Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Plenty of Modes
Spectacular Graphics
Extensive Microtransactions
Delivering another standout game of Basketball, NBA 2K18 is a pristine simulator that improves on its predecessors. There's plenty of pushback on the game's creeping microtransactions, but playing with a buddy is still tons of fun.
NBA 2K18 is another step forward on the court, improving on the series' already great gameplay. You're rewarded for smart, controlled basketball when dribbling, driving, and playing defense in ways that make sense for the players you're controlling. In the side modes, results are mixed: the new fusion of Career mode elements into The Neighborhood gives it some new life, but the same can't be said for the meaningless story elements within MyGM, and microtransactions now have too much of an impact on gameplay. There's far more good than bad, though, and NBA 2K18 deserves credit for taking chances.
Its generation-long strengths hold true, and just about prevail over an increasingly cynical microtransaction creep. My Career's jump to an open-world setting throws a new gauntlet down to the rest of sports gaming.
The franchise, single-player, multiplayer, and collectible card modes deliver hundreds of hours of fun, but expect a fair share of glitches to pervade the experience
With a robust offering in the franchise, single-player, multiplayer, and collectible card modes, NBA 2K18 delivers hundreds of hours of fun
NBA 2K18 is the gold standard for sports simulations, but this year's entry is overloaded with microtransactions.
Of course, it's no surprise that NBA 2K18 looks good; the series has looked the part since its advent on the Dreamcast, staying relevant visually and staking out its own part of basketball culture. NBA 2K18 continues the trend, capturing the feel of basketball's urban centers in The Neighborhood.
NBA 2K18 is once again king of the court, proving why the series has managed to remain so superior in recent years.
If you're looking for not only the greatest basketball game but the greatest sports game in existence, this is definitely it. A huge improvement on last year, let down only by its weak attempt at a story mode.
