NBA 2K21 Next Generation is what it sounds like; an improved version of NBA 2k21. A new feature on the home screen is 2KTV, where it will play the most recent episode of what is happening event wise, and play modes for that time. This was great for interviews as it shows NBA and WNBA players talking about their experience with how the game was being made.

Being built from the ground up NBA 2K21 fully utilizes the incredible speed, power, and technology that the next-gen has to offer. NBA 2K21 represents an incredible leap forward and is the largest game in franchise history, ushering in a new era of sports sims it is worth the upgrade if you have the base version.

The city is an updated and improved version of the neighbourhood from the 2K21 version of the game in the career mode, where players can explore a semi open-world city and interact with other players for backyard court games. Anything from 1v1 to 3v3 games can be played here in the city, and as you progress, you will be given a choice of which side to join from North, East, South, and West. There have been graphical and audio improvements to make use of the new-gen software, but other than these changes, the game is still pretty much the same as the current-gen version and uses the same story mode within the career.

With faster load times offered by the SSD on the new systems jumping onto the court is done in an impressive time, it seems they have taken a step in the right direction to include more for the player base and the NBA community with the new improvements and overhaul of the MyNBA and the addition of the W for both online and My Player experience.

With the new updated version, there are now more courtside announcers that keep track of the action happening on the court one big feature I did notice due to the 2KTV that plays in the menu now was Candice Dupree having a behind the scenes interview and talking about her time doing the recording for the game.

I do like how it started as a High School journey, and as you play the first few games, various Colleges will show interest in recruiting you, and this eventually leads to earning the attention of NBA talent scouts. While I did not initially get drafted to a team, I ended up researching the ten colleges available in the game to see if they were known for the basketball scene, but I ended up just sticking with Texas Tech. The story felt good when it was focused on the team and progression, but the inclusion of Junior’s first date was completely unnecessary as it took away from the sport and tried to appeal to different audiences. I would’ve been more invested in the plot if I got to make choices and see how they go down the road of going pro.

The community favourite mode MyTEAM is still present, and I don’t have to be a seasoned NBA player to know this game mode, as it is included in almost all sports games have this now. This is where the micro-transactions are slipped in, as you can earn coins playing the game or buy them to spend on players, and the surprise mechanics in the form of card packs will feature current and past NBA stars, letting you pick who you want in your dream team. Clearly not being an active fan of the sport, I went with the packs that featured players that I knew, such as Shaquille O’Neal – Shout out to Shaq Fu; the greatest game on the Sega Mega Drive.

The controls for the game felt great and delivered fast-paced gameplay. It was easy to pick up and learn, which was surprising for a sports title as they often have lots of skills and mechanics to learn. It was quite easy to adjust to my lack of skill, and I quickly started playing an assist role, lining up the points for my team through passing and moving the ball down the court, which kept me in a good grading with the coach. The only game mechanic I struggled with was while performing a free throw the camera would shake a lot as if there was an earthquake happening in the game, and at times it made it impossible to land the net. I’ve since been told this is to simulate being under pressure but thankfully you can turn this feature off in the settings if it becomes too much for you.

Graphics-wise the game is great, from the smallest beads of sweat on a player to slight scuff marks on the court, but the animations and motion cap of the players will always be a highpoint in any sports game. Like any game, there are bugs mostly with the character models, where their arms would stick to their back and make them look like no armed monsters straight out of Silent Hill.

NBA’s soundtrack also features some banging artists such as Juice WRLD, Travis Scott, and even The Weeknd himself. I do enjoy a solid soundtrack that lurks in the background of any game, and I spent quite some time in the menus at times just to enjoy the background beats. During the actual gameplay, I did notice the lack of sound work, but the announcers giving a play-by-play on what was happening during the game filled the void greatly and truly puts you into the arena.

Written by: Shane Walsh