NBA 2K18: Latest Expert Review Scores, Metacritic Rating and Impressions

The latest edition of 2K Sports' annual juggernaut has arrived with NBA 2K18. 

Though NBA Live 18 is back and providing quality competition, NBA 2K18 remains top dog for at least another year in the sporting realm based on the early returns. 

With Kyrie Irving draped on the cover and the new MyGM: The Next Chapter leading the charge, the game already has a Metacritic rating of 93 after early reviews. 

Let's take a look at some of those notable reviews to get an idea of where the latest edition excels on top of an already strong base game.

Simon Miller, Trusted Reviews

A big sticking point with each release of the 2K series is presentation. 

After all, 2K Sports nailed down the gameplay side of things years ago, leaving fans wanting the game to push the envelope in the presentation department. A realistic game on the court won't matter much if it doesn't feel like a broadcast, right?

Per Simon Miller of Trusted Reviews, NBA 2K18 hits the mark: "This goes on, too, be it the commentary, the visuals or the animations, all of which create such a lifelike experience it makes a mockery of what other people are trying to do within the genre. I'd be amazed if someone could even copy this let alone best it. It's simply that good."

It's impossible to ignore the player models in 2K18 and the wide range of emotions they show up and down the floor. The arenas look the part, and these are some of the best crowds to hit the digital arenas in years. 

For many fans, it is all about seeing the improvement on a year-to-year basis. Miller is one of many who confirms this makes the cut while assigning the game 4.5 stars. 

Brian Mazique, Forbes

As hinted in the intro, 2K Sports made it a mission to provide a boost to other game modes besides franchise and an individual player's journey. 

Thus the implementation of MyGM: The Next Chapter. 

In this mode players take control of a former player thrust into a front office role, which allows them to see all the behind-the-scenes action that goes into trades, the draft and beyond. 

For Forbes' Brian Mazique, the mode did enough to land in his positives section: "The mode gets the MyCareer treatment complete with your character receiving a back story and some interesting interactions with players, management and the media. This is not a cookie-cutter franchise mode, it's a full-fledged single-player experience that is backed by the aforementioned gameplay."

It isn't easy for sports games to innovate—and especially not on a yearly basis. Yet NBA 2K18 is giving players an angle they might not have realized they wanted access to at all. 

Fortunately for fans, this mode that sounds like an on-paper dream has joined a total package. For Mazique, it was enough to give the game a 9.1 out of 10. 

Bryan Wiedey, Sporting News

Outside of MyGM: The Next Chapter, one of the biggest talking points and potential areas for innovation comes in the form of an open-world hub for MyPlayer. 

Which, as Bryan Wiedey of Sporting News explained in his review, garnered a ton of hype because of the game's association with Grand Theft Auto, the master of open-world games. 

"Marketing for 'NBA 2K18' has heavily pushed its new open-world 'Neighborhood' as revolutionary. It's something akin to a cross between "Grand Theft Auto Online" (Take Two is the parent company of both 2K Sports and GTA's Rockstar Games) and the defunct PlayStation Home. Essentially, the "Neighborhood" acts a hub for all MyPlayer activities related to MyCareer story mode and the MyPark and Pro-Am online modes," Wiedey wrote. 

The idea of creating a player with the user's own scanned face and then being able to go around a virtual hub that ties together the various game modes is a big step forward for the 2K series and a featured talking point of every review to date. 

But at this point in a console generation? Each game has a strong gameplay element down and needs to find new ways to keep bringing fans back for more. 

For 2K Sports and NBA 2K18, the big draw is two rather well-received modes with plenty of room for growth in the future. Wiedey also ended up giving the game 4.5 stars overall.