NBA 2K19

In short, save for the ever-encroaching reach for players' wallets with the Virtual Currency system, the sheer breadth of content alone in NBA 2K19 will be plenty to satisfy newbies and long-time fans of the franchise looking for a complete basketball sim experience. And fortunately enough, Visual Concepts' dedication to nailing practically every important detail related to gameplay and presentation shows that the developer went the extra mile to make worthwhile improvements where it could. All told, despite the loot box backlash the game incurred prior to launch, NBA 2K19 will undoubtedly go ...

NBA 2K19 captures the essence of basketball perfectly. Going up for a thunderous slam dunk fires me up, draining that last second three to win a big game exhilarates and winning a hard-earned NBA championship feels like an accomplishment. The problem with NBA 2K19 lies everywhere else, the game constantly trying to take more money out of my pocket via the in-game currency. Playing NBA 2K19 impresses me big time, but the insidious undertones really dishearten me.

For many, basketball is more than just a game, and NBA 2K19 doesn’t take that lightly. It throws every resource it has into the theatrics of the sport, creating charismatic presentation, a well-written story mode, and strong core gameplay. The series’ persistent weaknesses are still apparent in areas like the transition game and ludicrous microtransactions, but there’s so much variety to how its extensive MyLeague mode plays out that there’s always a reason to look forward to the next game of basketball.

NBA 2K9's game is strong, but most of its new features won't be appreciated by the average Joe.

A few hiccups along the way, especially in relation to some pretty serious online multiplayer instabilities, definitely bring down the experience in 2K19. Thankfully though, these quibbles don't tarnish what is definitely the best option for your basketball fix this year.

There still isn't a better alternative when it comes to video game basketball.

Is NBA 2K19 more than the sum of its microtransactions? Our full review.

Purchasing NBA 2K19 for yourself just depends on what you plan to play within its larger package. If you were already put off by MyCareer last year, then not much has changed to win you over this season. If you're looking for the best basketball sim on the market though to just play with friends or play by yourself in some of the more team-based game modes, you cannot do better than NBA 2K19. Despite there being so many fundamental changes that I want to see from this series moving forward in regards to many of its abrasive practices, at least the actual basketball has continued to be phenomen...

NBA 2K19's on-court disappointments are somewhat remedied by the hugely entertaining off-the-court shenanigans, but a steep learning curve may leave less experienced players a little overwhelmed.

I don’t see myself ever really going hard for that 99, because the ability to do that requires the use of my wallet just to get started, because grinding for VC for free is insanely slow and I think they made it that way on purpose to push microtransactions.

There is a lot to like about NBA 2K19, but it's hard to come away from it without a bad taste in your mouth. Its pay-to-win nature and occasional hiccups are hard to swallow.

A decent basketball game marred by high learning curve, lousy tutorials, and poor microtransaction implementation leading to excessive grinding.