Microtransactions, curse (for players) and delight (for developers) of modern video games. A tool that, used well, allows you to access giants like Fortnite, League of Legends or Dota 2 for "free" and for years, spending only the money you think is appropriate to buy new clothes or aesthetic decorations. When microtransactions are applied to the game, the issue becomes more slippery: there are those who mask them well and those who do it decidedly worse, falling into the current of "pay-to-win", that is, those video games that allow you to become stronger. , and therefore, win, only by spending real money.
Let's be clear: no one is pressuring anyone to invest more money in a project or abandon it if they don't like the conditions imposed by the developers, but as long as tools, such as effective matchmaking, are not used, which prevent With a character drugged by destroy someone who has chosen to spend "only" 80 euros on the basic game, then the situation becomes more delicate.
The late FIFA has always acted with a knife's edge, on the one hand leaving microtransactions out of practically all of its modes, concentrating them only within FUT, on the other, allowing even those who do not spend to accumulate dozens of special cards/footballers. with which to become perhaps not unbeatable, but competitive.
From this point of view, the NBA 2K series has never had major problems, although, especially in the United States, they are much more attentive (or even poisoned) to this issue and have no problem destroying what is, in all aspects, the best basketball. I ever play for this reason
But how are things going? We tell you in the NBA 2K24 review for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series. The versions for PC, Switch, One and PS4, in fact, cannot count on this year's main innovation, the Pro Play, and therefore cannot be evaluated here.
NBA 2K24, a dichotomous game
Without beating around the bush, NBA 2K24 is a game divided into two. On the one hand we have a carefully packaged product that exudes infinite love and knowledge for Stars and Stripes basketball. Sure, it suffers from the problems of the sports simulations that come out every year, but this year's edition takes a big step in the right direction. Mainly thanks to technology. ProPLAY, which allowed the development team to digitize complete games from previous seasons, to be able to extrapolate the animations of the different Durant, Jokic or Curry to real game situations and not reconstruct them in the laboratory or replicate them by professional specialists.
The result is Extremely fluid and consistent gameplay, which has practically lost all the edges that it had been developing for years. Moving back and forth across the floor, placing blocks or making your way through paint has never been so realistic and precise. This improvement has cascading benefits on the rest of the package, as it improves all modes, including The City, where our alter ego will move agile and fast and no longer like a drunk ape that gets stuck around every corner.
And it is The city to showcase Visual Concepts' production of Mr. Hyde. The career of a single player, the one that allows a rookie to be created from scratch with the aim of becoming the best player of all time, throws us into a rather disturbing rest of the city, where everything revolves around basketball and above all where everything is for sale. Do you want to change your clothes? You pay. Improve statistics? You pay. Change your haircut? Yes, you pay. The problem is that the currency used for these activities is the same one used to improve statistics in MyPlayer, faced with a Hamlet-type doubt: I get stronger quickly and whether I look like an idiot in the brown t-shirt and gray pants or not. I walk in chains and trendy sneakers, but struggle to go unscored for the third time in the "generational clash" with Victor Wembanyama?
What makes the situation worse is that at every step you are bombarded with more or less invasive advertising. Not a second goes by in the city without being offered an energy drink, a small project with a bank or the purchase of this or that designer item of clothing. It is true that fashion, music and the NBA are now very intertwined, but spending money to enter a metaverse in which they ask for money at every turn is not especially fun. The other side of the coin is that for those who live basketball this is the paradise where all the sponsors, faces and stars of the NBA converge perfectly.
Luckily in these 12 months things have improved: The smaller dimensions of The City allow you to limit your run from one point in the neighborhood to another in search of the next mission, but above all the abandonment of the tired training story (it's still there and talks about a player who must prove to be the new "generational talent" that must also distance itself from the burdensome past of its father and grandfather, but which has also become optional) allows those who want to concentrate on playing basketball to do just that: it was comforting not to be able to leave the room and take a look at the entire season ignoring all the satellite elements.
By pretending not to see everything else, especially the players waiting on the virtual field with values pumped by microtransactions, you can also turn a blind eye to the incessant demand for virtual money and can adapt the level of difficulty in such a way that you can be a promising rookie... despite the initial score of 60 that certifies that we are - by far - the worst basketball player in the league. The real weak point of the package is having to be constantly online, something that not only slows down all save processes, but risks canceling entire game sessions if, for some unfortunate reason, the servers crash during a match.
Ironically, the voracity of 2K is felt less MyTeam, the NBA 2K24 FUT. Here, in fact, although the mode is based on unpacking and purchasing new cards, between single-player modes, gifts or the introduction of the salary cap, a trick that limits the number and quality of deployable superstars, it is much simpler. create a competitive team with which to distance the specter of pay to win. Of course, some cards are very expensive, but even without them you can play.
Old School
Away from the flash and glitter of NBA 2K24's most-played modes, you can understand the true value of this year's chapter. It is in "My NBA", in the Eras, in The W or in the Mamba Moments where all the love shines, but above all the encyclopedic knowledge of the Novato team.
Mamba Moments It is the cover mode of this edition. 24, in addition to 8, is Kobe Bryant's number and 2K Sports has decided to dedicate the "24" chapter of its series to the late Lakers star. He did it by reconstructing 7 of the most famous games of Joe Bryant's son, with a scheme similar to that seen last year for Jordan's Challenges. It's a shame that the care put into His Airness is so much greater than seen this year. For example, the video contributions that were very "The Last Dance" are missing, but above all there is a lack of a kind of narration that acts as a common thread between the games. With last year's 15 games we relive Michael Jeffrey Jordan's entire career, from college to his final dance, while the 7 Mamba Moments show some of Bryant's exploits without explaining his greatness or telling his story. There could have been room for the Spanish youth (how nice would a game have been on the fields of Reggio Emilia?), for the first performances as a rookie with wild hair, for an 81-point game or for the moving performance in the game parting. And instead nothing.
These observations aside, it's always nice to relive Shaq or Gasol's Lakers, even if it's perhaps less fun to play with talentless teams where Bryant had to do everything (including antagonizing some of the fans) to try to reach a level. worthy in the playoffs.
The main novelty of I will readInstead, it is the introduction of the Lebron era, that is, that decade that begins in 2011 and sees King James finally try to win the title. As always, this is a great mode for all fans of basketball from the past, especially those who would like to try to rewrite history, leading Oklahoma to the title or drafting Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler before Derrick Williams and Enes Kanter.
Ne I NBA There are two main new features: the salary cap and a simplified version, which allows you to manage the season of an NBA franchise even without knowing all the technicalities of the American league. Finally we highlight the growth of El W, the version of My Career dedicated to women's basketball that, year after year, is enriched with new modes, options and customization possibilities.
Professional game
To close the circle, let's talk again about what happens on the hardwood, because sneakers, rap, gold chains and flat earth are fine, but in the NBA everything revolves around the ball. If you have nothing to say on the court, you will hardly be heard outside. The same goes for 2K and the work done this year is notable, although there is still room for improvement in the management of counterattacks, for example, or in that of virtual coaches. From this point of view the situation has improved a lot compared to the past, at least the quintets on the field are not crazy and time-outs are not always called at random, but, as we said, there is still a lot of room. to do better. For example, in defense the pairings are made by position and not by talent: that is, the computer puts Curry to guard Morant and a Green to try to stop Durant, when coach Kerr would have used a Thompson or a Wiggins in its place. They seem like details, but when in your career you find yourself devastated because one of your teammates cannot mark the rival superstar due to obvious technical and physical limitations, you will notice it.
Just as you will see another change in the shooting mechanics. This year you can choose whether to rely on the classic indicator, a little erratic especially in shots to the basket, or try to follow the basketball player's shooting mechanics, leaving the button corresponding to the best shot of the ball. Both methods require great precision and adaptation, especially considering how easy it is to miss even seemingly easy approaches to the basket or close-up shots. The same goes for dribbling, which will now focus a lot on rhythm: if you are interrupted, it will be more difficult to be explosive, unless you perform with the classic sliders.
However, once you've taken the measurements, you'll have it in your hands. an excellent simulation, finally with an updated technical sector that has almost completely abandoned the problems of the past. Basketball players move their feet with precision, they slide less on the parquet, which allows them to place blocks or position themselves on the playing field with greater precision and speed.
The ball also appears more realistic and moves naturally up and down the field, less obviously influencing the movements of NBA champions who in the past had to do strange things to find themselves in a receiving position. From this detail arises, then, a cascade of more precise blocks, more balanced dribbles and a more effective defense, based on anticipating the opponent's movements and interposing one's own body.
The result is attractive and realistic games that are very close to being confused with real NBA games. With a little more variety in the reproduction of less common body types, such as that of Shaq's different eras, and faster movements of taller players, perfection would be achieved, but the path really taken seems to be the correct.
Conclusions
Tested version Xbox Series X digital delivery Xbox store Price 79,99 € Holygamerz.com 8.0 Readers (16) 4.8 your voteNBA 2K24 continues with its bipolar essence: on the one hand we have an interactive basketball manual that brims with content, secrets and love for basketball. A product designed for all NBA fans who within its folds will find a compendium that faithfully replicates the evolution of the game, the schemes, as well as the greatest present and past stars. On the other hand, we have a voracious product, which has not yet managed to assimilate microtransactions in a less invasive way, especially considering that it is a premium experience. By avoiding the fields of La Città, the old problem of microtransactions becomes less intrusive, especially considering that you have in your hands one of the best and most fun ways to enjoy the next NBA season.
PRO
- Pro Play is a remarkable technical innovation
- It is a basketball manual of the past and present.
- Many game modes, for all tastes.
AGAINST
- Mamba Moments are less polished than expected
- Microtransactions are very invasive in The City
