The NBA2K series has stagnated in recent years. Minimal graphical improvements and only tweaks to on court gameplay was somewhat expected, It was a great product in both those areas so major changes weren’t necessarily needed. Modes like MyLeague, MyGM, MyLeagueOnline and MyCareer on the other hand have been in need of a refresh for quite some time. Unfortunately 2K21 continues the trend rather than bucking it. You won’t find much here worth your $60 unless you’re a MyTeam fan or care only for the on the court action.  The reason is simple, the next-gen consoles are right around the corner (November 10th for Xbox) and 2K is launching a “built from the ground up” version of 2K21 they’ve been working on for a few years. That’s great, assuming it’s true, and would explain the recent lackluster releases. The problem is that you’re still asking full price for the current gen version and not offering a free upgrade, so I expect a full effort in the current gen game.

MyLeague is untouched save for the addition of a save share feature that lets you upload a snapshot of your current MyLeague— rosters, records, settings etc.— for anyone to download. Sounds great right? I wish I knew, at the time of this writing the share save feature was not functioning. In theory this allows for era specific rosters and settings and contracts to all be downloaded together. Grow up watching big men like Robinson, Ewing and Olajuwon dominate the paint and want to relive it? Head to 2k Share and download an early 90s MyLeague file. Want to see the different paths Giannis’ career could take after their disheartening second round loss? Create an offseason save point and start multiple MyLeagues with Giannis staying or leaving. There are many very interesting possibilities, especially with such a dedicated community backing the game. Hopefully in the near future we’ll get to see this addition working as intended.

I say hopefully not only because I like the potential of the share feature, but also because it was basically the only change we got. There was some vague talk about a boom or bust progression system but we never got any solid details on how it works. The only example given was a high draft pick suffering a severe injury early in their career causing their potential and athletic attributes take a hit, putting them on a different career path. I was confused when I heard this scenario mentioned because that’s something that already existed in the game. No big upgrades is understandable with the new game coming so soon but I had hoped there would be some fixes for legacy issues within the mode. My faith was not rewarded, I booted up 2K21 and was greeted with the same problems that have been present for years. Among many others there were: poor trade/team building logic, unchecked progression leading to major free agency problems as early as year one, generated draft classes with horribly mismatched ratings and tendencies. The last draft class I created had, by default, no fewer than 20 prospects rated 99 in speed and a similar number with 99 in stamina, making them unplayable without a huge amount of manual editing. The story is the same with MyGM, which returns the same after last year’s poorly received overhaul of the mode.

With the main offline modes lacking, you could turn to MyCareer. MyCareer once again features a star studded cast and a brand new storyline. The plot revolves around Junior, the son of a former college basketball star trying to escape his father’s shadow and make his own way in the basketball world. It’s not as outlandish as in years past and the cast all give solid performances but the end result is uninspiring at best. Undeveloped characters and threads cut short smacks of reduced time and resources. Once you complete the prelude, the story elements fade away almost completely, leaving me to wonder again, why even bother with this kind of bare bones release? MyCareer has always been a place to grind for VC to improve your MyPlayer before heading to the Park (which has seen a layout change and nothing more), but with the recent overhaul of the player builder I’ve dumped over 100,000 VC into my player only to have a wing who’s not particularly good at anything. 

VC for skill points, VC for clothes and shoes, VC for boosts, VC for card packs, even VC for extra training camps in MyLeague. Following the official NBA2K Twitter account, I don’t see news about the Series X and PS5 versions, I don’t see much news about updates for gameplay or modes, I see fashion drops and soundtrack announcements. Microtransactions in 2K are beyond the pale and have been for some time now. At least in the past you would get a worthy upgrade in gameplay and modes for $60 before they reached back into your pockets for more, but this year 2K turned the prerelease news cycle down to zero in hopes of catching consumers sleeping. They wanted to cash in on as many preorders and first week purchases as possible before word got out that this game is a carbon copy of last year with the only exception being MyTeam, a mode built to extract more money from users. I should point out that at least MyTeam progress carries over to next-gen, unlike all the other modes, which would explain why it’s the only mode to receive any attention in the current gen version. We’ve gotten through the considerable amount of bad, so let’s take a look at the good.

On the court NBA2K21 is probably the best simulation basketball game ever released. There are some issues here and there, players sliding and some poor AI decision making to name a couple, but 2K has managed to deliver a great simulation basketball experience while still catering to online players. The biggest change is the new shot aiming. A variation of the shooting mechanic from 2K17, 2K21 has you pulling straight down on the right stick then moving left or right to center the on screen bar in the shot meter target area. It takes quite a bit of getting used to, initially I was airballing multiple shots per game even with great shooters, but after some practice it is my preferred way to play. I say preferred because if you don’t like it 2K21 still allows you to use last year’s mechanic, real player percentage or button shooting. Shot aiming was added back in to increase the skill gap but it also increases realism. In order to be successful using shot aiming you must take smart shots with the right players in the right spots. Stars can make contested shots but those with lower ratings will need to get open looks in hot zones or badge aided shots to score consistently. 

Aiming also comes into play on layups, making venturing into the paint and taking on rim protectors very rewarding. Finishing in traffic is a skill not all players possess, but having players who can take contact and still sink the shot is a major advantage. The CPU and your AI teammates are also much better moving without the ball, creating a much more free flowing game, similar to what you see in the actual NBA. With that said, defense does not suffer. Exceptional movement, reconfigured shot blocking, and copious strategic options mean if you have the personnel you can stop just about any attack. My favorite aspect is the continued effort to make star players really stand out. Unlike most sports games, when your stars aren’t on the floor in NBA2K you really feel it. When using the Lakers it’s a struggle to score without AD and Lebron on the court but when they check back in I’m able to run my offense through them with ease and AD in the paint fixes any defensive lapses we might have.

What you really need to know about the current gen version of 2K21 is that 2K put all their resources into the next-gen version of 2K21. Bottom line is if you’re a MyTeam player and you plan on getting 2K this fall then go ahead and purchase the Mamba Forever edition so you can get a head start and carry your progress over. If you’re not planning on getting a new console this year, you should wait for a deep discount before diving in. Otherwise you can skip this version altogether and wait to see what 2K has to offer this holiday.