NBA 2K25 Review

The NBA 2K series is great, plain and simple. It's a blast, particularly for basketball fans. Getting into it and playing the game is a blast because of its co-op play, player creation and drafts, and team management. Much of what draws fans to the 2K series isn't even related to the great players themselves.

There had never been a sports game that managed something like it. But after playing the last few NBA 2K games on a regular basis, I can't help but think that the NBA 2K series has hit a dead-end. There isn't a massive gap between NBA 2K23, NBA 2K24, and NBA 2K25. I was pretty critical of 2K24 last year, docking it points for its ridiculous microtransactions, and in NBA 2K25, it has hit its zenith.

It's the same problem over and over again that we've mentioned in our reviews. If you play NBA 2K25 offline, it's the best that there can ever be. Unfortunately, if you enjoy playing games online, you may be shut out of matches repeatedly since other players aren't interested in challenging newer players with poor overall ratings, which can force you to buy VC anyhow.

Because when it comes to myCareer and other single-player content, it's tough to level up your character from 60 overall. This is because you're usually pitted against NBA players with higher ratings, mostly over 80, making the level grinding somewhat difficult for players who want to level up their character without paying for it. And by the time you've reached around level 90, you've either finished 3 seasons or paid a hefty amount of real money.

Everything tends to become more dire in NBA 2K25, including how the game handles its virtual currency, VC. It was introduced in NBA 2K13 and has been a staple of the franchise ever since. Earlier, VC was easy to earn and sensible, allowing you to purchase an extensive range of in-game items. However, there has been an apparent transformation throughout the years. Daily and objective-based VC payouts have consistently declined for the past few years.

On top of that, the prices of both in-game items and character upgrades have skyrocketed, making it a significant pain to get anywhere near the game's fundamentals. So, if you plan to play online with other random players from day one, keep your wallet open, which might cost an additional $100~$150 to fully prepare your player character.

On the brighter side, NBA 2K25 had enhancements with a thousand new animations, and the new ProPlay technology makes it feasible. If you're unfamiliar with ProPlay Tech, developers can use actual player footage instead of the laborious motion capture sessions to capture movements.

This makes the process of converting the footage into in-game movements much easier and more precise. NBA 2K25 features an improved ProPlay system that reportedly makes the character animations more lifelike than in previous NBA 2K games, including NBA 2K24, the game that debuted ProPlay, and thus the next-gen NBA 2K game.

However, these next-gen enhancements hardly seem noteworthy if you've played previous installments. The game, however, runs far more smoothly because of the updated animations. The animations are lifelike, the action is more fluid, and the overall effect is more realistic. As for animations, they cover the standard shots, and pressing the ProStick will activate the game's distinctive go-to shots, including thrilling dribble-into-shot combinations lifted straight from NBA highlights.

The new dribbling engine is another improvement from this year. With the new dribble canceling and other enhancements, 2K Games has completely redesigned dribbling, so it will feel better this year. While there are a few little adjustments to the settings, those are the main ones that affect gameplay.

Although I must admit, there aren't really many visible changes. So much so that it will go unnoticed if you didn't play much last year. Visually, the NBA 2K series is probably at its peak. Thus, I doubt they could enhance anything compared to the previous year. Except for the NBA cheerleaders, however, they look unrealistic and copy and paste from NBA 2023.

NBA 2K25 has added the passive dribbling hand switch configuration. This allows you to prevent steals by automatically switching hands while dribbling in the game. If you choose to disable it, it will be similar to the settings set as the default for NBA 2K24. The rhythm shooting settings are also adjustable. Similar to what 2K Games did in NBA 2K21, you can alter your shooting style in this version.

Some minor changes were also made to the shot timing profiles. The main thing it does is let you choose between winning, missing, or using random number generators for your shots. As a result, the configuration might be either low or high risk. An adjustable visual cue is also an option, letting you choose exactly when you wish to press the shot button in the animation, unlike in 2K24, when there were pre-defined cues like set point, push, and release.

The game modes have a few adjustments, too, and myPlayer mode remains my favorite. The Builder's construction has been slightly twined; otherwise, it is structurally identical to NBA 2K24. However, this year, there are 77 badges instead of 40. Some badges were combined, and some were deleted entirely. Since a badge could essentially cover each component of the game at this point, it's obvious why there aren't more.

A new stat called Agility has been introduced. Since acceleration is no longer an advantage, you must rely on your speed when on the ball and your Agility when off the ball to compensate. With the latest version of Build Tester, you can try out your build with any type of movement you want once you've completed it. Additionally, there are Cap Breakers, and depending on the specific attribute, these are seasonal rep prizes that can sum up to a plus-five on that attribute.

The takeover in myCareer got a bit of modification. The new takeover system in NBA 2K25 features fourteen abilities and seventy-two takeovers. There are five degrees to each takeover, and they all target distinct traits; on level 1, you're just warming up, and on level 5, you're blazing. myCareer has gotten some new features, such as your myCourt and a few courts from 2K15, and those features will be available each season. The Proven Grounds, essentially your power mode, is one of the most expected updates this year and one of the largest.

2K Games also made myTeam mode more beginner-friendly by adding features like the ability to have the game explain things, which is suitable for those new to basketball or even myTeam. Rivet City and Auction House are also available, but this time, they are exclusively available in Triple Threat Park mode. Therefore, it's similar to my team but with a more myPlayer vibe. You have the showcase spot, where packs can be opened in front of a crowd in the park. Plus, myTeam will get 30 minutes of 2x Rep when you utilize it for the first time.

Also, the Breakout Mode, Showdown Mode, King of the Court, and additional challenges are available. NBA 2K25 MyNBA now adds The Curry Era, a more configurable setup, and the ability to adjust the league size from 12 to 36 teams. Additionally, myGM received additional backstory, rewards, and features like player expressions, making it more RPG-ish. Along with the W Online and additional press conferences, theW also received new content.

Adding new commentary and pre-game presentations that mimicked the NBA is a nice touch. Still, the novelty quickly wears off due to the shows' tendency to recycle speech from the last installments. 2K Games rarely introduces significant alterations, and the series is that each game is basically the same. They showcase new features, and in principle, they seem fantastic.

Still, these updates are rarely visible when a new addition comes out. Even when they are, they often only contribute marginally to the overall experience compared to the last installments. There are only little changes from year to year, but other than that, it's hard to tell them apart. NBA 2K25 doesn't seem special, except for some minor fixes to textures and character models, tweaks to the animations and motions, and new soundtracks.

Somewhere beneath all that greed, NBA 2K25 is a decent game from 2K Games. I've always pointed out how much effort Visual Concepts puts into this series, and it's admirable. But the game's initial pricing is $70, with the Hall of Fame edition costing $150, and every year, it feels like we're simply buying DLC for visual patches for that amount. Basketball fans have little choice but to root for the underdogs, as there is no competition. If you've played NBA 2K24, you can skip buying NBA 2K25 or wait for a considerable discount if you want to see the little modifications in this installment.