In my years of reviewing NBA 2K games, I've come to appreciate--and even expect--the game to feel like an authentic love letter to basketball in so many ways. This has been a consistent attribute of the series going back over a decade. NBA 2K doesn't just capture the culture of basketball; it helps shape it. No other game--not even Madden, despite the head start gifted to it by simulating Americans' unique obsession with football--offers a total package as immersive and rewarding as NBA 2K. That's why, in addition to my NBA 2K25 review--and so as not to become too bogged down in the ins and outs of it there--I'm also taking a moment to address the unfortunate pay-to-win economy still infecting what is otherwise the perennial sports game of the year.
If you don't play NBA 2K, you may be unfamiliar with its woes in this regard, and if you do play it, you may have normalized it to the point that you no longer see it as a concern. Unlike other sports games in which the focal point is often either the team-centric Franchise-style mode or the fantasy-card-collecting loot-box mode, Visual Concepts has built up its MyCareer mode and its social MMO hub, The City, to offer a compelling--and somehow, after all these years, still-unrivaled--tandem attraction in the sports gaming world.
Players create a character and decide on a build like in an RPG, which determines how their player will perform on the court. From there, they can follow a narrative-driven story mode, join an NBA team and play out many seasons of their career, and, best of all, jump into the game's thriving community in The City. The shared social space that offers an impressive range of things to do, like limited-time events, pick-up games on streetball-style courts, competitive 5v5 games with dedicated groups of teammates, and so much more. This year, they can even race go-karts.
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