2K22 

gameplay rework makes 2K fun again

By: Camdyn Beirow

Basketball fans rejoice for the yearly edition of the popular basketball video game, NBA 2K22. NBA 2K22 is the latest installment of the NBA 2K series, and promises new features and enhancements to the previous game. I haven’t bought a new basketball game in three years, so for me this will be a whole new experience.

2K has released on almost every platform you can think of. The latest installment is available on the Playstation 4 and 5, Xbox one and Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC. I’ll be looking at the version that is released on Playstation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S, as it is the version I have and also includes most of the new features.

First opening the game you are going to have to create a 2K account to be able to access the online features, which isn’t the worst thing in the world. This is a boring process but once you complete it, you can access multiple different game modes. The main one is “MyCareer”, where you create your own player and customize how to play as him. You can make him a small three point shooter, all the way to a 7 foot tall center who dunks on everyone, and everyone in between. This is my favorite part of the game because you create your own player to how you want to play as him. The possibilities are truly endless and you can always make a new player if you get tired of the old one.

The story behind your player is entirely up to you. Immediately you are met with three choices: go directly to the NBA, play in college or try to make it into the NBA by playing in the G League, which is basically minor league basketball. Once you get into the NBA, you have to choose your agent, brand deals, and you even have the choice of pursuing off-court passions like Music and Fashion. But what good is a basketball game if the basketball gameplay isn’t good?

The gameplay of NBA 2K22 is incredible and way better than previous years. The game feels more genuine to real life than other games. Players move slower which may sound bad at first, but if you want a more realistic basketball simulation game, this is the best out there. When your players “stamina” is low, making shots becomes more difficult, which forces you to conserve your energy instead of just holding down a button to move fast. The biggest change to gameplay is how defense is played against you. The computer will play way more close to you, forcing you to use teammates and run plays. While I was annoyed at first, this is better for the game in its entirety as scoring and just dominating the game has become way harder.

The load times are way faster as well. If you want to play a game with your player, you click one button and you will be playing your game within 5 seconds, way faster than the last time I played an NBA 2K game. Running around through the open world city is also quick and you experience almost no delays going between different areas.

While the game is outstanding, there are still problems holding the game back, and the biggest problem I have with the game is how they want you to spend money on virtual currency and clothes for your player. Virtual currency, or VC as it is commonly known, can increase how good your player is, buy clothes for your player, and get you different things in different modes. As a highschool student who doesn’t have time for a job, it’s frustrating to get better at the game by playing non-stop just to increase your player’s rating by just a few number points, while some kid with there mother’s credit card can be way better at me just by throwing 20 bucks at the game. It’s a business, and I get that this is where Visual Concepts, the company who makes the game, makes money, but a pay to win game isn’t fun for anyone except those who are able to throw crazy amounts of money into the game.

Overall the game is incredible to me since I haven’t played in years, with new things to try out, and improved gameplay and graphics. Out of the 9 NBA video games I’ve played, this is easily in the top 3 for best I’ve played. With improvements to bugs and other things in the future, this game has the potential to be my favorite basketball game of all time.