NBA 2K25 is HERE and while the virtual currency (VC) problem still rears its ugly head, it is clear that 2K is looking to make sure we all get back to the game that we love. Improvements all around bring together a great experience in the basketball world that are only slightly bogged down by not spending enough. I played well over 25 hours of NBA 2K25 and dove into the majority of each and every feature in the game. While some things feel the same such as Play Now, huge overhauls of MyCareer and MyTeam have breathed new life into the series.
The City Life For Me
One of my favorite revamps this year is with The City. Not only is the map a LOT smaller (a great thing) but it allows very easy access to courts, matchmaking, and storefronts. The coolest thing is that literally every building you see has a purpose. Whether you are wanting some new threads, or needing to defeat a boss in a streetball battle, they're all VERY close to eachother. No more walking to 7 minutes to your next destination. This is what I have dreamed of. Something akin to Street Fighter 6's player lobbies. You still get the flair of your character but in a much easier-to-navigate setting. I no longer audibly sigh whenever I have to do a quest outside of an arena and that, to me, is a huge blessing.
There were some new features added this year such as the ability to look for a squad to your liking and hang out to take on the Proving Grounds (a new hub to truly test your skills without a shot meter and higher difficulty sliders) or shoot around with. I did not try the squad finder as much as I had some friends to play the game with but it's absolutely a game shanger for solo players who have a hard time meeting friendlier types in-game. They also added a Casual Court in the RISE and ELITE hubs. These are for anyone who has their play meter in the "Causal" zone still. You cannot play in a squad in this court, but weirdly enough you can leave your squad all together and still play with your friends. It's a good idea but you will still get squashed by people who clearly spent more money than you at the start.
I love the various courts and the fact that 2K is bringing back old school (currently from 2K15) courts beautifully remastered into the new gen, is awesome. Playing on courts we grew up with with fine tuned gameplay really gives me that nostalgic feel. Could not be any happier about that.
Besides the remastered courts, you have your city courts to play and practice on at any time you'd like BUT they brought back MyCourt. Inside your apartment is, you guessed it, your court. You can invite friends over for games of 1v1, H.O.R.S.E, and more. This is also such a great way to practice your shot to make sure you are hitting those greens as often as possible. What's that? Can you decorate it? Of course you can! Alongside the tiered pass and quests, there are various customizations you can unlock to make your court look snazzy.
The shops all still have the same insane prices for your virtual clothes. Where it really does feel like they mirror real life. I cannot justify spending 10 real life dollars on a pair of in-game Crocs. As sweet as they look and as much as I wear them in my home. It just does not seem feasible in a game that I have to choose between stat points or clothing with the same currency out of my actual wallet. If you're fine wearing the brown shirt or basic colors as the start, it is not TOO much of a problem. The microtransactions really do get on my nerves though.
MP's Career
When you start your MyCareer, you are placed back into the shoes of another MP. This process was a lot quicker at getting into the action than I remember. With menus asking what you want to do right out the gate. Looking to play some flashback games? Go for it. Want to hop into your first NBA game? Do it. Maybe you just want to stroll the city, you want it, you got it. I like this as it doesn't force my OVR 60 into a situation where I will struggle immediately and miss out on some objectives. Key games are also back and you can skip to these anytime to do the various challenges within the game themselves.
The story is pretty simple. You are drafted to the NBA and you want to manifest a championship. You'll do so by dominating the court in those key games, earning sponsorships and outplaying your teammates in your position. I like the straightforward approach as we all know the majority of 2K players are just looking for the fastest ways to get VC and show off in Pro-Am and REC.
You now have more access to badges, new takeovers, and an awesome way to easily create your build. This is always the scariest part of 2K for me. So they added Pro-Tuned builds to give you what you are looking for without having to worry if you accidentally gave your 6'10 character a 96 layup instead of dunk. Whoops. I would still love a way to refund the VC you've spent on one character and place it into another instead so you do not have to go through the same processes over and over but that's just me. I don't like the fact that if I want to try out a point guard instead of a small forward that I have to spend $100 for VC or play through the game for hundreds of hours to be able to at least be competitive.
The W!
The W keeps slowly making more and more progress as the WBNA gains some traction. Adding press conferences to the career story, and more competition to The W Online, you now have more ways to attack the leaderboard and prove you are the best out there. The online 3v3 mode is pretty dang fun and enjoyed my time with it. The court is visually awesome and being able to work towards community goals for rewards definitely makes it worth playing. I am truly excited to see the W expand and maybe even get it's own game down the road with a fully fleshed-out MyCareer and everything.
MyTeam or YourTeam?
MyTeam is back, as you could guess, and this is easily the most overwhelming mode for me and has been forever. I never know if I am getting the right players or am actually good at the game. Luckily, 2K25 has some new modes to help ease my mind a bit. The new modes are a blast to play, albeit sometimes frustrating but that is more to player skill than anything. They're a cool way to take a break from your MyCareer and get rewarded here. They used to have rewards and status refresh every in game season but now it's an entire year long that you get to keep on grinding! I much prefer that. It's hard to be pleased with any mode that requires a ton of real life money to be spent to achieve greatness, but you can still have fun without spending much of anything.
More Than A GM
MyGM is HERE for new gen consoles and this is the excitement for me. Customize everything, control everything. Level up your GM with perks as you go along. Create your own dynasty team and take the NBA or WNBA to new heights. For people who love the roleplaying aspect of sports games, this is the mode for you and I know you'll be pleased.
My Overall Rating
2K25 is a big improvement over the last few entries and it is really easy to see that the future is bright for the basketball giant. Even though a tutorial was added for shooting, defense, and more, I still felt like I was less than worthy to take on anyone other than people on a casual court. The VC has a ton to do with that. I was lucky enough to have the edition with 100k VC and it brought my character to an 80 OVR. With that, I was still getting crushed by 95s anytime I joined a random match. While playing with friends eased this because of the hilarity, it still became an issue as they couldn't spend the money to increase their stats further. Luckily, there are SO many modes you can play to get your basketball fix as well as gain that sweet, sweet, currency. The GM mode is awesome, MyTeam is fun, and the W Online is cool. All of these wrap together nicely to ensure you get the most out of 2K. If you've been teetering back and forth on whether or not to pick up this year's edition, I'd say to give it a go. It's still the ultimate sim and a great time once you get into the swing of things.
NBA 2K25 is out now
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