NBA 2K21 Reviews
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
Perhaps largely thanks to coronavirus, NBA 2K21 is the least essential entry in the long-running sports series yet.
Lacking fresh ideas, NBA 2K21 feels like it's just going through the motions and is a placeholder for its next-gen counterpart.
NBA 2K20 was a fun and serious game of basketball to play.
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.
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 gives us the same observation as that established a year earlier with NBA 2K20: that of stagnating within the saga, without any real major improvement. But this time, the few bets attempted by the development studio have the main consequence of serving the game, at least in its first approaches and making it even a little less accessible to the general public. A quality episode certainly, despite its flaws, but not up to expectations. We could expect better for a transition to the new generation of consoles ...
Review in French | Read full review
Excellent gameplay and an impressive amount of pomp and spectacle continues to be let down by off the court problems
NBA 2K21 suffers from the same issues that have held the series down for years. A poor MyCareer story, reused assets, shoddy servers, and an over-importance of VC/microtransactions. The one redeeming quality that NBA 2K21 can boast is its high-level gameplay. Luckily, that’s what you want most from a basketball sim.
NBA 2K21 still manages to capture the art of basketball, but it's largely the same dance as years past.