NBA 2K21 Reviews
When you're shooting hoops and playing basketball, NBA 2K21 is rather fun to play. However, it suffers from obtrusive microtransactions and game modes that are made in such a way that they try to nudge you to buy more virtual currency. NBA 2K21's appeal dives even more when you realise very little has changed from NBA 2K20. Hopefully Visual Concepts will come back strong on next-generation consoles with something that feels more than just about making money.
NBA 2K21 makes welcome improvements to its MyCareer and MyTeam modes, but the frustratingly inconsistent new shooting system and lack of changes elsewhere make it feel like it's lost its step over other sports games.
Lacking fresh ideas, NBA 2K21 feels like it's just going through the motions and is a placeholder for its next-gen counterpart.
Perhaps largely thanks to coronavirus, NBA 2K21 is the least essential entry in the long-running sports series yet.
NBA 2K21 might be the best basketball simulation game out there, but that doesn't mean it's perfect and flaw-free. And even though I play NBA on a daily-basis it's extremely hard to recommend it to anyone especially with the fact that the upcoming next-gen edition will be released soon.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
NBA 2K21 is still a wonderful digital simulation of basketball, with a wealth of modes to enjoy, but the MyCareer story has become stale and the microtransactions far too prevalent. This is not the step forwards that it needed to be to keep the series fresh and engaging. In other words, this title does not provide a compelling argument to upgrade from last year's version.
However way you enjoy NBA 2K, NBA 2K21 offers it all and still does it better than any basketball game in the market. Now we're just hoping the next-generation version doesn't skip a beat and we see some changes that truly feel like we're in a new generation.
An incredible simulation of the game of basketball, which might as well be a free-to-play mobile game with so many microtransactions at times. If you can resist the temptation to pour money in, it’s the best sports sim on the market by a fair distance. Unfortunately, this is the worst game in the franchise for attempting to exploit that temptation. Wait for a heavy discount to make any further outlay a more palatable decision.
Aside from the unbalanced AI, there's no doubt Visual Concepts and 2K can create a great basketball simulation, but it suffers from so many issues unrelated to the core gameplay that just ruin a potentially fun game.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Overall, I just don’t think the value is there this year. It’s a great game, but wait for the price to drop or hold out for the next-gen version.
These graphics don't interfere with the actual gameplay, though, so that issue isn't a massive one. In fact, most of the game can be explained with that same mindset. There are little changes and issues to be found throughout the game, but none of them really feel like too big of a deal. 2K21 is still a very playable game that fans of the franchise will be happy to purchase. Without that shooting patch, however, it would have been a much different story.
While NBA 2K remains a top, albeit only, option for basketball simulation, the lack of improvements to previous versions is what holds NBA 2K21 back. While it remains to be strong in visuals and still fun in the gameplay department, it’s missing that special something. Perhaps the arrival of 2K’s next-generation version (which owners of the “Mamba Forever” version will receive upon release) will give the 2K series a rejuvenation it so desperately needs.
NBA 2K21 is a copy over last year game with even more issues, you could only buy this game for its new story in the career mode
Review in Arabic | Read full review
It would be one thing if this was just NBA 2K20 with some minor changes but this rips the heart out of last year's game solely to appeal to competitive online players, with many much-loved features stripped back or not included at all.
A recycled mess that features the same bugs, financial exploits, and cheats that PC players have had to suffer through for years. MyTeam has seen some great innovations but they are completely overshadowed by NBA 2K21's shortcomings.
In the end, the MyCareer in NBA 2K21 is a blast to playthrough! Adding an epic story with some amazing actors just sucks you right in. I highly recommend ballers looking to jump straight into My Neighborhood, please take the time to play through it at least once to experience it, you can tell they put some hard work into building it for us. Like an echo from last year, all sports games should strive to be as great as the NBA 2K series MyCareer mode. Give us a story and let us BE the character.
NBA games have always been standard-bearers in terms of visual quality and performance and this is a well-produced, content-heavy swansong for one of the most impressive gaming generations of all time, even if it’s not the best of entry points for series newcomers.
NBA 2K21 is the best that basketball simulations have ever been, yet the game buckles under the weight of intense microtransactions designed to bleed you dry.
NBA 2K21 remains, as every year, a great basketball game that has the potential to offer many hours of fun. But, the development team has done even less things this year to freshen up a package that is starting to become stale
Review in Greek | Read full review
That means some kind of personal journey or transformation for the star, and supporting characters with some depth and likability. Given every chance to be a preening overdog, newcomer Vince Washington turns the character Hendrixx Cobb into a warm, believable friend instead. Michael K. Williams (Omar from The Wire) is just shady enough as a streetwise mentor to make an endgame choice - one the game even forced me to reconsider! - both reasonable and personally regrettable.
