The NBA 2K22 MyCareer Just Isn’t Worth Your Money
READ OUR REVIEW OF NBA 2K24’s MYCAREER MODE HERE
NBA 2K22 Review (Quick Look) – Platforms: Reviewed on Xbox Series X | We checked it out for: < 10 hours | For people who like: NBA 2K
It’s time for another NBA 2K game, but the big difference (at least for me) this time around is that this is the first “next-gen” NBA 2K game that I’ve laid my hands and eyes on. The trailers blew me away with their realism and detail, and when I finally had it in front of me, the results were… well, up and down but more up than down.
Credit where credit card’s due
I’ve complained in the past that while NBA 2K games originally set the bar for career story modes (with the original and best even being direct by Spike Lee) they’ve been very up and down (the next year was a little better again) since, with a severe decline in effort and quality in some years, although the year after was a little better again.
Last year’s MyCareer mode still had some A-listers and a crack at a story, but this NBA 2K22 feels like they’ve all but tossed that out to just get you into the online world as soon as possible.
Why? Well, like we’ve also complained about in the past, it feels like they want you in the world and grinding as quick as possible because that’s the best way to get you to start spending more real world money on the game.
Same Kids On The Block
The creation of this game is incredibly low-quality and lazy in places though. Like REALLY lazy.
An early cutscene right after I had picked my career progression had me in a cutscene with my team, and two different sets of players were using the same head, even though they were different-sized, completely different players.
What’s worse is that the online suburb is now a bigger city area, but it’s clunky and filled with tons of real online players who are all “the greatest player on the block”.
Nothing makes you feel quite as special as having an NPC tell you that you’re the hottest property, when you’re standing in a large crowd of other online players who are mostly dressed the same as you (especially early on when everyone has just started).
Hate The Player
The gameplay is still pretty much the same, which is to say that it’s still REALLY good. My only major gripes continue to plague me year after year, and this year’s still the same story.
You still get punished way too heavily every time you aren’t perfect, and it’s not great for newcomers or players returning to play the franchise every now and then. Leave a shooter unguarded? Yeah, they’re sinking that 3-pointer; it doesn’t matter if they’re the janitor.
I also still don’t like that early in your career you are supposed to be the next big thing, but unless my timing is literally perfect, my incredible player can’t sink basic shots that a high schooler could manage.
Blood, Sweat and Textures
Hey, the game looks really good though. I won’t say that it impressed me quite as much as the trailers suggested it would when they showed some shots of what looked like real life NBA footage, but NBA 2K games have always been really good looking and this one is probably still one of the better looking games available at the right times. At the wrong times though, especially in career, it can look like a game from last-generation during some of the cutscenes.