NBA 2K18 review: The Hoop Gawd giveth and VC taketh away

The best online sports game keeps getting better. NBA 2K18’s stellar gameplay receives an all-new shared world in “The Neighborhood” and enhanced modes throughout, but VC is still an unwelcome presence.

Developer: Visual Concepts
Publisher: 2K Sports
Platforms: PS4 (version reviewed), PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS3, Xbox 360
Release Date: September 19, 2017

NBA 2K18 is 2K Sports and Visual Concepts at its best as they seem to be every three years or so. Every sports game is mostly iterative in many ways. It is very difficult to reinvent the wheel on ideas and topics when the actual games themselves have not changed in years. Somehow, this venerable series managed to do the impossible by cascading down the slippery slope of focusing on “realism” over substance and creating something new and vibrant any basketball fan would want to be a part of.

The last two renditions of NBA 2K had focused on the wrong things. Getting deeper narratives out of MyCareer wasn’t necessary. To create this real-world overlay of dreams and consequences is not necessary for a game where you’ll spend most of your time not working through the story. This year’s story simplifies things and gives you a ridiculous storyline of a DJ that passes up the turntables to go into a basketball career. Yep, you read that right. DJ turned baller that is simply named “DJ.” It’s an inventive story. That said, the main character and the best friend are pretty funny. This toned down concept for your player actually lets you stay into the games as opposed to spending minutes at a time listening to dialogue as they did previously. A welcome change, indeed.

Credit: 2K Sports /

They drop DJ in “The Neighborhood” a shared world where it’s just guys and Rachel Demita buying a ton of basketball gear to look the freshest. Get to level 90, and you can even ride around on a bike. It’s the pre-teen male dream of paradise with no women and constant rewards for sinking time into basketball with your friends. With that out of the way, it is also a baller’s paradise with dunk contests, house rule scrimmages, team play, and even your very own court to play with friends on. They let you get your haircut, invest in your gear, and you can even sort through your phone for alerts.

If there was a sports MMORPG before this, I missed it. This is clearly the biggest one on this scale. It was also pretty full of people even from pre-launch days with few connectivity issues, which used to be the worst aspect of the NBA 2K online experience. My first impressions thought it was a bit PlayStation Home-y, but after spending some time in the game, I’m convinced of its worth. It is pretty fun to be a part of it and just observe this playspace 2K Sports created.

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This isn’t the only mode where the game shines. Play Now mode receives the all-time teams, which prompted some serious debates in this house. Is Wally Szczerbiak the best SF that ever played for the Timberwolves? Is Kemba Walker the best PG that ever played for the Hornets? Remember that bizarre time in the NBA where the Hornets were in New Orleans? Isn’t it disrespectful to the Sonics that the Thunder just get all their guys?

Credit: 2K Sports /

Anyways, arguments are running in high gear in the MyGM mode, which is one of the greatest sports sagas ever put to digital tape. In the span of one year, you will get the most asinine recommendations of food, see the effects of numerous bad investments, and witness plenty of takeovers. I cannot wait for NBA 2K25 where we get the voice acting to accompany this ridiculous and outlandish story that easily tops the story you are playing through seriously in MyCareer.

Credit: 2K Sports /

Here is where I tell you upfront that I don’t care about MyTeam or the equivalent in sports video games. I know a lot of people like these modes, but I have never been much of a card collector. Not to mention, you can just pay your way as much as you want and it would still take you forever to get all of the cards they possibly have in this game.

They have cards to speed up injury recovery. They have shoe cards to boost attributes. Cards to give special abilities. Of course, you can also purchase card packs that give you all of these things alongside players, coaches, players, jerseys, historic players, and arenas. You want cards; this mode lets you collect cards and distribute them to your team. It might be more work to keep up with a franchise in MyTeam than it is in any other mode. It’s mentioned here for reasons I will get to later

Credit: 2K Sports /

…The invasion of VC, which has been in the series since NBA 2K13, is everywhere.

So I mentioned every mode, but how does it play? It’s smooth. Buttery smooth. It looks amazing. The player models are as usual greatly improved from the year before. The playstyle of each team is well-captured. It’s everything that has made NBA 2K the sports franchise to beat from a quality gameplay standpoint. The game is still a bit cheap when you play on the “Hall of Fame” difficulty, but the overall feeling of moving the sticks has never felt smoother than it does in NBA 2K18.

I have the best of feelings about NBA 2K18 when it allows me to just play the game, but unfortunately, the invasion of VC, which has been in the series since NBA 2K13, is everywhere. It’s in MyCareer begging you to buy that next pair of Jordans you just played 10 games to afford. It’s in MyGM where you have to play each game in order to earn the VC you may need to calm a player down. It’s in MyTeam, and it’s egregious how easily you can just pay for pack after pack. Some people think pay-to-win is the worst on mobile, but when it comes to console games, the sports games are the worst.

Credit: 2K Sports /

There is a ton of things in this game that are great. Unfortunately, very little of it is available offline. When you play through the NBA 2K18 MyCareer mode, the story mode doesn’t even have, ya know, a story mode. It is just the old school mode where you put yourself on your favorite team and then play through it. You’re not drafted. You don’t try out. You just pick a team, style a player then go. I’m not sure why this is the case. It wouldn’t seem like someone would need to stream data to enter a pre-rendered story mode. I’m no developer, but it is a question that popped into my head when I tried this out to see what it was like.

On top of that, you lose access to MyTeam mode, which technically could be played offline since the mechanic to get more cards exists regardless of an internet connection and the ability to play each mode online or offline. I guess if they can’t put VC all in your face they don’t want you to have access to it. NBA 2K18 turns into a beautiful looking game with modes that are less defined than they were since more than five years ago. Offline, the game might as well just tell you to go outside and play.

Credit: 2K Sports /

In light of this, I certainly wouldn’t recommend anyone play the game offline. Everything that is great about being a part of the game of NBA 2K is hidden from you. If you are online, you get a hugely rich experience. It happens to beg you for money every three games, but at least you get one.