{"id":2402,"date":"2017-10-12T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-12T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/nintendo-switch\/nba_2k18"},"modified":"2017-10-12T22:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-10-12T22:00:00","slug":"review-nba-2k18-switch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2017\/10\/12\/review-nba-2k18-switch\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: NBA 2K18 (Switch)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\">\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Screenshot 1 of 7\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/84764\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/84764\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Nba 2 K18 09\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p><em><strong>Note:<\/strong> We originally posted our NBA 2K18 review last month but the game was essentially broken, with a number of serious game-affecting bugs. It was so severe that we were unable to give the game a score, because we considered it incomplete.\u00a0While we really enjoyed the game when it worked properly, our advice at the time was clear: hold fire. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t buy it until 2K Sports fixes its myriad of problems with a hefty update,\u201d our review originally stated.\u00a0<\/em><em>That hefty update was finally released last week: later than is really acceptable, but now here nonetheless. So, with the Switch version\u2019s physical release due next week, we\u2019re finally able to bring you our final review and the definitive verdict on NBA 2K18.<\/em><\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Screenshot 2 of 7\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/84761\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/84761\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Nba 2 K18 06\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>It\u2019s been five years since Nintendo fans have had an officially licensed \u2018serious\u2019 basketball game, the last being Wii U launch title <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/wiiu\/nba_2k13\">NBA 2K13<\/a><\/strong>. 2K Sports\u2019 initial support for the Wii U quickly simmered and the studio decided to focus its efforts on other formats, meaning its day one NBA 2K offering ended up being the only taste of slam dunkery Nintendo\u2019s system received.<\/p>\n<p>A lot has changed since then, however, and now 2K Sports is back for another crack at the Nintendo market. WWE 2K18\u2019s due soon but before that we have the latest NBA 2K entry. And while it\u2019s taken a while to get there, we\u2019re finally happy with the results. NBA 2K18 easily provides the greatest basketball experience we\u2019ve ever seen on a Nintendo system (yes, that even includes <strong>Mario Slam Basketball<\/strong>). The sheer attention to detail here is sensational.<\/p>\n<p>Those familiar with the NBA 2K series will already be familiar with the sort of things we\u2019re referring to, but those new to it will discover a level of presentation that eclipses every other sports game, <strong>FIFA<\/strong> included. Matches open with a (skippable) pre-game show hosted by a three-man panel, with countless pre-recorded chats that all sound genuine and not just read from a script. They\u2019ll crack jokes, interrupt each other and generally act exactly like they would on the sort of real-life broadcast you\u2019d expect to see on ABC or ESPN.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Screenshot 3 of 7\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/84758\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/84758\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Nba 2 K18 03\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>After this it\u2019s down to courtside where you\u2019ll be treated to one of a selection of pre-game routines. Sometimes you\u2019ll see video footage of the city hosting the game, other times you\u2019ll catch the end of the national anthem being sung, or maybe you\u2019ll see the team mascot firing t-shirts into the crowd. This is all supported with the full TV broadcast experience with a full commentary team, sideline reporters, realistic TV-style camera angles, the whole nine yards. Those familiar with sports games may think we\u2019re overreacting by listing all of this but until you\u2019ve played a recent NBA 2K you can\u2019t really appreciate just how incredibly authentic the entire thing feels before the tip-off even begins.<\/p>\n<p>Once the action actually starts, controlling your team is a breeze regardless of your skill level. There\u2019s great depth to the various types of shot, pass and tactical call you can call upon at any time, but how much you want to delve into that is entirely up to you. This game gives you the luxury of as much or as little control of the intricacies of basketball as you feel comfortable with. If you\u2019re a relative novice and just want to go with the basic \u2018B to pass, Y to shoot, A to steal\u2019 controls, you\u2019re more than welcome to. Things get significantly more complicated once you involve the shoulder buttons and the right stick \u2013 \u00a0but you can happily play and win without ever having to worry about them.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Screenshot 4 of 7\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/84756\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/84756\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Nba 2 K18 01\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Should you actually want to get stuck into that, the level of control you can eventually achieve with practice is ridiculous. Shimmy shots, dropsteps, post hops, hook drives, alley oops, Euro step layups&#8230; these and many more are available as and when you decide you want to push your game a bit further. Or not, it\u2019s your call. This freedom of choice extends to the wide variety of games modes available, each of which are so packed they could easily constitute full games in their own right. For starters you\u2019ve got MyGM: The Next Chapter, a story mode in which you play as a former NBA star whose career was ended short by a bad injury and is now a manager.<\/p>\n<p>This mode plays like a standard career mode in something like FIFA, where you\u2019re in charge of all the inner workings of the team: from training and tactics to trading and scouting, to even smaller things like jersey sales (all while still getting to control your team in each match, of course). If the story side of things doesn\u2019t appeal to you there\u2019s also MyLeague, which lets you play through up to 80 seasons, controlling anything from just one to all 32 teams. If you get properly invested in this it might keep you busy for the entire duration of the Switch\u2019s life but it\u2019s also the driest of the modes on offer, featuring little more than a schedule of matches.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Screenshot 5 of 7\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/84753\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/84753\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"HFiza Nj1 Hd G3 G F0 Eef ACq Mimn Odr Wu P\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Meanwhile, MyTeam is a fantasy team mode that\u2019s clearly been inspired by FIFA\u2019s Ultimate Team. You start with a handful of player cards and, over time, build up your team by winning and buying more cards until you\u2019ve got a squad that can take on all-comers both off and online. Finally, if it\u2019s more plot you\u2019re looking for MyCareer gives you another story, but this time it\u2019s one in which you control a single player rather than the whole team. This is one of the most popular NBA 2K modes every year and for good reason: as your player slowly builds his skills and stats you feel a real sense of attachment to him.<\/p>\n<p>That said, MyCareer has a different storyline each year and 2K18\u2019s is probably the weakest in a long time, partly because the jump from zero to hero is too swift this time. In previous games you had to prove yourself in training camps before getting drafted to a low-ranked team and slowly working your way up to something like the Cavs or Warriors. This time though the story begins with your player competing in a street basketball tournament and somehow making it to a pro NBA team without going through a draft or anything. Within less than an hour of MyCareer mode we were coming off the bench for the Toronto Raptors, which sort of undermined the whole idea of putting in hard work to reach the big time.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Screenshot 6 of 7\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/84760\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/84760\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Nba 2 K18 05\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>The mode also has a heavy emphasis on microtransactions. As you play you earn VC (virtual currency), which is spent on improving your stats and customising your character\u2019s look. While you can earn VC through playing the game, you can of course also skip the grind and pay real money for it. While this won\u2019t be new to anyone who\u2019s been playing NBA 2K games on other systems over the past few years, do be aware that if you want to build your character naturally without spending any extra money you\u2019re going to have to be in it for the long haul: this mode is a marathon, not a sprint.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless, despite the constant spectre of microtransactions looming it\u2019s still a great time, and when you combine all four main modes \u2013 MyGM, MyLeague, MyTeam and MyCareer \u2013 there are countless hundreds of hours of gameplay here that will keep you hooked, whether you\u2019re an NBA die-hard or just a casual basketball fan looking for a sports game for their Switch.<\/p>\n<p>Until recently NBA 2K18 was suffering from a number of huge game-breaking bugs. Our game saves were being reported as corrupt, cutscenes were playing at a snail\u2019s pace, dialogue regularly sounded crackly and parts of the environment disappeared during MyCareer mode. Thankfully a large patch \u2013 albeit one that turned up far later than it should have \u2013 has removed the most serious ones. There are still some graphical glitches in there, with the likes of flickering shadows still present, but the big ones are finally gone and the game\u2019s far better for it.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Screenshot 7 of 7\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/84752\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/84752\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"F U IJj LPnc 7 It0 A6 L D Sd TJz QBE Vcn\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>As a result, we\u2019re now comfortable that we can finally recommend NBA 2K18. 2K Sports has delivered a game that comes fairly close to its performance on other systems (it runs at 30 frames per second instead of 60 but other than that it\u2019s remarkably detailed), and unlike <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/fifa_18\">FIFA 18<\/a><\/strong> it\u2019s missing absolutely nothing in the Xbox One or PS4 modes (except for a face-scanning function which is apparently coming in a future patch). It\u2019s still silly that it\u2019s taken a full three weeks after the launch of the digital version to get to the stage that we can finally consider this game playable, and hopefully <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/wwe_2k18\">WWE 2K18<\/a><\/strong> won\u2019t suffer from a similarly calamitous launch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"conclusion\">\n<h2 class=\"heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>For those who took our previous advice to hold fire until we were happy the game wasn\u2019t a broken mess, you can finally pull the trigger: NBA 2K18 may not have been a great sports game at launch, but it\u2019s certainly one now. This is effortlessly the best basketball game we&#8217;ve seen on a Nintendo system in years, and a must-have for Switch-owning sports fans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Note: We originally posted our NBA 2K18 review last month but the game was essentially broken, with a number of serious game-affecting bugs. It was so severe that we were unable to give the game a score, because we considered it incomplete.\u00a0While we really enjoyed the game when it worked properly, our advice at the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2402\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}