NBA 2K20 is the next installment in the ever-popular NBA 2K series. Will a whole new roster, a new story, and some gameplay improvements be enough to justify buying, in essence, the same game like last year? Well, let’s find out.
Never change a winning team
NBA 2K stands for a quality basketball experience. Tweaking an already working formula year after year has led to a behemoth of a game. Changing much to the already solid gameplay present throughout the series wouldn’t prove beneficial. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it… All this doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to improve but the core gameplay of NBA 2K20 hasn’t changed. The usual updates like a new roster of players and some graphical improvements are obviously present. The actual gameplay improvements are way more subtle but do augment the game even more.
Subtle but needed changes
NBA 2K20 is ever so popular in the online (competitive) world. Playing against other real-life players has always been a great experience. Real-life thinking players still move quite different than the A.I. controlled opponents. Programming a digital player to work as its real-life counterpart is no small feat but NBA 2K20 does improve on that part. For instance, they changed the way the sprinting works in this version to eliminate the sprint exploiting of previous versions. Players grow tired in a more natural way so choosing your moments when to burst with energy and when to take a breather will be much more essential. The way A.I. players shoot has also been fixed into being less mechanical. Players with a normal high shot percentage won’t be able to sink baskets like a robot anymore. They will have random misses just like any human player.
Pick up and play
NBA 2K20 is immensely deep in the number of different moves and plays you can execute. Instead of assigning a set amount of moves to button presses, the right stick flick motions are used. This feels much more fluent and opens up many more possible moves. All these moves can be practiced until you master them. Just reserve enough time if you want them all mastered. This might sound pretty daunting at first but new players can rest assured. Picking up NBA 2K20 while only knowing how to pass and shoot will be enough to play successfully, if you’re smart enough to time everything just right. All the fancy moves add more control to the outcome of the match and you will eventually and gradually learn to incorporate more moves as you go along. Maybe you’ll even start to “be the coach” but for starters, you can just let the A.I. decide for you.
When the lights are brightest
NBA 2K20 most immersive mode has to be the MyCAREER mode. This year a new episode is introduces called “when the lights are brightest”. This story-driven mode follows one player who’s on the path to greatness. It’s your decisions and the way you play that ultimately decide how bright the lights will shine on your career. Since your only controlling one player in this move, NBA 2K20 introduced more off-the-ball moves. For instance, fake stepping and tricking defenders to move in the wrong direction becomes part of the game now giving you more to do while not in possession of the ball.
MyCASINO
MyTEAM returns this year with an even more casino-style way of getting you to pay to win. I know these card-collecting game modes are popular in today’s sports titles but to me, they feel like total cash grabs. You obviously have a choice not to pay for new packs and just earn them by grinding away. The ever-present dangling carrot of progress with a swipe of your credit card makes these type of modes feel very dangerous to me. The concept of collecting cards and trying to make a strong team is not the problem. That part of the equation is actually great but the stench of pay to win makes this dish go sour for me.
Conclusion
Besides the MyTEAM microtransaction shenanigans, NBA 2K20 delivers on all fronts. The subtle improvements really add to the realism. The MyCAREER mode with Idris Elba and Rosaria Dawson is as immersive as ever. The early bugs – a recurring staple of the series – have already been patched up very quickly so the ultimate virtual basketball experience is ready for you to enjoy.
