The one thing we'll say is that a number of the game's cartoons are beginning to show their age, and there's still work 2K Sports may do to emulate actual basketball here. Evidently, this is already a very fluid game, but the improved visuals do highlight a few bizarre or unusual animation alterations that detract from the overall illusion.
Actually, these issues are equally prevalent out of gameplay, during timeouts and half-time, when players stare lifelessly into the ether through lifeless eyes. As you can still choose to go to college as in the PS4 match, now you can also decide to play 10 games at the G-League before making it into the NBA. You will earn more VC -- that the game's virtual money -- should you elect to take this route, but the games are obviously harder for your under-specced avatar.
U can tell that Visual Concepts is having a good deal of fun. In fact, there's an entire sequence at which you are going to face off against the protagonists from previous NBA 2K tales, which is the kind of fan-service we can get behind. There are moments when the plot does seem to drag on -- like a random encounter with Zion Williamson -- but it is entertaining enough overall. Of course, it all paves the way into The City, which is that the next-gen game's development of this Neighbourhood. It's impressive in scale, but it seems dead due to the restricted amount of people on each host, and unless you bunny out VC for a skateboard or bicycle, navigation is slow to the point where you'll forget where you were going and why.
In fact, The City simply serves to highlight a number of the franchise's weaker elements. Everything costs VC, so if you would like to practice free throws on your own then you'll need to buy a basketball or if you want to lease a courtroom to perform uninterrupted with your pals then you will need to pay. It's possible to earn the digital currency from performing practically anything from the sport, but as it's also needed to level up your player, you are going to end up in this continuous moral quandary about where you should invest the cash.
It will not help that the gameplay itself feels loose when you're playing online. We have felt this around NBA 2K for some time now, but there is a definite difference between the internet play and the offline encounter; you eliminate a lot of the tightness that the gameplay is constructed upon, and it just ends up feeling somewhat sloppy. We like the addition of an onboarding path for novices, but it still feels like unless you dedicate your life into the game then you are going to have smoked. Dedicate your life for this game you could, however -- there is simply a lot to do.