2K goes for a slam dunk with “NBA 2K19”

BY RYAN MERARD

One of the most highly anticipated sports video game has made its annual comeback. Available for pre-order September 7 and officially released September 11, NBA 2K19 was released on PlayStation, Xbox and PC through gaming company 2K.

This year’s copy of the game marks its 20-year anniversary of producing NBA 2K games. 2K decided that, because of this, they were going to make two different copies of the game– a standard edition as well as a special 20th-anniversary edition. As of now, the standard version can be purchased for $60 and the 20th-anniversary edition for $100.

On the standard edition of “NBA 2K19,” National Basketball Association (NBA) player Giannis Antetokounmpo is the cover athlete. For the 20th anniversary edition, NBA player and four-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) winner LeBron James is the cover athlete.

“NBA 2K19” has one of the best graphics ever seen in a sports game. It looks appealing, and the players seem very realistic. Based on the attention to detail in the game, it’s obvious the creators have been doing their homework.

“NBA 2K19” is definitely an upgrade from last year’s “NBA 2K18.” Though it has just released, there are already some issues that should be fixed.

The game features amazing replications of team uniforms and characteristics, even going as far as nailing many unique hairstyles and tattoos. 2K gets every one of these assets correct on each player featured.

The atmosphere of the game makes it feel like the player is actually on the court. With the announcers commentating during gameplay, the realistic crowd reacting to plays and the different camera angles used in the game, players can easily draw parallels between a real NBA game and “NBA 2K19.”

In the gameplay, every aspect of the game is smooth. Dribbling, shooting and defense all flow well in this game, giving gamers full control of the players.

Defense in the past “NBA 2K” games have been lacking, as players felt that it was too easy to blow past defenders on offense. This year, 2K has listened to its fans by greatly improving the AI (characters controlled by game software) on defense, making it harder to score.

This game has a wide variety of game modes, such as MyCareer, MyGM, MyTeam, Blacktop, MyPark, MyLeague, Play Now, etc. Overall, every mode has its own features that make them enjoyable.

Although the defense in the game has improved, when playing online in game modes such as MyPark against real gamers, stealing the ball from the opponent does not take much skill.

In MyCareer, players are given the ability to create their own player and control their career in the NBA. MyPlayer has limitless feature options, as there are many assets of your player that you can modify through this mode. The customization in this game lets players have a unique MyPlayer.

“NBA 2K19” is definitely an upgrade from last year’s “NBA 2K18.” Though it has just released, there are already some issues that should be fixed.

The game is pay-to-win, which means that if a gamer wants to get their MyPlayer or their MyTeam better, they could buy VC (Virtual Currency) to upgrade their player or team. This hurts players that don’t spend money, because it would take longer to get a MyPlayer to high skill. The player would have to play multiple hours to gain VC without paying for it..

In online modes, such as MyPark and MyTeam, players who don’t spend money on the game could get matched up against players who do, which makes it harder to win games. It is understandable that 2K has to make money somehow throughout the year, but there should be higher caps on how much you can upgrade your team or player with money.

“NBA 2K19” has been full of glitches and bugs ever since its release, but there have been some that stand out that should be fixed immediately.

Although the defense in the game has improved, when playing online in game modes such as MyPark against real gamers, stealing the ball from the opponent does not take much skill. Players can overuse the steal button and spam it until they actually steal the ball in this situation.

If one enjoys watching or playing basketball and playing video games, then “NBA 2K19” is a fun and intriguing game to partake in or to play. It is a great game that gives players a realistic experience of an actual NBA game. The game modes available seem endless, as there are a variety of modes, and each one focuses on different, but important traits of the NBA.

Photo courtesy of  Culture Jam