NBA 2K18
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Unscored Reviews
There's so little to love [in 2K18 MyCareer modes] that all we're left with is the basketball (which you can enjoy in other modes), Brands™ and a mountain of problems.
If it gets patched soon we'll happily declare this one a highly recommended game, but in its current state we simply can't recommend it at all. Fingers are firmly crossed 2K will issue a patch quickly to solve the problem, but there is of course no assurance of that at present.
2K may have made a major mistake tuning the game towards microtransactions and the responses from fans is clear – they're not happy. 2K has made a grave mistake and taken a pricing model which was previously acceptable and turned it into gaming taboo. The difficulty this causes gameplay and advancement makes NBA 2K18 too grindy, and even the hardcore grinders who've banked hundreds of hours already are saying the struggle is real.
NBA 2K18 is a low point for the series, which is a shame because the balling is as good as ever. 2K need to seriously rethink the structure for next season
Scored Reviews
NBA 2K18 returns to be the star of the sports games. The effort of Visual Concepts continues to surpass year after year is evident in this release to recreate the entire NBA perfectly, with The Neighborhood as a great novelty and a lot of content and game modes with which you will have endless hours of entertainment. All this with a spectacular graphic aspect.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
NBA 2K18 is the definitive basket simulation, a game that will make basketball fans play for months. This year defects are hard to find and the new elements of the gameplay are really engaging.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Perfect and peerless king of basketball games. NBA 2K18 is worth every penny.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Simply one of the best sport games that we've seen. An excellent work from 2K Sports and Visual Concepts.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
NBA 2K18 is unstoppable on the court. The new AI, graphics and improved gameplay are unmatched. My Team is better than ever with the salary cap, My GM feels fresh with his cinematic approach and we will be on the neighborhood for months. All of that, of course, if we have enough VC (money) to expend, cause it feels like a pay-to-win too many times.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A new defensive approach, a new mode and a bunch of fixes are just a few of the spearheads of NBA 2K18, a game that's very easy to learn, but very very difficult to master indeed. The best title of the series without any doubt, and one of the best sports titles published thus far.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Just like LeBron James, NBA 2K18 isn't perfect, but with its ambitious new additions, refined gameplay, and a truckload of options, there's no question, it's still the best in the world.
It's no surprise that this year as well, NBA 2K18 is a very strong entry in the franchise. If the developers bet very much on the Neighborhood, it seemed quite uninteresting and even rather painful to use, but at least the strength of NBA 2K18, as every year, is in the precision of its gameplay, and the richness of its game modes. A must for fans of the NBA and basketball.
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 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.
Probably the best sports game of the year and a great achievement for 2K and Visual Concepts. Brilliant!
Review in Italian | Read full review
NBA 2K18 is very likely the best basketball game ever made and a template in how to approach a sports sim on nearly every level.
NBA 2K18 is currently the best sports simulation. Only the ubiquitous virtual currency disturbs the otherwise perfect overall package.
Review in German | Read full review
When all is said and done, NBA 2K18 is a solid title that will carry you long into the winter with its upgraded features, massive amount of content, wide range of game modes, and overall better presentation. Its minor setbacks pale in comparison to the positives infused within this title. Yet again, 2K and Visual Concepts have combined to provide basketball fans another great installment. It's safe to say you can skip the NBA Live resurgence all together and stick with NBA 2K18.
NBA 2K18 is an amazing game with many new fun aspects to it, the new MyCAREER is fresh and fun and while having flaws the MyCAREER's of the future are bound to be better but I just hope they continue with the neighborhood. Whether you a fan of the NBA or are just starting to get into it and want to play a video game of it, this game is perfect for you. And for die hard NBA fans, this is a must buy.
It's a testament to the the compelling nature of "NBA 2K18" that there's any such concern over time being wasted, time that could instead be spent playing more of such an exceptional game in any number of satisfying ways. "NBA 2K18" shines in the areas that matter most to basketball fanatics, through excellent gameplay and presentation, a variety of modes all with considerable depth and its celebration of the league's history.
In the end, 2K manages to innovate their most popular mode with the addition of The Neighborhood. It has a lot of potential and refines a lot of minor issues the game had like faster load times and now being able to see who your opponent is user controlling.
NBA 2K18 is the basketball experience you're looking for: Visual Concept's new game is even more fun, detailed and realistic than before thanks to new addition such as the Run the Neighborhood.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The changes that have occurred in NBA 2K18 are great, and everything feels more polished and confident. The dribbling and shooting are arguably the most noteworthy changes, as they feel and look more realistic than ever. The MyCareer mode is a lot better than it has been in the past few years, mostly due to the balance of archetypes. You can now safely play the way you want and not suffer any long-term setbacks. Overall, NBA 2K18 is the pinnacle of basketball simulation games, and it offers more than enough reasons to upgrade now rather than waiting for next year's offering.
NBA 2K18 is one of the most anticipated sports games of the year. This iteration of the NBA2K franchise has most of the features fans were asking for in the forums and throughout the NBA 2K17 season. NBA 2K18 was enhanced and reworked to make it more authentic and is true to the experience of a basketball game than ever before. The Pre-Game Show with Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith has been revamped with more realistic animations making it feel like the real deal.
2K has the basketball simulation game locked down. Microtransactions aside, this game is straight up ballin'.
Where it really matters, NBA 2K18 is yet another solid outing for the franchise. It takes all the best elements and refines them like never before.
NBA 2K18 is fresh in the places it needs to be. Which is a really positive sign for future 2K titles.
NBA 2K18 has come close to become the best complete sports game, offering different styles of play to satisfy all tastes. If you wish to live like a basketball player, you can play MyCareer. If you wish to build your dream team you can play MyTeam and if you want to live like a General Manager you can try the MyGM, but that does not mean it's a full-fledged game. Despite the great players scans and the addition of a face scanner to put yourself in the game and I think it's the best, but facial expressions are one of the worst expressions I have ever seen.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Open world NBA is all flash, no substance – a dampener on an otherwise great game.
An excellent basketball game that still has to be polished to achieve the greatnes of PS4, Xbox One & PC versions.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
All in all though, NBA 2K18 is a welcome addition to the Switch library. It's great to have realistic hoops back on a Nintendo platform, and 2K knocked it out of the park with their debut Switch title. It looks great, plays great, and if the kinks can get patched should be the start of a great franchise finally embracing a Nintendo platform.
NBA 2K18 is yet another astonishingly good basketball game that delivers on the hardwood and in the suite of inviting modes on offer. Resist the urge to shell out for Virtual Currency and you'll be fine. Just focus on the great game at NBA 2K18's core, because it really is at its best this year.
Now, if you don’t care about playing online, don’t care about optional microtransactions, and can stand the ups and downs of bugs that will be patched, NBA 2K18 is the best basketball game of the year and probably of the past decade. It’s a shame that some polish and poor business choices weigh it down.
NBA 2K18 offers a great story mode, which has some RPG elements and in collaboration with great gameplay, it leads to one of the best basketball games in the store. NBA 2K18 may not be the perfect game, but has enough content to make everyone happy.
Review in Persian | Read full review
NBA 2K18 remains as the best basketball game out there right now. Great gameplay, lots of modes and the online component is pretty solid. The only downside is the aggressive monetization system in the single player mode MyCareer.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
If you're looking for a solid Basketball experience, you'll get it. The Gameplay feels great and is easy to learn. Despite some questionable Microtransactions and the open question if the ps3 and xbox 360 Version of the game still holds the full potential of the PS4 Version back you'll still enjoy every part this game has to offer.
Review in German | Read full review
Although the expansion of myTeam and myCareer offer NBA 2K18 new avenues to deliver exciting gameplay, the game's reluctance to evolve mechanically, combined with the atrocious myPlayer campaign design and overall reliance on microtransactions, make this year's entry a game a classic "one step forward, two steps back" scenario.
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.
The NBA 2k18 offers a various challenges that you need for a long time to address all of them, and whether you prefer to play individually or collectively you will always find a new challenge waiting for you and a burning atmosphere in every game you have and excellent improvements to the gameplay style have contributed to increased realism and the ability to control players but story was weak and the expressions of the players that have nothing to do with what's happening on the pitch.
Review in Arabic |
Microtransactions and MyPlayer's The Neighborhood can be frustrating at times but the perfect realistic gameplay and now balanced AI make you forget all about that. There is no doubt that NBA 2K18 defeats NBA Live series, again.
Review in Persian | Read full review
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.
NBA 2K18 is the gold standard for sports simulations, but this year's entry is overloaded with microtransactions.
NBA 2K18's dedication to the finest of details make it a living, breathing adaptation of the NBA experience.
2K Sports is getting absolutely brazen with their community, testing the limits of what they'll put up with in terms of microtransactions in 2K18. Thankfully it doesn't persist into every mode, because there's a lot of good ones to compliment the excellent gameplay and presentation.
NBA 2K18 has a few holes in its game -- the series needs to improve its writing, the ballyhooed MyCareer Neighborhood hub falls flat, and the tech powering the series is nearing retirement age. That said, boil the game down to its essentials and you have a rock-solid, well-balanced sports sim that provides an immensely entertaining shoulder-to-shoulder same-couch multiplayer experience. It's that strong core that keeps NBA 2K18 and its vast array of modes and features from collapsing in on itself. NBA 2K18 isn't a milestone entry in the series, but it's a solid playoff contender well worth basketball fans' time.
A perfect year on the floor, but errors on many elements surrounding it.
Review in French | Read full review
The best series of sports video games comes back this year with in a nice wrapping paper full of promises. This episode of NBA 2K18 is an instant pleasure as well as a garanteed immersion. With a solid length and a tough challenge, i twill speaks to both basketball aficionados who will be thrilled to welcome back the series, but also to newcomers who might want to join in. This strong basis might gives us a perfect hypothetical follow-up which might correct the few Career Mode imperfection.
Review in French | Read full review
NBA 2K18 proves again that they're one of the best sports games of the year. But several of it's features are starting to feel the same year after year. They need a radical change to keep innovating in the future. The MyCarrer mode has more changes than the other modes, with a social experiment that not all fans are keen of. It has an excessive use of microtransactions that might demoralize the fans that try their best to be on the top.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
NBA 2k18 for Nintendo Switch is the result of the good work of Visual Concept. The differences in the gameplay with the major versions are tiny and the game is extremely enjoyable either in the portable mode and in the docked mode. There are few bugs, but they don't ruin the overall experience.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Overall, NBA 2K18 succeeds in delivering truly addictive gameplay that is pretty easy to pick up for newcomers, while long-time players will enjoy mastering the advanced techniques. The presentation on-court, pre-match and post-match, delivers a high level of quality throughout.
NBA 2K18 still does deliever an entertaining experience to players, but the overall improvements are not enough to completely satisfy old players, though they will make new ones happy. 2K18 doesn't have the expected changes, especially in the gameplay and the control and as the result, the game hasn't taken a step forward as we expected.
Review in Persian |
NBA 2K18 is one of the greatest basketball simulations yet due to its smooth gameplay, amazing visuals and expert sound design and despite some issues, it still can be very entertaining. However, the fact that 2K is trying to force the players to spend money in the game could very easily be the end of 2K's sport line of products.
Review in Persian | Read full review
2K Sports seemed to get really greedy this year with the implementation of VC in MyCareer, overshadowing the new Neighborhood layout in the mode. Regardless of this major flaw in the game, fanatics that focus more on online leagues or general play are going to absolutely love what NBA 2K18 has to offer.
As part of a wave of sports sims to be hitting the Switch right now, it's once again a great time to be a sports fan who just plays Nintendo systems, like me. Just like FIFA, WWE and the like, NBA's absence has been sorely felt by Nintendo fans, so you ought to go out and add this stellar entry to your shelves.
If you love basketball, being able to play the best simulation of the sport on the go makes this an essential purchase. Being able to play NBA 2K18 on the bus, or on your lunch break is a dream. Is just a shame its not always the most coherent one.
… customizing your character's looks as well as improving your character is done with virtual currency.
Basketball is more than just a sport, it is a way of life to many people, myself included. And though NBA 2k18 is riddled with signs asking us to give the developers more money than what we originally payed for; it is still an amazing basketball simulator that even the biggest and smallest of NBA stars would play and worry over their ratings for. For better or for worse, this is not just a game, it is an experience.
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
NBA 2K18 is the biggest departure that the series has had in recent years, which is both good and bad. Elements such as MyPlayer feel like they have the potential to be fantastic, but are still too mired by microtransactions and bugs in its current form to truly be the experience that I was hoping for. Gameplay continues to be the reason to pick up any NBA 2K game however, and NBA 2K18 doesn't miss the mark when it comes to putting forth the most realistic basketball sim on the market. With a few patches over the course of the next year, I'm hoping NBA 2K18 can continue to improve and fix many of the issues that I have with it out of the gate this season.
Rarely have I had as many conflicting feelings about a game as much as I do with NBA 2K18. So much about the basketball sim is top-notch, but there are also so many elements that make me want to put it down and never touch it again. From gross business decisions that get in the way of enjoying modes to adding so many elements that get in the way of simply enjoying the on-court action, it winds up being its own worst enemy. Those who just want a solid basketball game to play exhibition matches won't find anything better, but the rest of the package winds up stepping on its own feet all too often.
Is NBA 2K18 an all-around slam dunk? Not quite thanks to unscrupulous microtransactions, the undercooked Neighbourhood, and mediocre/annoying storytelling. However, despite these fumbles, NBA 2K18 still delivers wildly when it comes to the ability to just play basketball better than any other title without having to leave the couch.
Note: Keep an eye out for future patches/updates that could address MyCareer and save issues.
NBA2K18 is a pleasant experience despite its in-game purchases. The gameplay is a masterpiece and you can really feel the improvements. But as always, there are some minor and major bugs to ruin the perfection. You can still enjoy playing it a lot but it would be even better without these tactical issues. The graphics, the music tracks, and the commentary are incredible on the court but when you step outside there are just too many issues. The user interface in the MyCareer mode is terrible and there are lots of silly in-game purchases that are just unnecessary.
Review in Persian | Read full review
A good entry in the series for those who skipped a year. Virtual currency is pushed everywhere. The Neighborhood is OK. Basketball action is fun and exciting.
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 has one of the biggest and boldest changes for an annual sports title but inadvertently introduced some serious flaws that are difficult to overlook. Nonetheless, the developers have created a great foundation for the series.
NBA 2K18 has many flaws, but the core gameplay is on the highest level possible as always. Promoted The Neighbourhood mode is screwed up and micropayments are just awful. Nonetheless, the game is worth playing... unless you have 2K16 or 2K17.
Review in Polish |
NBA 2K18's microtransactions are disappointing but if you can ignore that, you have a basketball game that is a ton of fun to play.
A handful of technical hiccups mixed with an aggressive monetisation strategy could very well leave a questionable taste in peoples' mouths.
While still a solid basketball simulation, it's getting harder each year to recommend this series and NBA 2K18 feels like a continuation of that trend. Some technical issues plague many aspects of the game and at this point, myGM is the only saving grace aside from some visual and gameplay improvements.
Teased as a prime title for the demographic aimed at in the Nintendo Switch reveal trailer, NBA 2K18 achieves that goal of serviceable console play in the portable space, but with notable compromises. Questionable micro-transaction placement and downloadable requirements aside, NBA 2K18 is the truly authentic basketball experience, and a strong sign of things to come.
NBA 2K18 is still one of the most enjoyable sports games that gives you hundreds of hours of gameplay and a realistic experience for the sport of basketball with the addition of new players transitions and new team kits and some new other features.. However, some of the negatives affected the game, such as in-game purchases and frequent loading times with the game defense style still needs some work.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Maybe NBA 2K18 has been the king of the court for too long and now it's getting bored. Instead of improving gameplay, it's figuring out more ways to make money through MyCareer and MyTeam. It's new Neighborhood functions as a metaphor for the entire game itself, in that it seems like a big addition to the game but you quickly realize it's pretty much just an empty shopping mall and a distraction from the actual game.
To all the NBA fans out there: hold your horses! In no way is NBA 2K18 a bad game, but it's certainly not worth its current price-tag, as the few improvements it offers are simply not enough, and, secondly, its sub-par single-player portion relies too much on micro-transactions. That being said, it can certainly feel as if it's the perfect basketball title for some couch party fun.
There's so much to love about NBA 2K18 on the Switch, but there's no denying that there are some major flaws here, especially in the flagship MyCareer mode. As much as I love NBA 2K's ambition in creating a full portable port, it's tough to wholeheartedly recommend in light of its persistent technical problems and other niggling flaws.
2K didn't learn from the Evolve fiasco. NBA 2K18 is one huge Pay2Win game, especially in story mode which could have easily been the best mode in the game. But grinding endlessly for success is not the definition of fun. Other than that the Nintendo Switch version is filled with bugs and technical breakdowns. What a shame because NBA 2K18 is a full port of the game with no cutoffs.
Review in German | Read full review
"...essentially last year’s game with a shinier coat of paint, and we cannot recommend the game at full price primarily due to the fact that everything new in the game does absolutely nothing special, and it makes the package feel like a bloated mess."
NBA 2K18 is a king on the court, but its antics off it, particularly its use of microtransactions, leave it in a world of trouble.
You absolutely cannot ignore how NBA 2K18 is a full price game that also integrates the business model of a free to play/pay to win title and the way that the enjoyment you get from it suffers because of it.
