NBA 2K23 – Review

NBA 2K23 expands its scope while also doubling down on its nostalgic appeal, delivering a plethora of new features along with a slew of bugs. In this review of NBA 2K23, we’ll be looking at the game’s visuals, gameplay, and the new issues that have arisen since the game’s release.

NBA 2K23 is out now for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on current-gen systems and PS5 and Xbox Series X on next-gen systems, and it features a heavy dose of nostalgia. Multiple new game modes have been added that feed into players’ desire to relive classic moments from NBA history. The Jordan Challenge, which has made a comeback after being absent from recent NBA 2K games, is a strong contender. On the other hand, MyNBA Eras could be this year’s most significant new feature. Traditional league play requires players to painstakingly alter their settings in order to simulate the experience of playing in a specific era’s league. MyNBA Eras, on the other hand, lets users select an era, pick a team, and play MyNBA Association with the league of their choice, using the rosters, rules, and TV shows of that era.

Featuring a slew of throwback features, NBA 2K23 places a premium on realism. Significant progress was made in the realm of graphics last year. There has been almost no progress, if any at all, in terms of visuals this year. But that’s just because we’re putting a new spin on things this year. As a result, NBA 2K23 will likely be evaluated by many players based on how well it delivers on its promise of authenticity, which includes enhancements to The W. Of course, we’ll factor that in when reviewing NBA 2K23, but ultimately, we’ll be looking at the game as a whole to see if it lives up to expectations.

So, let’s take a close look at everything that NBA 2K23 has to offer, evaluate its various features, and assess the overall value of the product. Our first stop is the game’s most prominent addition this year…

For those familiar with WWE 2K games, the Jordan Challenge is similar to the game’s Showcase Mode, in that it centres around a single character, in this case Michael Jordan. The mode includes fifteen games that were pivotal in Michael’s rise to basketball greatness, from his 1982 NCAA title run with North Carolina to his 1998 Finals game-winning shot. Each one features an interview with someone who was close to Michael at that time and a video package that details Michael’s place in history. After that, players join Michael’s team and take on missions and challenges together in the game. All players will be encouraged to complete all challenges because doing so will result in rewards in the game modes MyCAREER and MyTEAM.

In the Jordan Challenge, you play as a team, but the goals are all about Michael (like “Score 16 points with MJ” or “Register 7 rebounds with MJ”). You can certainly “live as Michael Jordan” by locking your control to a single position and playing primarily as him, but I had originally planned to play exclusively as MJ for the duration of this challenge. This is a minor criticism and an unfulfilled expectation, but it should not be taken as a reflection on the mode as a whole.

Visual Concepts went above and beyond to ensure an authentic presentation by using period-appropriate TV filters, costumes, arenas, team logos, and even rules. In addition, players can count on authentic rosters from the eras represented, so if you’d rather not have Michael Jordan take over the 1982 NCAA Finals, James Worthy can do so just like he did in real life.

One issue with NBA 2K23’s attempt at realism is that there is simply too much ground to cover, a point that will be revisited in the following paragraph. While we may be able to get historically accurate rosters, 2K’s inability to create photorealistic models and portraits for all of the teams involved means they will likely be underrepresented in the game. Unfortunately, we won’t get to hear Bob Costas, Isiah Thomas, or Doug Collins call Game 6 of the 1998 Finals because 2K’s regular commentary team will be doing the job throughout. Though it would be unreasonable to demand that 2K secure the necessary rights for these commentators and actually convince them to redo their calls for all of Jordan’s 15 games, this is a glaring omission in NBA 2K23’s attempt at realism.

All MyNBA configurations, regardless of game year, benefit from these updated fundamentals. These include new RPG skill trees, simplified menus for managing employees, and a reworked RPG system that gives players more control over how they interact with their franchise and its staff. Better user interface, menus, and simulation presentation are just some of the other ways the game mode has been upgraded. MyNBA has a more streamlined appearance and feel this year, and the simulation speed has been improved as a result, allowing for shorter simulation times and less throttle when simulating for longer periods.

It’s also important to note that NBA 2K23’s equivalent game mode does not have the problems that Madden NFL 23’s did. Thankfully, the game’s AI knows better than to waive superstars and instead offers them better contracts during Free Agency. Because of this, the game can boast an improved and more engaging association mode, one in which players face off against skilled GMs.

The only drawback here is that the historical figures aren’t always portrayed accurately. One advantage of the Eras is that even the most obscure players on each team’s bench have been accurately represented. The player models and portraits for many of the players (even the obscure ones) don’t look good and realistic, which is a major letdown. For example, when I played as the Spurs in the 2002 season, I was disappointed to see such unflattering depictions of Manu Ginobili and Steve Kerr in my game. The models are fine; 2K reuses them from years past for the most part, but there’s no excuse for the way the game’s portraits of some of the game’s classic stars look now. Maybe they could have used old pictures from the archives instead. It would have been preferable if that had happened.

This year’s MyCAREER adds depth to the story by giving the player a rival in the form of Shem Owens. Like previous years, the game begins with a player being drafted, but this time they get to pick which team they join. The media and fans alike have criticised the winning team for selecting the player in the first round, arguing that Shem Owens, who also plays the same position, would have been a better choice. Both Owens and his rival, the MyPLAYER, MP, were drafted in quick succession, but the former was selected at the expense of the latter. Owens took offence to this and railed against the media and MP all day long. The onus is now on the player to make his or her own way and demonstrate that the team’s faith in them was well placed.

The Leadership System, introduced this year, has replaced the takeover system of previous years. As in previous years, Takeover returns this year, albeit in a more limited capacity; players can earn both a Primary and Secondary Takeover Perk. The player has three Takeover bars that fill up as they play well on the court. The second takeover bar represents the primary perk, and the third represents Team Takeover. The second bar begins to fill as soon as the first is fully charged, and so on. Whenever at least one bar is full, the player has the option of pressing R3 to activate Takeover, which will empty the higher-tier Takeover and grant the player a boost.

The Leadership System, meanwhile, influences the player’s development both on and off the court. A player can choose between the Trailblazer and the General options before important matches in the game. The player’s reputation among fans, the press, and teammates shifts depending on which path they choose. The selected Leadership Perk also provides the player with a challenge to complete during the game that, if successful, will benefit the player and his team for a certain number of possessions.

Having only two choices for how to react to events isn’t exactly role-playing at its finest, but I like this Leadership System because it helps define the player’s character. However, the Leadership System encourages me to switch up my playstyle from game to game, which helps prevent the monotony that can set in over time.

Away from the hardwood, I think this year’s versions of G.O.A.T. Boat and The City are outstanding improvements over their predecessors. The previous year’s attention was on the ostentatious: a city too large and a ship too large. This year’s iteration of The Neighborhood on both consoles is superior to last year’s in every conceivable way: it’s more condensed, so there’s less walking involved in getting from one place to another, and everything is easier to find and access.

Like last year, the game’s open world, known as “The Neighborhood,” offers players a wide range of side missions and activities that can net them not only cosmetic rewards but also virtual currencies, MyTEAM packs, and even off-court professions like music and fashion design. I suppose some fans would still be tempted to buy VC to speed up their progress, though, because VC farming is just as stingy this year as it was last year, if not stingier.

Finally, I’d like to point out that, instead of saving animations to a save file, the animation store now stores them in your account. This means that you can spend your VC on an animation once and use it across all of your MyPLAYERs. We really like that improvement and wish it would be carried over into future versions of NBA 2K.

MyTEAM is back, and it hasn’t been changed a whole lot from before. The basic gameplay is unchanged, but there are three key changes: Clutch Time is back, and this time it’s playable solo. Two, you no longer have to renew your Permanent Cards annually. Therefore, Free Agents will still be restricted to a set number of plays, while the rest of the roster is open for repeat use. You can now send your unused player cards to “quests” that will render them useless for a period of time thanks to the Exhibition system. At the end of each quest, players will be able to claim their rewards. The kinds of cards that can be sent in response to this Exhibition’s call fall within a narrow range. The player’s unused cards won’t just sit in their digital collector albums collecting virtual dust if they participate in an Exhibition. Aside from this, the game’s central gameplay loop remains unchanged: win games to accumulate rewards that will improve your dream team, which you’ll then use to accomplish progressively more challenging rewards. Dominance and Triple Threat are both back.

The speed with which packs can be opened has been significantly increased this year compared to last, marking a major improvement over the previous year. Still, it’s a pain that you have to open each individual pack one by one when you have a lot of them waiting to be opened. Unfortunately, the Vault still opens painfully slowly in this mode, which will waste even more of your time over the course of your playthrough. With any luck, Visual Concepts will be able to eliminate these distractions, making game time much more pleasant. Don’t make us waste our time with endless animations that accomplish nothing and are boring to watch just because you’re giving us rewards.

Triple Threat now features a cooperative multiplayer mode where you and a friend can team up to take on the computer in exciting new ways. It’s a pain to coordinate games with friends, so I don’t see this as a regular part of my gaming routine. If I can play online without having to worry about finding a partner, I will almost always do so.

In general, though, it seems more challenging to earn reward cards this year than in previous years. The grind seems longer than usual this year, as each team requires a large number of collectibles to gain access to their star players. Another change is that instead of exchanging your reward tokens for packs or unique player cards, you can now redeem them for cards from the teams’ base set. There is a greater sense of tedium in the long run due to the greater variety of rewards that arrive at a steady pace so that you are always unlocking something new.

While we’re glad to see The W back this year, we can’t help but feel that Career Mode: The W was an afterthought. While fewer people play this mode than MyCAREER, that could change if The W was just as interesting. A non-WNBA fan might not get much out of the W Career Mode because it feels like the story mode from an old PlayStation Portable version of NBA 2K, but it’s still a lot of fun to play.

Furthermore, I’d like for The W to be included in MyTEAM in the not-too-distant future. However, this wish opens a can of worms, as collecting is already tedious this year without the WNBA, and if 2K rushes to implement The W in MyTEAM, things could get even grindy and cluttered. Perhaps what the WNBA needs is its own unique MyTEAM ecosystem. Ultimately, any improvement to the WNBA’s representation in future 2K games would be welcome and would aid in bringing more attention to the league.

The emphasis last year was on defence, while this year it is on offence. A few adjustments were made to defence, the most notable being the addition of a zone HUD for on-ball defence, which shows the player whether or not the player in front of them or to either side of them is well-covered. Even though it’s a welcome improvement, this doesn’t seem all that significant in the grand scheme of things.

Meanwhile, professional stick play has become more intricate. Although the new shot metre will be noticeable to those who prefer it, players who are comfortable using only the button to take shots and dunk will not notice many changes this season. However, if you play with the pro stick, your player will have access to even more spectacular moves. A bit of practise is required, but once you’ve got the hang of the new pro stick system, you’ll be able to pull off some seriously impressive moves.

The new shot metre requires some adjustment time as well. Again, this is a neat feature that we hope will remain in future iterations of the game, and it’s great that we have the option to play with other shot metres from previous iterations so that we can use whatever is most comfortable for us.

Meanwhile, this year’s game has an odd sound design. It’s a strange design choice — or maybe just an oversight — that many of the animations for claiming rewards and the like don’t have any accompanying sound. Some game modes, like Triple Threat, have strangely low volume levels by default.

This year’s lighting is also off in a few spots; for example, some courts appear darker than usual. Some NBA arenas have this problem, and I’ve noticed it in Triple Threat the most because of the low lighting.

Final Thoughts on NBA 2K23

However, NBA 2K23 is still too similar to NBA 2K22, even with the added nostalgia. This has positive and negative aspects for a variety of reasons. This bodes well in that it indicates the game’s stability, high quality, and familiarity to returning players. Bad in the sense that there is little incentive to spend another $60 this year if you spent $60 last year, even if you are a huge Jordan fan or think the MyNBA Era looks great. Not that NBA 2K23 is a bad game; it just doesn’t offer enough new features to warrant a second purchase. If you don’t mind waiting a year between NBA 2K games, you can play MyPLAYER for another year in NBA 2K22.