NBA 2K18 Review: Rounding Up Latest Scores and Impressions from Top Experts
As expected, NBA 2K18 is the latest in a long line of hits for 2K Sports as the series continues its reign as the best sports game on the market.
With 2K18, reviewers so far don't find much in the way of faults in the gameplay itself, which is about as predictable as LeBron James flirting with a triple-double every time he steps on the court.
Where 2K18 really gets interesting and seems like the focal point for most reviewers is innovation with new modes such as MyGM: The Next Chapter and the new open-world hub dubbed "Neighborhood," which is exactly what it sounds like.
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Over at Metacritic, the game sits on a mark of 87 at the time of this writing. Here is a look at the latest notable remarks from experts.
As hinted, one of this year's biggest talking points is MyGM: The Next Chapter.
To keep it brief, the user's player suffers a career-ending injury and switches to a front office role. There, users will control the inner workings of a franchise on a personal level a game hasn't explored before, at least on this scale.
For William Schwartz of Attack of the Fanboy, it served as one of the highlights: "There you'll be handling all of the GM duties, plus have the ability to play in the games. You'll be handling things like conversations with the owner, players, press and other aspects of the NBA that have different branching options. It's quite ambitious in its implementation, but being a text-only affair is a little off-putting."
Text-based input or not, a fresh feature atop an already strong base game goes down as a net positive. A new experience the development team can listen to feedback on and refine in later installments isn't something annual sports offerings provide very often.
Otherwise, like most, Schwartz praises the gameplay itself while assigning the game a four out of five stars.
The 2K series hasn't had serious competition in years, though it hasn't stopped the team at 2K Sports from sparring with itself while making the best sporting game on the market.
Yet, the offering from EA Sports this year in the form of NBA Live 18 is the best alternative to date and the gap between the two franchises isn't as big as some would think, provided Live keeps making the right decisions on later installments.
So while Phil Iwaniuk of gamesradar has nothing but praise for 2K18, his cautions about change in the near future ring true:
"That frightening realism shouldn't be taken for granted, however long it's been a virtue of NBA 2K. This year doesn't herald an overhaul in any particular area, but it is bolstered just slightly by new animations in post play, boxing out and lateral movement. Such incremental improvements are the luxury of the established and dominant franchise, and you can't help but feel that a major engine or physics overhaul is due soon to keep NBA 2K at the top."
Again, it can feel like nitpicking to bash a game like 2K for a small hiccup here or there. It is the best basketball game on the market once again, albeit with a steep learning curve.
Like Schwartz, Iwaniuk gave the game a four out of five stars.
The learning curve mentioned above?
It seems even steeper in some areas this year—which isn't a bad thing for the stat nerds out there.
Chase Becotte of IGN broke this down in depth with one of his preferred ways of looking at players and matchups:
"It's made incrementally more interesting this year by a helpful new analytics tool: You can plot different data points on the X and Y axis and analyze the entire NBA or just a small subset of players. So, if I want to see who is making the most three-pointers per-36 minutes while factoring in their age, I put those elements on the graph and then perhaps discover I want to go out and acquire a player who is maybe being overlooked on another team."
This tool is something 2K Sports has promoted for a while now:
This won't be for everyone, of course. But again, it is another example of the game diving even deeper into the realm of simulation alongside other new features like the inner workings of the latest collective bargaining agreement.
As a whole, NBA 2K18 offers enough in the way of fresh content to look like a recommended buy.
Becotte assigned the game an 8.4 out of 10.
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