The best time of the year is finally upon us! A new NBA 2K game is here, and a new NBA season is just around the corner. Wow, what a great time to be a basketball fan!
That would be something I'd have said back in 2015 or 2016, and while the NBA is undoubtedly more interesting right now, the same can't be said about NBA 2K.
The saying, 'You never know how good you have it till it's gone,' rings true for the NBA 2K franchise. A decade ago, 2K was a trailblazer with NBA 2K; now, it's a shadow of its former self, marred by the relentless push of VC.
It's not the developers' fault, but it's hard not to feel disappointed. NBA 2K25 had the potential to be a fantastic sports game, but the issue of microtransactions has overshadowed it.
In video games, like in any industry, cash is king. Unfortunately, because of that, companies try to monetize their products as much as possible, especially when it comes to sports games. At least on that front, NBA 2K is leading the way.
NBA 2K25 could have been a great game, perhaps one of the best of the franchise in the past decade. Unfortunately, microtransactions and other niggles prevented that from happening.
Let's find out why that is in our NBA 2K25 review.
Reviewed on Xbox Series X. Review copy provided by the publisher.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
I want to start this review positively since I will have many negative things to point out later.
The NBA 2K25 gameplay feels fantastic, delivering the most authentic basketball experience ever. Player movement looks realistic, the AI is much smarter on both sides of the court and makes better decisions, shooting was vastly improved, and dribbling also feels better.
Signature Go-To Shots were a great addition, making the gameplay more immersive and enjoyable.
The five new shot timing options, based on real player %, low, normal, and high risk/reward, allow players to choose the best shot profile. The options cater to both new and veteran players.
As mentioned above, the AI was improved, with players having better floor spacing, being quick to react to switches and double teams, and being better at creating their shoots.
Furthermore, the AI difficulty level was also improved, and the AI will do all the things mentioned above faster and better at higher difficulty levels.
This makes the offline gameplay experience in NBA 2K25 the best it has been in a long time. Finally, playing against the CPU in MyNBA, MyCAREER, or any other offline mode is actually fun.
A Pay-to-Win Career
As surprising as it may sound, this year's MyCAREER mode has some improvements. The storyline is much better than last year's, with more realistic interactions between characters, well-crafted dialogue, and great voice acting.
Unfortunately, this is where the good points end. MyCAREER continues to be a pay-to-win mode, where if you don't get VC to upgrade your character attributes, you will struggle in offline and online games.
Playing as a 60 overall in the NBA is extremely hard, and it's almost impossible in the park, as no one will want to play with you. High overall players would love to play against three 60 characters in the park; it's an easy win and a way to pad their stats.
Earning VC is extremely slow and painful. You need at least 190K VC to upgrade to an 85 OVR, and it will take an insane amount of hours grinding to get to that amount without spending actual money on VC.
What's worst is that when you finally collect enough VC to upgrade to 85 OVR, most players will already have a 90+ rating, so no-money-spent players will always be at a considerable disadvantage. But attributes aren't the only thing players need to spend VC on. Players also need to spend VC to have certain animations, such as dribble moves.
It's not fair, nor does it make sense, that players need to spend $50 or more on top of buying the game to upgrade their characters and be competitive online.
This predatory tactic is designed to "force players" to get their credit cards out to be competitive in the park and enjoy the full potential of the MyPLAYER build they created.
The City is smaller, and that's great, as it makes navigating easier. New modes, like Proving Grounds, allow players to compete.
However, all of this feels meaningless since microtransactions still dominate the mode, and unfortunately, that seems unlikely to change anytime soon.
MyCASINO
If MyCAREER is a microtransactions-reliant mode, I don't know how to describe MyTEAM. Well, I do. It's MyCasino, and it's actually on the header above, so I'm moving on.
MyCasino, sorry, MyTEAM introduces some entertaining modes this year. Showdown lets players compete for rewards, while Breakout is a new game mode for offline players, where they can earn rewards.
The holy grail of MyTEAM is the brand-new Triple Threat Park, where you now have to wait for a spot to open if you want to play a simple Triple Threat game.
But that's not all. Upon booting up Triple Threat Park, you can go to the MyTEAM pack market to spend some VC yet again to improve your lineup.
MyTEAM is all about spending as much VC as possible to open packs with ridiculously low odds, hoping to pull a great card that will be outdated in one or two weeks. Then, simply repeat the circle when a new pack comes out.
While LMFAO and Lil Jon say "shots, shots, shots," 2K says "packs, packs, packs." MyTEAM is yet another pay-to-win mode, where players need to spend money for packs to upgrade their teams and be on an even footing with other players.
You even need to pay for the Season Pass since rewards are locked behind a paywall. The worst part is that you can pay to skip levels, so even the Season Pass is pay-to-complete. It's astonishing just how many microtransactions are in this mode.
But wait, there is one good piece of news: the Auction House is back! Unfortunately, the 10% tax is still in place, so I guess there are two things certain in an NBA 2K game: microtransactions and taxes.
A New Mode that Delivers the Same Old Experience
MyGM returned in NBA 2K25, for current-gen at least. While the changes looked exciting, especially the addition of the MyGM building, the mode delivers the same old experience.
Apart from the ability to walk around the MyGM building and talk with your star player or your coach, everything else feels the same. Some of the dialogue is surprising, to say the least.
For example, my team governor said he had made a bet with the governor of a rival team and that if we lost the season series to them, he would need to make an embarrassing video for social media.
Having a bet with a rival governor makes sense, but something like "If we lose, I will have to pay for dinner every time we meet" would also feel more realistic. The option of forgetting the betting aspect and having a simple "Please win; otherwise, I won't hear the end of it" also feels more realistic.
MyGM plays very much like MyNBA but without the Eras feature. It's not bad, but it's not great. It's just okay, which is disappointing since the mode is returning, and players were expecting something more.
Speaking of MyNBA, apart from the addition of the Steph Era and some minor presentation changes, the mode is also very similar to last year. But that isn't necessarily bad, as MyNBA continues to have the best franchise mode in sports games despite not being perfect.
However, it's a shame that some crucial players of the Steph Era, like Andre Iguodala, aren't in the game, making the mode feel less immersive. It would also be great to see 2K introduce some significant features to the mode in future editions to make it feel fresh.
A Solid Mode That Continues to Be Looked Down Upon
The W is a solid mode, but sadly, most new features, such as voiced press conferences or the "Become the GOAT" feature, last year's MyCAREER theme, have been in MyCAREER for years.
The MyPLAYER builder in The W is nowhere near as good as the new builder for MyCAREER. However, having the option to choose your career background, even if there are only two options, is a good feature and something that MyCAREER should implement.
Unfortunately, you still can't use your The W character in the park, which makes no sense. It is something that 2K should have added to the game by now.
The W continues to take steps in the right direction and is an enjoyable game mode.
Learn 2K is Fantastic
One of the main goals of NBA 2K25 was to be an accessible game, and they managed to do just that with the introduction of the Learn 2K mode.
I need to give credit where credit is due. Learn 2K is a fantastic way to help new players become familiar with NBA 2K and basketball. It helps new players learn all the game's basic mechanics and can also be helpful for veterans who want to sharpen some areas of their game.
The best thing is that Learn 2K does all this while being fun, with many mini-games that help players learn or master game mechanics while having a great time.
2K had done a great job with a similar mode in TopSpin 2K25, called TopSpin Academy, and replicated that success with Learn 2K.
Verdict
NBA 2K25 has excellent gameplay and feels exactly like a sports simulation game should: realistic yet fun. The W is a solid mode that delivers an exciting and entertaining experience, especially if you are a WNBA fan. Despite its flaws, MyNBA remains the best franchise mode in sports games.
However, microtransactions play a massive role in the game, especially in online modes. It's impossible to truly enjoy MyTEAM or MyCAREER without spending money. If you don't buy VC, you will always be at a disadvantage, playing with a weak lineup on MyTEAM or a subpar character in the park.
The Season Pass has rewards locked behind a paywall. The best cards in MyTEAM can only be earned in packs in most cases. To upgrade your MyPLAYER attributes, you need to buy VC or grind for an unreasonable amount of time in a game mode that doesn't even encourage grinding since it's pay-to-win.
Learn 2K is a great feature, but it doesn't transform the game into a masterpiece.
Without microtransactions and with some smaller adjustments, NBA 2K25 could have been a fantastic game, maybe even take a huge step into a new golden age of NBA 2K. Instead, it's just another sports game ruined by microtransactions and another chapter in the dark age of the NBA 2K franchise.
