While the action feels better, it doesn’t necessarily look all that different. The next-gen NBA 2k24 was a decent visual upgrade, and it seems Visual Concepts were happy to
nba 2k24 mt coins dust their hands and focus on other things this year. NBA 2K23’s visuals are almost unchanged from last year, and in fact, may look a little flatter due to less aggressive lighting and HDR. As usual, the big stars look great – unsurprisingly, this year’s cover star Luka Doncic has received a makeover – but too many lesser names are still a bit wonky.
As always, NBA 2K23 is roughly split into three parts – MyCareer, MyTeam, and MyNBA. MyCareer gets the most significant revamp this year, as it ditches the standard star-studded cinematic prologue the series has done for the past half decade (to varying degrees of success). Instead, Visual Concepts opts to fully roll career mode into an expanded and improved version of their online hub, The City. I wasn’t particularly wowed by last year’s version of The City – it felt sterile and superfluous, not adding much aside from longer travel times between the courts and shops already found in NBA 2K’s previous Neighborhood hubs. Thankfully, this year’s version of The City both looks better and almost plays like a mini MMORPG.
While the movie-like flair is gone, you now have a series of story and side quests to tackle, some of which present some rather interesting choices. For instance, right off the bat, you’ll have the option of going to college or the G League, with both options presenting compelling pros and cons. And that’s just the beginning, as the meaningful decisions don’t end once you get to the NBA. That was always one of my biggest gripes about MyCareer – you’d play through this lavish Hollywood prologue, get to the NBA, and then just… grind through the season. It now feels like you’re getting more of a full story, even if it doesn’t kick off with as much razzle-dazzle as before.
Of course, all the usual stuff from past NBA 2K hubs return, including pick up courts, Pro Am, and, obviously, lots and lots of cosmetic shops. Ah, but those who venture into The City for some multiplayer will find a rather unexpected addition – the ability to hop into a quick 3v3 or 1v1 game with actual matchmaking! I’ve long suspected Visual Concepts intentionally resisted matchmaking, as getting crushed by leveled-up teams entices people to spend on microtransactions, so hey, kudos where they’re due for actually making it happen. Now, you could argue the entire reason for rolling MyCareer fully into The City is to wheedle more money out of players, and you’d probably be right, but I can’t deny I found the new combo compelling. The experience is just more unified and satisfying now and there’s such a breadth of stuff to do, much of which, like progressing your career or hitting the matchmaking courts, doesn’t really require any additional pay. Maybe Visual Concepts is just getting better at obscuring it, but The City didn’t feel particularly exploitative to me.
I should mention that while MyCareer has received a big-time update in NBA 2K23, the WNBA career mode, The W, hasn’t. It’s still largely menu-based, which feels even more dated and limited than before given the extravagance of The City. If Visual Concepts is serious about giving the WNBA a fair shake, it’s time to
cheap nba 2k24 mt coins just include them in the regular MyCareer mode.
