I’ll admit, NBA 2K18 fooled me.
During the first week or so that I had the game, it played well. I only noticed a few minor issues. However, as I began to log hours in a variety of modes and a multitude of patches made its way to consoles, the cracks started to show.
In short, the game wasn’t as good as I initially thought. In fact, I wish I could take my review score back. It was more of a 7.5 than a 9 after all of the patches and exploits.
This can happen sometimes when you’re evaluating a game this big in 48-72 hours. As I prepared to evaluate NBA 2K19, I was intent on not allowing the same thing to happen this year. If NBA 2K19 gets a solid review, it will be because it has earned the mark.
I’ve played every mode and done my best to dissect each inch of this year’s title, and it’s pretty darn good.
Brilliant Motion and Improved Physics
One of my biggest gripes with NBA 2K18 was its collision detection. Clipping was a MAJOR issue and mismatches didn’t feel as if the bigger or quicker man had much of an advantage. In NBA 2K19, the series’ signature animations are in effect, but there is a noticeably higher regard for body contact. Bigger and stronger players have an appropriate edge and the strength rating is as important as it has ever been.
Ball physics have also been touched up. Rebounding is so much better. It seems far less random with success more based on positioning, size, and well-timed jumps. In 2K18, there were too many instances where the ball seemed to bounce weirdly when a ballhandler used turbo. I can’t recall seeing that happen once in my time with 2K19. The game doesn’t take massive steps when it comes to player models or even faces, but by cleaning up the action, 2K19 looks and plays a lot better than 2K18.
The Smartest Hoops Sports Game I’ve Ever Played
I said this in a blog a few weeks back, but I thought it was cool, so I’ll say it again. A.I. in a sports video game is like the O-Line on a football team. It rarely gets the credit it deserves when the team has success, but without it, almost everything falls apart.
With the seemingly endless freelance offenses and scripted plays, the offensive A.I. in NBA 2K was already exceptional. In 2K19, the defensive A.I. has taken significant strides and this is another huge reason the gameplay has improved. I’m not just talking about single-player traditional or head-to-head play.
Even the NBA games in MyCAREER are more challenging and entertaining because of the realistic behaviors of A.I-controlled players in the halfcourt and in transition. Whether you’re someone who calls plays and is love with the playart that shows up on the screen, or a player who likes to run with freelance looks the entire game, you probably won’t find another sports game with players that behave more logically.
The balance between offense and defense is finally there.
Much Lighter Dependency on Microtransactions
The biggest community complaint about NBA 2K18 was its strong encouragement to have gamers purchase virtual currency to upgrade their MyPlayers. VC is still a part of the game, and it’ll likely never go away, but the dependency has been greatly reduced.
Haircuts in the new Neighborhood, which I’ll discuss a little later, are free, and there are so many opportunities in almost every mode to earn VC. It also comes in bigger chunks than it has in the past. If you purchased the 20th Anniversary Edition, and you played consistently for a solid week, it’s very possible to have your character up to an 85 or 90. I haven’t been able to concentrate solely on the game or grinding one character, and I’m already a 75 without buying any VC.
That was almost unheard of in NBA 2K18. It’s clear 2K heard the cries of their fans and responded with a more consumer-friendly VC structure.
The Offline Create-A-Player Tool Has Been Upgraded…In a Major Way
The offline CAP tool in NBA 2K18 was atrocious. There was no way the development team could bring that same tool back again in NBA 2K19. Thankfully, they didn’t and this year’s version has face sculpting, the ability to alter the length of most of the hairstyles, facial hair, stubble, and the Player DNA feature.
The latter allows you to create and share single players rather than entire rosters as it has been in the past. For example, if I created a killer version of Charles Barkley and shared it on 2K Share, you could download it and add it to any of your rosters. You could also choose to add just the physical appearance while maintaining your own attributes and tendencies, or vice versa.
With this tool fans have been given in 2K19, it’s safe for roster creators to return to their passion.
MyTEAM’s Major Upgrades
Almost every single game mode in the NBA 2K universe saw changes and noteworthy upgrades.
MyTEAM might have undergone the most drastic changes. A new 3-on-3 mode called Triple Threat was introduced. It combines the feel of PARK, but with NBA players and more of a sim feel than you get on the virtual concrete.
This feature challenges you to take your top three players and pit them against other human opponents and their three-best cards. There’s also Triple Threat against the CPU. It functions a bit like Domination, which is also back and streamlined.
In Triple Threat against the CPU, you are challenged to defeat the best trios in NBA history as well as threes from today’s game. Per 2K, there will be tournaments conducted in Triple Threat in the coming weeks and months.
The single-player challenges are also back and they are plentiful. There are 36 to start and that number will grow throughout the season as more content is added to MyTEAM.
On the multiplayer side, there are now new weekly challenges in head-to-head competition with rewards up for grabs. You can also play an unranked game against your friends. Perhaps the biggest addition to MyTEAM is the new Unlimited mode. You put together your best team from top to bottom and compete in 5-v-5 gameplay. Within that structure, there’s a new eSports incentive as the MyTEAM Unlimited games serve as qualifiers for a tournament that will see one person earn $250,000 for emerging victorious.
MyGM and MyLeague Are Predictably Stellar
Every year MyGM and MyLeague are the best modes in the 2K Universe. This year, other parts of the game are almost as strong, but the franchise concepts still shine brightly. MyGM has two different experiences. You can go through a story mode similar to last year’s, only this time you’re in charge of an expansion team. The other experience is more straightforward without the story, but you’ll have a similar set of control.
It’s still great for the franchise mode lover who doesn’t really want all of the customizations that MyLeague offers.
MyLeague has gotten even bigger and in the process, it has widened the gap between it and every other franchise mode concept. With the improved CAP tool and Player DNA, sophisticated roster creation only augments the experience the most creative MyLeaguers can have.
To sweeten the deal, the feature now gives gamers access to historic draft classes. During your MyLeague seasons, in addition to using fictional and user-created draft classes, you will also have access to the 1960, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1974 and 1976-2017 rookie crops. Essentially, you can almost recreate basketball history.
There are some holes in the draft classes because of licensing issues (meaning no Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller, and others), but you can still edit the historic draft classes to fill in the gaps. Add to that three-team trades, even more, realistic NBA salary rules and MyLeague is again insanely good.
MyPARK Tightens Its Game
Last but not least, we have The Neighborhood 2.0.
Last year’s Neighborhood launched with some technical issues and that dulled the impact of what was truly a groundbreaking concept and partial achievement. This version of The Neighborhood feels like everything last years was supposed to be and more. PARK is back with more courts, and themes. It seems as if games start quicker too, but that may be because the full hit on the server hasn’t taken place.
The gameplay on the street courts feels so smooth. The new gameplay forces you to have a bit more skill on the sticks, and that should make PARK more playable for some fans who might have never given the more arcadey streetball version much of a chance.
A New Crew
Yet another 3-on-3 mode is being introduced in 2K19, and it’s called Crew. It’s not like the previous feature with the same title, which evolved into Pro-Am. However, you are allowed to customize your own uniforms, which aren’t limited to a jersey and shorts. Hoodies, t-shirts and more can make up your team’s uni.
There will also be a tournament scene for this mode in the coming months, per 2K.
Pro-Am Goes Private
Pro-Am is back, and so too is Jordan Rec Center. The vastly improved gameplay can be felt in these 5-v-5 human modes too.
After a hiatus for a few years, the JRC returns by popular demand. The look is almost identical to what it was previously, and that doesn’t seem to be a coincidence. This version of 2K seemed to be a dedication and almost a peace offering to a disgruntled fanbase. Making the modes interfaces and menus reminiscent of past, more favorably viewed versions of 2K was a smart presentational move.
The best thing about Pro-Am this year is that it now features private matchmaking. That option, which works with a password, allows for easy scheduling and for fans to run their own Pro-Am leagues without issue.
New Mini-Games Are Fun And Don’t Cheapen The Experience
In addition to all of the usual basketball and mildly social aspects of the Neighborhood, there’s also the Cages where Slam Ball (basketball with trampolines) takes place. Purists will turn their noses up at this concept, but I’ve tried it and must admit, it’s a fun diversion. It appears that’s all it was really meant to be.
The Neighborhood now also has dodgeball, trivia and another mini-games. It truly feels like you’re in a virtual hoops carnival. If you stay long enough, you’ll see day turn to night with the game’s accelerated time system.
MyCAREER Story
It’s easy to forget something in this treasure chest of options, but the MyCAREER story shouldn’t be left out.
There is a new, far less annoying story this year–and thankfully, you can skip the cutscenes. Your player starts his career in China and has to work his way into the NBA. There are contract negotiations with teams and sponsors as well as cutscenes that won’t make you cringe–if you choose to watch them. Thanks to the improved A.I. the actual games on your MyCAREER journey are more fun.
It makes the grind more enjoyable.
Moving on to the Bad
Quite honestly, there isn’t much to complain about with this game, but I have picked out 5 mostly minor issues. On a scale of 1-10, only 1 of them would register a score of 6 or higher on the issue scale.
No Women in MyCareer
It’s time for NBA 2K to make the move with female characters. It has to be done well so that it doesn’t look cheesy, and the presentation can’t underwhelming. There are so many women and girls who play the NBA 2K series and it’s only right for them to see themselves in the game.
If 2K really wanted to blow this concept out of the water, it could have a separate MyCAREER story just for its female lead character.
Many of the Legend Faces Need An Upgrade
Most of the player faces in NBA 2K19 are done well, but the guys on the legends teams are hit and miss, with far too many in the latter category. Hopefully, we’ll see the 2K dev team upgrade the heads of legends like George McInnis, Mitch Richmond, World B. Free, Sean Elliott, and others during this release cycle or for NBA 2K20.
No Tattoos in Offline CAP
While the offline CAP tool is vastly improved, you still can’t give your creation any tattoos. I know that it could increase load times and the size of the game overall, but this is something that needs to get done. Ideally, you’d be able to upload images the way you can in WWE 2K.
No Draft Mode in MyTEAM
Pack and Play was a mess in NBA 2K18, but I wish 2K hadn’t scrapped the entire draft concept in MyTEAM. I still believe basketball is the perfect sport for a draft within a collector mode. Unfortunately, no developer/publisher has mastered it.
The Halftime Show Needs An Update
There are a lot of nice presentation elements in NBA 2K19, but the halftime show is still disconnected and it holds no extra value within MyGM and MyLeague. There are a few concepts 2K could explore to make this more memorable. Hopefully, it is something the devs can dedicate some time to for NBA 2K20.
Because of the way NBA 2K18 fell off last year, I tried to find the potential for major problems further into NBA 2K19‘s release cycle, but I couldn’t. Whether you’re a person who plays single-player, multiplayer, offline or online, this is the most complete sports game I’ve ever played. There is no such thing as a perfect sports game, but this is as close as it gets.
Publisher: 2K Sports
Platforms: PS4 (version reviewed), Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch
Release Date: September 7, 2018 (Early Access with 20th Anniversary Edition Pre-Order) September 11, 2018, full release
Price: $59.99 for Standard Edition and $99.99 for 20th Anniversary Edition
Score: 9.5/10
Disclaimer: Review code was provided for coverage purposes
