Developer: Visual Concepts
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X (Reviewed)|S, Xbox One
Genre: Simulation, Sports
Publisher: 2k
The first impressions of NBA 2K21 is a visual feast that will behold you. I’m a rookie at NBAs game and in general, I was impressed by the game. Off the bat, I don’t understand the full mechanics and rules of basketball so my view is how the game plays from a limited understanding of basketball.
I haven’t played an NBA 2K game in a long time, I’m new to the franchise. I found the realism and the mechanics of the game super smooth. I kept coming back for more. The visuals maintained a solid 60 fps at 4k with ray tracing support, the game moves slickly and has a good feel. It’s a mixture of next-gen graphics, with the solid player likeness and little slow down when playing offline. Load times were super quick and once in-game, I didn’t feel much of the annoyance of loading. It plays well once you understand the controls and how it plays, I had to do a few tutorials and practice games before I could actually play it. All the stars from the league are there. There is also a host of game modes such as MyCareer and MyTeam.
The MyCareer and MyTeam modes are heavy on the monetisation and microtransactions. I never liked the career modes in sports, the game, I feel the attempt to mix drama and sport through a narrative odd. I find it cringe. To be honest the story of the MyCareer mode is fairly cheesy but the path of progressing from high school basketball to college and the draft is a nice addition.
The MyTeam mode allows you to build your team and build up as you see fit, I have played the similar game modes in Fifa and I just don’t enjoy this, I much prefer playing with the current crop of teams. I’m not a massive fan of microtransactions so it’s also not my thing.
Online play, I found online gameplay a bit hit and miss, some games had little lag and others quite a bit. When there were no lag or internet issues, I did enjoy getting beat online quite a bit.
NBA 2K21 is lots of fun but I haven’t been up to date with the series for a while. I love sports and the dynamics of a sports game, for me it was nice to revisit basketball and play something enjoyable and different to football. The core gameplay of basketball is something I kept re-visiting, the online modes were a bonus. If you like building up your team or building up yourself a player then the MyGamer and MyTeam will have you hooked.
Overall: 7/10
Enjoys more than the odd game, long time gamer, somewhat a technologist and everything else in between.
Also enjoys a good solid game of FIFA online. Currently PS4, XBOX 360 and STEAM.
