Being a huge fan of sports games, each year we are graced with new titles updating our favourite games, and just before we hit purchase, we need to make ourselves believe there are going to be some huge changes in the new year’s title. Visual Concept, the developers, have not disappointed one bit with NBA 2K23.

Based in Novato, California, and working alongside 2K Games to release to us some of the best sports games of this day and age, NBA 2K23 follows the NBA and WNBA both past & present. Needless to say, this title has got some content packed into it that will make any fan of the NBA, or those starting to get into NBA sit down for hours.

One of the new game modes you will find in this title is the Jordan Challenge, which starts with his college basketball games at the University of North Carolina & it finishes with the match-winning shot in 1998 with the Chicago Bulls which made him a six-time NBA Champion. 15 recreations of Jordan’s most memorable moments have been captured in this game mode and you get to live in the shoes of Michael Jordan to do them all for yourself. The presentation from the game mode was done so well, with commentary and visual effects added to make it feel like you were playing the games back in the 1980s, back when Jordan started his career.

Everything from the grainy filter added to the screen to the overlay that you saw back in the 1980s felt like I was watching a game back in the day. The commentary team even sounded older with some of the things they were saying being era-specific. Each game mode had a small interview with someone beforehand, which added to the game even more, whilst also teaching us a little more about Jordan that we might not have known beforehand. Each scenario has 3 challenges to gain 3 stars for those achievement-hunting people out there. The challenges are all based around things that Michael Jordan did which makes it feel more like the G.O.A.T.

MyCareer mode is back once again, allowing you to create a character through the MyPlayer function before embarking on a journey to become an NBA superstar. If you’ve played previous NBA 2K titles, you will be familiar with the game mode and how it all works, but there have been a couple of changes to NBA 2K23’s My Career mode.

To my surprise, they have taken out the Highschool and College basketball sections, drafting you straight into the NBA, this lead to some confusion based on the number of people who dislike you when you are first drafted. This year there’s been a huge push on the “Good and Bad” section during interviews, as everyone seems to adore your rival, Shep Owens, while having a huge problem with you. Each game you spend trying to gain more fans and prove to people you are the greatest.

The City has made its comeback exclusively to next-gen consoles, which is built into the MyCareer mode in the game. The developers have made the city 30% smaller than 2K22 due to the community’s requests.

Fast travel locations have been added, which you find at the subway stations all over the city due to the community wanting less time to travel around. You’ll also notice each corner of the map has an affiliation borough which all have different names and themes, being the South City Vipers, North Side Knights, Western Wildcats & the Beats of the East.

The other big addition to the city is Dreamville Studios, created by none other than J.Cole. You meet a friend of his, and then down the track, you end up meeting J.Cole who helps with your climb to the top. This year they have ditched the old Cancha Del Mar and brought in the G.O.A.T. Boat, which adds another Six 3v3 Courts, Six 2v2 Courts, Gatorade Training Facilities, 2 5v5 Courts, and most of the buildings from the main city, so you can still use the main features needed.

Online is back and still as brutal as ever, with MyTeam being one of the biggest modes and already underway with some people pulling some huge cards. Unfortunately, I was not one of these lucky people. Getting in fast with the MyTeam feature is a must, as there are so many rewards to unlock by completing built-in quests which are not as simple as they might seem. Returning players will see that contracts have been removed from MyTeam, which means you now have permanent player cards – something that will make the community happier.

MyTeam has also introduced a new game mode Triple Threat Online: Co-Op, which will let you team up with your mates for some 3×3 action on the rooftop, and with everything that happens on the court, online play seemed to run really smooth. Each season the ladder rewards are refreshed in Co-Op but the more competitive rewards will be updated more regularly.

MyTeam has also brought some awesome new rewards, one being the metal or gem basketball, that once you finish a game, it will bounce and eventually break to reveal an awesome prize. You’ll gain a variety of badges whilst playing games that can be equipped to the cards, and these can be used to benefit you by buffing the card. You can also send your cards to be professionally graded, and after some time passes, you will receive the graded card back. The highest grade you can receive is a flawless 10 but every graded card returns with bonus MTP in every game played from there on.

NBA 2K23 has brought back the store so you can spend all your hard-earned in-game currency, or you can spend some real money on some of the card packs, as well as other bits and pieces you can purchase within the game. The card packs have different categories to choose from, so you can try and get that card you have been hunting for.

Another returning feature is Play Now, where you can jump straight into the action and play your favourite team. There is not much changed from previous years’ titles, and it’s a good time-killing and skill-building game mode. You also have access to the WNBA which is the Women’s league where you can again play as your favourite Women’s team.

The next game mode is for the die-hard fans of NBA with My NBA Eras which covers the key decades that shaped the NBA into what it is today. A couple of the different options include the Magic vs Bird Era, the Jordan Era, or another one of my favourites, the Kobe Era, which are all times that shaped the NBA into what the game is today. Whilst playing you can unlock plenty of new floors & uniforms from the selected Era.

The gameplay has been overhauled with this year’s title as enhancements have elevated the competitive intensity of the game and made it feel a little more real. In NBA 2K22, the developers had defence as their main concern, but not with NBA 2K23. They have switched and made offensive the main point of call, wanting to bring more authenticity to the game, and as such, one of the moves you work out early into the game is Pro Stick, being able to do double throws, which, for anyone that does not know what that, it’s when you fake to throw and then actually throw it.

One thing the community has been asking for is more things when we flex on the ring, which is the actions whilst doing a slam-dunk and how all the pros do it. They have also created more animations on things like lay-ups and other shots, just so it looks like it flows more and gets more of that NBA feeling.

The controls are much like the previous year’s titles and you have the option to move the controls around depending on your gaming style, but not much has changed in the way of the button mapping. In saying that, the controls and movement feel a lot smoother. They can be broken down into six different categories; Offensive, Defensive, Shooting, Dribbling, Passing, and Post moves.

The offensive controls can be broken down again into two categories, On-Ball Offense & Off-Ball Offense, and in the same way, the defensive controls can be broken down further. For anyone new to the game, I recommend using the Rookie difficulty setting and learning the basics of the game, as passing and defensive moves can be learned over time, and then you can increase the difficulty.

The graphics look and feel better each year a new NBA title is released, with everything from the gloss finish on the floor to the character models looking very clean. When playing the game, the UI has been made to look as real as possible, right down to the sponsors around the different courts and uniforms. The art team has put lots of work into making this game look as accurate as possible, right down to the smallest detail. The one issue I did find was whilst sitting on the bench the sweat had some weird animations going on.

If you are new to playing NBA, or even returning from previous titles, this one is for you. From the history in the MyNBA Eras, the Jordan Challenge, right through to running around The City and making your mark in the NBA, there is something for you to do.

Written by: Hayden Nelson