The new Backyard Baseball is an overly optimized version of itself, capitalizing on nostalgic affection instead of paying full respect to why it was earned in the first place.
The new Flow State mechanic is a slight misstep, but EA Sports UFC 6's collection of gripping and carefully crafted stories in Hall of Legends and The Legacy make this a celebration of MMA unlike any before it.
NBA The Run plays more like a distant descendant of the NBA Street series than a successor, which isn’t a bad thing.
“Ball Over Everything” is a fitting description for NBA 2K26. The smooth on-court action is better than ever and MyCareer’s excellent started-from-the-bottom journey to the pros story make it so the imperfections are easier to ignore.
A handful of improvements mean NBA 2K25 has a few tricks up its sleeve to be pleasantly surprised by this year, even as many long-term issues continue.
Following the innovative and pleasantly surprising NBA 2K23, I expected Visual Concepts to build upon its success and introduce even more improvements with its latest entry in the long-running basketball series. But instead of mirroring the Black Mamba's gradual rise to permanent relevancy, NBA 2K24 sadly feels like a stop-gap – a quick hit to temporarily satisfy diehard fans. If this continues, the series could veer closer to a forgettable imitation of Kobe's signature move: a fadeaway into obscurity.
Overall, NBA 2K23 is a fitting tribute to the historical legends and iconic moments that made this sport what it is today. Though the game has its fair share of issues with its poor narrative choices and omnipresent microtransactions, it’s still a solid improvement over the previous game. This year’s release isn’t quite the flashy free-throw line dunk that lands a perfect score, but it is a worthy, all-around effort that would earn M.J.’s shrug of approval.