment from the 2K team, offering as much content and depth as other leading sports games. This commitment is indicative of either enhanced or more effectively utilized resources to craft such an immersive experience.
The central appeal of the game lies in two interconnected features: MyPlayer and The City. MyPlayer allows users to craft their avatar, selecting from various RPG-style builds or tailor their skills in numerous categories such as dunking, three-point shooting, and vertical jumping. A mobile companion app enables users to add their own facial features to their character, a technology that has improved markedly over time. Initially, the results were less than ideal, but it has seen much better outcomes in recent years—a testament to technological advancements as shown here.
With MyPlayer, delve into the character’s background navigating through high school competitions, a FIBA World Cup game, and other pre-NBA experiences before entering a team in MyCareer mode. This mode is dedicated to progressing your avatar’s career. NBA 2K25 expands on previous features, allowing players to not only challenge historical NBA greats but also to establish a dynasty superior to iconic teams like the Showtime Lakers, LeBron’s Heat, or Curry’s Warriors.
Contrary to other sports games where the solo story mode is just a quick introduction to the main game, NBA 2K25 enriches this experience significantly. The game extends the solo career mode, making multiple NBA seasons thoroughly engaging. It emphasizes the difficulty of achieving NBA greatness while ensuring your victories and achievements are acknowledged through a simulated social feed, media commentary, and real-time interactions from other athletes congratulating you via direct messages.
Additionally, players have the opportunity to explore The City, a vast multiplayer social space filled with daily and weekly challenges, a variety of game modes, and numerous shopping outlets. After completing the main review, I find most of my engagement in The City due to its central role in the game’s community and diverse activities. However, the demanding nature of the daily and weekly challenges restricts my interest in purchasing a battle pass, as it would conflict with my available gaming time. This is in contrast to other live-service games where daily tasks are more manageable. NBA 2K25 demands more time, which can be overwhelming to the extent that I choose to ignore these commitments altogether. I sooner write off trying to keep up at all.
The City also offers a myriad of game modes and challenges. Players can engage in CPU boss battles against NBA legends, participate in 3v3 streetball matches, enhance their player’s skills and attributes at the gym, or compete in high-stakes Pro-Am matches with a team aiming to top the leaderboards.
As a gaming environment, The City outshines all other sports titles. Year after year, no other sports game can match its vibrant social hub, maintaining NBA 2K’s unique position as the premier annual sports title that offers a dynamic virtual gathering space for its community.
In previous editions, while I appreciated The City, I criticized its overt commercialism, resembling a dystopian shopping mall plastered with aggressive advertising. This year, however, the design shift towards a beach boardwalk theme cleverly mitigates that issue. The beach setting naturally assimilates commercial spaces, making the presence of various shops feel less intrusive. This subtle change in presentation reduces the feeling of being overwhelmed by advertisements, despite the same number of commercial options being available.
Despite these improvements, The City’s primary allure also highlights a significant drawback: the game’s pay-to-win structure. The same virtual currency used for aesthetic enhancements can also boost a player’s performance significantly, creating a skewed competitive landscape favoring those who spend more. Over time, NBA 2K has cultivated a community that seems resigned to this monetization strategy, which recurrently detracts from the game’s overall charm and fairness each year.
As I’ve critiqued NBA 2K’s self-sabotaging tendencies in past reviews, this year, I’ve expanded on these thoughts in a dedicated article, aiming to address the game’s ongoing issues with what amounts to large-scale transactions. Despite some improvement in matchmaking and team formation functionalities in NBA 2K25, the fundamental problems with its monetization tactics persist. You can read more about it here.
These actions address the symptoms of the game’s economic issues, but fail to completely rectify them even though a clear solution exists: preventing players from purchasing statistical enhancements. Adopting this strategy would inevitably result in significant financial loss for the publisher, which raises concerns that it may never be implemented. Although I’ve shared detailed perspectives on this topic in the provided link, it’s apparent that this issue tarnishes the otherwise stellar gameplay of NBA 2K25.
NBA 2K25 poses a challenge to critique, akin to describing a complex relationship on social media: it’s complicated. My additional insights in the related article heavily influence my final judgment, making this review essentially a two-part analysis. The game’s most glaring defect is its economic model, which deteriorates the overall quality, making it indefensible for anyone who doesn’t subscribe to a strictly meritocratic “greed is good” mindset.
Yet, everything else the game accomplishes is remarkable, both as a basketball simulator and compared to other offerings in the sports genre. NBA 2K25 executes numerous aspects exceptionally and distinctively. However, the game’s insistence on intertwining major features with in-game purchases prevents it from reaching its true potential.
