NBA

NBA 2K24 Review: Excellent gameplay highlights strong installment

by
SaC Bot
September 9, 2023

NBA 2K24 dropped on Friday – but is this year’s installment in the annual basketball franchise a slam dunk or a shot clock violation?

The folks at 2K were kind enough to send me a PlayStation 5 code to review 2K24, so I’ve spent the last couple of days playing the game and getting the hang of everything.

I’ve always been a fan of the 2K basketball games, but I’ve never been particularly good at them. My stick skills leave a lot to be desired and I’m a bit of a streaky shooter.

But my own personal ailments aside, I’m thrilled to say that NBA 2K24 is a fun, polished experience.

Here are my overall thoughts after spending roughly six hours playing a variety of game modes.

2K24

The Good

ProPLAY (the engine that translated NBA game footage into 2K24 gameplay) makes a massive difference. The game feels different – in a good way.
Crossplay is here!
Gameplay is smoother – from dribble moves to shooting. I would imagine that’s a direct result of ProPLAY.
Mamba Moments creates a fun look back on Kobe Bryant’s career. It highlights some of his biggest moments, with some notable omissions
They’ve added a new tracker in MyCAREER that will carry over each season. Previously, everything would start fresh at the beginning of each season (and it still will) but now you’ll have another tracker that gives more meaning to your dedicated grinding.
The City’s two affiliations grant specific gameplay boosts – so your choice matters more than ever.
A new era has been added in MyNBA – the LeBron Era. It takes you back to when James joined the Miami Heat and dominated the 2010’s. This joins the Magic vs Bird Era, Jordan Era, Kobe Era and Modern Era.

2K24

The Bad

Micro-transactions are just part of life as a video gamer these days. But I don’t have to like it. There are elements of 2K that definitely feel like they’re pay-to-win. However, you do have the option of grinding out hundreds of games (for MyTEAM and MyCAREER) if you’d rather.
Unfortunately, there’s no 81-point game vs Toronto and no farewell game vs Utah in the Mamba Moments mode.
This is probably a reflection of my poor play (as mentioned earlier), but there are times where I feel like the player I’m controlling moves too fast. You want to take a step or two and end up giving an opponent a lane you never intended on.

I would absolutely recommend NBA 2K24 to basketball fans. The new and improved gameplay is an absolute standout in my opinion. The game you play feels more like the game you watch on television – and that’s a good thing.

And it’s something most sports games struggle to replicate.

Order your copy of NBA 2K24 today at Amazon or GameStop.