Pump fake NBA 2K21 features a variety of assets taken directly from the previous game in the franchise. It’s a change that doesn’t feel quite necessary, rather something to make the game feel different from its predecessor, of which it holds many similarities.
This time around, the sim uses a targeting system, where players look to hit the center aim point. Sprinting down the court and pulling a deep three with Stephen Curry feels completely different than getting down in the post and slamming it home with Anthony Davis or Giannis Antetokounmpo. Each of the players have such a unique and dynamic feel to them. Simply dribbling the ball, doing dribble moves, and passing the ball feels right.
Nothing but net The saving grace in 2K21 is that the gameplay is as good as ever.ĭespite all of the writing and design issues that plague 2K21, the gameplay is still pretty spectacular. M圜areer once again suffers from trying to do too much, rather than providing a simple yet refined NBA experience.
You go through all of the draft stock and combine shenanigans only for the game to ask you which team you want to play for, and then that team magically ends up with the first two picks so that you can end up on a team with your new rival, Hendrix Cobb. Of course, the delay in the NBA season means that we still don’t know what teams these players will suit up for, but I don’t see why that stopped them from just including the new players and letting them go to random squads. LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, and other big prospects soon to join the league are noticeably absent from the game. First, the draft class is composed entirely of generated players. I was pretty excited about the aspect of trying to play at my best to secure the best draft pick, only for the wind to be taken out of my sails once it was time for selection. For a moment that’s supposed to feel so heavy, it’s strangely jarring.Īll throughout college and the combine, the player’s draft stock increases and decreases based on performance. For example, in college, Junior randomly gets into an argument with his girlfriend one night, players are faced with the decision to walk away from her and drop out of school, or apologize and spend some more time at university before declaring for the NBA draft. As we’ve seen several times over, 2K21 tries to deliver a dramatic story with meaningful moments, but instead, we get a generic story with writing so corny it borders on hilarious. The story itself lacks all of the emotional punches that it thinks it has. Much like the story’s protagonist, M圜areer is haunted by its past.įor starters, you can’t change your camera angle until you make it to the NBA, forcing you to play numerous high school and college games from an awkward one-way viewpoint. As Junior, players will go through high school, college, and eventually the NBA. The M圜areer in 2K21 follows the story of Junior, a young hooper standing in the shadow of his late father, a beloved basketball player. Letting players create their own NBA star with the hopes of becoming the best in the league, M圜areer usually defines each entry in the 2K games.
M圜areer has become the premiere game mode in the NBA 2K series. Inherent issues The M圜areer in NBA 2K21 suffers from the exact same issues as previous M圜areer modes. Unfortunately, NBA 2K21 doesn’t leave much of a lasting impression on the court.
#NBA 2K21 SWITCH REVIEW SERIES#
The latest title, NBA 2K21 bids the current generation of consoles farewell as the last release before the franchise makes the jump to the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Allowing players to step into the shoes of their favorite basketball superstars, 2K usually rests among the top selling games, year in and year out. The NBA 2K series has risen to become one of the most popular ongoing franchises in gaming.