Alley-oops.
Basketball is a sporting juggernaut, with the NBA alone being worth upwards of ninety billion dollars, around four times the worth of the Premier League. With such a huge interest comes a huge demand for fans to recreate that experience at home. Since 2005, the NBA2K series has been the top dog on the court for basketball simulation, with this year’s entry, NBA 2K24, hoping to do the same.
Unfortunately, this year’s edition fails to capture the excitement and adrenaline of being courtside at an NBA game. Gameplay stops and starts intermittently between timeouts, cutscenes, and fouls taking some time to carry out, and quarters can feel like they drag on. Once gameplay begins, it can be fun to put plays together and make game winning dunks, but opportunities for proper excitement are few and far between. I found myself shortening the quarter lengths and increasing game speed while playing couch co-op to remain engaged.
Similar to last year’s Jordan Challenge mode, 2K players can go through Mamba Moments, a gamemode which puts you in the shoes of the late Kobe Bryant, challenging players to recreate some of the most iconic milestones in the Laker’s career, ranging from his record-breaking 2001 Western Conference final performance, to the Laker’s legendary comeback in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals.
See you on the court in #NBA2K24 ?
NBA 2K24 is officially live ? Happy #2KDay
Get it now: https://t.co/43QdvNIowv pic.twitter.com/sFLt8idEMc
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) September 8, 2023
MyCareer has undergone a major revamp, focusing more on player progression and skill over a narrative-based storyline. After creating your avatar, players can complete challenges to try and be the greatest player of all time, with options to choose sneaker deals, promotional opportunities, and playstyles, all within a hub world with other players. However, an over-reliance on microtransactions means that unless you’re willing to fork out some cash, creating your dream player could be a bit of a grind.
Overall, if you’ve enjoyed previous NBA 2K’s gameplay, you’ll probably enjoy this too. If you’re looking to get into the series for the first time, however, you may want to give it a miss.
NBA 2K24 is available on Playstation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC from €59.99 to €99.99.
