REVIEW: NBA 2K21 (Next-Gen)
Back in 2013, as the Playstation 4 and the Xbox One were about to launch, many gamers found themselves disappointed by the launch day offerings of the new hardware. Not only was there nothing that was a “must-have,” many of the games didn’t look all that different from the previous generation releases. With new hardware, people want to be wowed. Then, like a Shawn Kemp windmill dunk, NBA 2K14 released and gave everyone their first genuine next-gen “wow” moment. Graphically, the leap was astronomical. The detail in the player’s faces, tattoos, and the arenas themselves were jaw-dropping. NBA 2K14 became the game that you popped in when you wanted to show someone the power of your PS4.
NBA 2K is the game that I spend the most time with every year, and even I would have assumed that the games had peaked in that era. I mean, how much more lifelike could the presentation get without Dikembe Mutumbo getting his swear all over me? Well, with the next-gen release of NBA 2K21 on the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X, it turns out that it could somehow get way better.
NBA 2K21 Next-Gen offers up one of the most realistic gaming experiences that you will ever see. On the last generation of consoles, most of the efforts were spent on making the players look authentic, and they were really successful with that. With this next-generation release, 2K kept those same player models–for the most part–but used the power of the new hardware to make everything else around them feel just as authentic. Whether it’s David Aldridge, the fans in the stands, the way that the light bounces off the court, the break dancing children at halftime, or the way that the ball can sometimes take that awkward bounce off the rim, NBA 2K21 is on another level when it comes to the details. Even after I’ve spent a few weeks with the game, each time that I fire it up, I still have that moment of disbelief. Back in 1999, when I was playing the first NBA 2K and declaring it the most realistic sports game ever made, I could have never imagined something like NBA 2K21 being possible. You could walk in on someone playing it and the only way that you would be able to know that it was a video game was because there were people in the stadium seats.
2K21 isn’t just a pretty face, either. So much passion and effort have gone into making the on-court action feel as smooth and natural as ever. I have run into issues with players stepping out of bounds easily and seemingly unable to defend the paint, but that might be because I usually play as the Detroit Pistons. Additionally, 2K21 on the next-gen consoles offers improvements to MyPlayer and gives you another commentary team, which includes my favorite player of all-time, Grant Hill.
But for me, the most incredible addition to this next-generation of NBA 2K21 is the load times…or lack thereof. In the last generation, once you selected your teams, a 2K video (or commercial :()would air, and then you would get a pre-show rundown from Ernie, Shaq, and Kenny. Now, select your team, and you’re tipping off within seconds. That’s not even an exaggeration. It literally takes 2-3 seconds to load. It seems like some sort of sorcery.
If you were holding out on getting a basketball game this year because of all the uncertainty with how the pandemic would affect the NBA season, rest easy knowing that now is the time to jump in. This game is incredible, and it simply must be seen to be believed. And with the NBA’s flurry of trades, draft picks, and free-agent signings that are happening as I type this up, the game is updated daily to account for those changes. If you spent $59.99 on the last-generation of NBA 2K21, well, if you get a Playstation 5 or Xbox Series X, I would still recommend re-buying the next-gen version. It’s that good.
Instead of console makers showing off car games to showcase their new consoles, they should be showing off 2K’s basketball games. It’s truly the best display of next-gen gaming yet.
