NBA 2K21 Reviews
NBA 2K21 doesn't break the series' signature basketball gameplay, but its minor improvements and persistent addiction to obnoxious microtransactions mean more of the same isn't good enough anymore.
This feels more like an update patch to the last year's outing and unfortunately it's not that significant of an update. With new season having been postponed and no new kits and rosters added to the game, it just makes you wonder if this year's version is worth a buy.
Review in Persian | Read full review
NBA 2K21 is a sports title that ticks all the boxes in simulation gameplay but falters tremendously in its plastic progression systems. Virtual Currency puts a stranglehold on your enjoyment, and it plays a big part in upgrading and purchasing in-game stuff. Sure, it might have a decent (albeit short and cliched) story mode, but the ball is in your court as to whether you want to fork out your hard-earned money on microscopic differences. Although, at the end of the day, it seemed like hoop dreams to think anything of substance would be changed. Stick with previous entries or wait for the next-generation version.
While still a solid basketball game, NBA 2K21 doesn’t bring enough new to the table this year and instead focuses more on constant grind for VC.
I was rather looking forward to seeing what NBA had to offer – especially with all the buzz of next-generation – hoping for some fresh ideas and a bit more life injected into NBA 2K21. However, this was not to be, as we simply got a familiar refresh of years past – and not that it’s a bad thing, its just a little underwhelming. NBA 2K21 still offers an immensely fun, and impressive, basketball title, with a ton of modes to play through, but its time for NBA 2K to start switching up their plays a little bit.
The most memorable things about NBA 2K21 that I’ll connect to it for many years to come are the Black Lives Matter t-shirts and the many tributes to Kobe Byrant. I guess I should thank Visual Concepts for at least remembering Kobe… and probably nothing else.
NBA 2K21 marks a new low, which is really disappointing. At times, NBA 2K has been my favorite sports franchise, reinventing itself in ways that reverberated across the industry. But this year's edition feels incomplete and lacking. I would recommend revisiting older games before picking this one up; maybe the next-gen version will be more complete.
It's a shame because once again, the port to Switch is impressive and the amount of things you can do is immense. So much of it just feels like last year's game as we wait for the previous NBA season to finish and next-gen to arrive. Maybe the updated rosters and new schedule for the next season coming down the pipeline will refresh NBA 2K21 on Switch, but maybe it's better to wait and see what that looks like.
It's hard to escape the feeling that the current-gen version of NBA 2K21 is merely a rushed appetizer before the next-gen main course. Yes, NBA 2K21 can still be a great time, but stagnant presentation, copy-and-pasted modes and features, and new mechanics that clearly weren't fully worked out combine to make the game feel like a half-hearted buzzer beater throwaway.
Longtime players won't find much to enjoy in this barely changed version of last year's entry.
Even though the core gameplay is solid, most game modes are riddled with micro-transactions that prioritizes grinding and monetization over enjoyment.
NBA 2K21 is really a good game. It has a lot of good aspects and fun modes. It is disappointing that 2K has put little effort into it. 2K21 looks kinda like a reboot of 2K20. The gameplay is top-notch in NBA 2K21, except for throwing the ball. This has also caused a lot of discontent within the NBA 2K community. With the addition of the new shot meter, scoring points is a lot more difficult. This in turn ensures that you will play the game longer to really get the hang of it.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Overall, NBA 2K21 is a good game with potential that isn’t quite fulfilled. It feels fantastic to play, the A.I. teammates are the best they’ve been and the pushing of VC seems slightly less aggressive. However, while the game is a mixed bag visually, while the story is doesn’t delve as deeply into the struggles with dealing with another’s legendary shadow as it could.
As always, NBA 2K21 is a solid basketball experience, the only one that gamers can get their hands on this holiday season. It does what it does well, but there is very little that is new to get excited about on top of that.
This is getting more and more frustrating with each new iteration. NBA 2K21 is not a bad basketball game. It’s robust. It’s realistic. It’s really fun if all you want is a quick match with a friend or the CPU. The problem is that very few additions were included when comparing this game to NBA 2K20, with its additional monetization practices getting even more absurd with each new iteration. When will enough be enough?
While NBA 2K21 is clearly different from its predecessor in several ways, I can't say it's significantly better than what we saw last season. The game still looks fantastic, the commentary is still top-notch, and many of the same battles you might have had with the previous edition are still there, like whether you want to spend so much virtual and real money. If you don't have any basketball games in your library and want to change that, then by all means, this is as good as it can possibly get.
Competitive mode, microtransactions and high price point are still among the things to criticize; but NBA 2K21 is still the only alternative if you want to play a basketball game. 2K is taking small steps when it comes to bringing new features, but it's still better than nothing.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Beyond the controversy, NBA 2K21 manages to save itself only because of the special attention that the development team puts on its playability since the game does not offer anything at the moment other than its already known modes, which are beginning to being flagged by the community as old and outdated, as well as an online component that got eaten up by microtransactions
Review in Spanish | Read full review
NBA 2K21 is an enjoyable Basketball experience but unfortunately, its enjoyment is negatively affected by microtransaction. And to make it even more worse, NBA 2K21 has inherited old bugs and technical issues from its predecessors. In fact, i must say NBA 2K21 is almost the same as Its predecessors.
Review in Persian | Read full review
This yearly sequel added and tweaked many gameplay elements to keep it fresh, yet those pesky microtransactions are bit too aggressive in some modes than its predecessor
Review in Arabic | Read full review