NBA 2K18

 PlayStation 4
User Score
1.8

Overwhelming dislike- based on 742 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 83 out of 742
  2. Mixed: 48 out of 742
  3. Negative: 611 out of 742
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  1. GuyM
    Sep 25, 2017
    0
    Microtransactions don't belong in fully priced games. Virtual currency is even worse. This company has 0 respect for consumers, they treat us like ATMs. Never touch another 2K product or any other game company's product if they pull crap like this.
  2. Kronka
    Sep 22, 2017
    0
    Seriously, Im Canadian, i paid 79.99 + tax for a game that I am basically forced to spend another $60 to be playable. Fans are waking up, the greed is unreal, im glad nba live is stepping up, this is blatantly disrespectful for 2k to do this to it's loyal fanbase
  3. kartana
    Sep 16, 2017
    4
    The last few years NBA 2K's were one thing but this year crossed the line with the barber shop. Cosmetic stuff was was free before costs a ridiculous amount of VC now. They should be ashamed. Not to mention the MyNBA app giving almost no VC this year. It's blatantly obvious that this is just to force people to buy VC. You get less for free, earn less and everything costs more. How moreThe last few years NBA 2K's were one thing but this year crossed the line with the barber shop. Cosmetic stuff was was free before costs a ridiculous amount of VC now. They should be ashamed. Not to mention the MyNBA app giving almost no VC this year. It's blatantly obvious that this is just to force people to buy VC. You get less for free, earn less and everything costs more. How more obvious could it be?… Expand
  4. Maglen
    Sep 25, 2017
    1
    You need a lot of VC to upgrade your attributes
    You can't earn VC because you can't play well without decent attributes

    This game is the definition of Pay to Win.
  5. iStanley
    Oct 5, 2017
    0
    I'm so frustrated with this game that it actually made me make a Metacritic account and write this review. I'll go ahead and get the good aspects out of the way - since it's such a small list compared to the bad. The facescans for your myPlayer have been the best this year (I no longer resemble meatball and spaghetti) and gameplay feels more fluid than previous years. Still, this game isI'm so frustrated with this game that it actually made me make a Metacritic account and write this review. I'll go ahead and get the good aspects out of the way - since it's such a small list compared to the bad. The facescans for your myPlayer have been the best this year (I no longer resemble meatball and spaghetti) and gameplay feels more fluid than previous years. Still, this game is like an extremely nice house you've already paid off, but you still have to pay more **** even though you own it. You enter your home, and every other step you take, there's feces on the floor, every door you open, there's feces on the handle, and when you sit on the toilet seat, you guessed it, feces on the toilet seat.

    Alright, let's get down to the nitty, gritty, bull**** that is surrounding this once-loved basketball video game. I've played NBA 2K since 2K11, so when I say I can smell the bull**** increasing, it's **** increasing, and it's finally hit the limit. Starting with 2K16, I saw glimpses that this game would be a "pay-to-play" video game, but never to this extent. The fact that this game is so blatantly greedy is absolutely astounding. Items that were free in the past (haircuts, dribble moves, etc) costs VC now. And if it wasn't free and was cheap before, the price has been inflated. I'm an NBA superstar with a highrise in the middle of the city and I can't afford a **** haircut? I really liked how after the backlash, Ronnie2k, their media coordinator, said that they lowered the price of the haircuts to 100 vc to make it more "realistic." I understand, it's his job to spew bull**** to make 2K look better than it is, but this was clearly a cash grab by the company and they are testing the limits of how much they can squeeze out of their customers. People who have not played the game will not understand a lot of these points, but I'm still going to make a **** list because it's so preposterous

    The early release, half my friends lost their myPlayers along with all their VC they invested in it - only to have some of them returned to them FIVE days later AFTER they already created a new player and invested a ton of VC and time into grinding the badges.

    Walking everywhere - This wouldn't be horrible if it was just you, but if you want to play with your friends on walk on ProAm, you have to invite every single one of them to your neighborhood, invite everyone of them to your squad twice (theres a bug where first invite doesn't work first time), walk all the way there, and hope you all get in, it doesn't lag out, you don't get a cutscene, and doesn't crash, because if it does, you gotta do everything over again. If you lose, you have to do it all over again because apparently it places you into a different neighborhood.

    I cannot continue because it's still making me angry and I now need to make an appointment with my anger management coach and therapist. 2/10 - Stop bull****ting me 2k.

    Edit: Changed score to 0 since it's pulling the score right now, 1.8, higher than it should be    … Expand
  6. VincentWarte
    Sep 22, 2017
    0
    Holy balls, wtf is this shiat!? You're kidding me? Are you expecting me to pay 80$ more on your shiat just to have fun, with a game I already paid a small fortune for? 2K, bijatsh, please!
    Don't buy this game, you want have fun with it. Unless you're ready to spend another fortune.
  7. xcoders
    Sep 20, 2017
    0
    I've seen games use micro-transactions many times but this time they went too far, this is just inexcusable for a 60 dollar game to get to a point of it being unplayable unless you pay more. I hope 2K goes bankrupt, they don't deserve to exist.
  8. RyanJamesSez
    Sep 22, 2017
    0
    Currency system ruins the game. Returned Immediately. Be aware of critics that rate this high. Even if the design of the game is decent, you shouldn't get a pass on an awful business practice.
  9. fadetobolivia
    Sep 22, 2017
    0
    First off: Look at user score, and look at the "critic" reviews. If that discrepancy doesn't tell you anything, then I don't know what does. Either the "critics" are out of touch, or they are bought and paid for. You be the judge. And let's not forget 2K asking TheSixthAxis to adjust their score... On to the game...

    NBA2KVC is what this game should be called. Because that's what you'll    First off: Look at user score, and look at the "critic" reviews. If that discrepancy doesn't tell you anything, then I don't know what does. Either the "critics" are out of touch, or they are bought and paid for. You be the judge. And let's not forget 2K asking TheSixthAxis to adjust their score... On to the game...

    NBA2KVC is what this game should be called. Because that's what you'll be spending. Haircuts, hair color, attributes, shoes, pants, shirts, animations, boosts, etc. All available for 500+ VC.

    How much do they want to you to buy VC from them ON TOP OF BUYING THE GAME FOR $60? Let me count the ways: 1) This year you start off with a garbage character who wouldn't cut it in a middle school B-team. The solution? Spend VC to upgrade the attributes. 2) The removed the lowest difficulty level in the game to make it harder to perform and advance through the season. The solution? Spend VC to upgrade your player. 3) They reduced the VC awarded for each game completed. 4) They removed player customization, leaving hair and clothes as the primary way of customizing. Hair styles and color? Monetized this year. Clothes and shoes? Prices jacked up. I want to give this game a 1 because of the hard work that I'm sure a lot of people put into the game. But I can't... the slime that this game feels like won't let me. I hope Ronnie2K enjoys the roasting this year is getting here and on steam.

    SECONDARY COMPLAINT: Stop with the constant unskippable cutscenes! I dont want to waste 5 mins watching some unfunny Asian YouTube chick do her shtick. I WANT TO SKIP IT AND PLAY BASKETBALL. ALLOW US TO SKIP THE CUTSCENES.    … Expand
  10. DrLuigi
    Sep 15, 2017
    3
    Clear money grab this year, it had been slowly getting worse but this year is outrageous. It feels like the product has gotten worse at the same time. The story is sooo bad it's laughable, it honestly feels like the devs are trying to troll you. Servers are of course not improved either. Many of the old school players now look nothing like themselves. Those 10 ratings from guys whoClear money grab this year, it had been slowly getting worse but this year is outrageous. It feels like the product has gotten worse at the same time. The story is sooo bad it's laughable, it honestly feels like the devs are trying to troll you. Servers are of course not improved either. Many of the old school players now look nothing like themselves. Those 10 ratings from guys who can barely speak english are obvious shills.

    I loved 2k15, 2k16 was solid as well, started disliking 2k last year and now I'm wondering how/why people continue to play this franchise    … Expand
  11. infiniteaverage
    Sep 16, 2017
    0
    This seemed like it could be the greatest NBA 2k of all time. Open world, new netcode, new park, etc. I was excited to see all these new things until my game crashed and wiped my character that i just bought VC for and upgraded. This is a game-breaking bug that has affected thousands of paying customers. 2k support hasn’t helped anyone yet, and I personally have been waiting 40 hours justThis seemed like it could be the greatest NBA 2k of all time. Open world, new netcode, new park, etc. I was excited to see all these new things until my game crashed and wiped my character that i just bought VC for and upgraded. This is a game-breaking bug that has affected thousands of paying customers. 2k support hasn’t helped anyone yet, and I personally have been waiting 40 hours just for a response. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME UNTIL IT IS FIXED!!… Expand
  12. familyguy
    Sep 23, 2017
    0
    Greedy **** 2k want to suck every single penny in our wallet . Don't buy this **** guy . stop letting those scumbag climb over your head . They ruin everything they touch
  13. Iwantobetheguy
    Sep 22, 2017
    0
    This entire game is a blatant cash grab. Worst microtransactions I’ve ever personally experienced in a video game ever. Not only does every little thing cost way more VC than ever before, you don’t earn **** from Mycareer or Myleague games. Not only that there is a glitch that deletes your player, and a glitch that just straight up takes away your VC after a Mycareer game. You canThis entire game is a blatant cash grab. Worst microtransactions I’ve ever personally experienced in a video game ever. Not only does every little thing cost way more VC than ever before, you don’t earn **** from Mycareer or Myleague games. Not only that there is a glitch that deletes your player, and a glitch that just straight up takes away your VC after a Mycareer game. You can literally watch the game take way your VC. 2k is “aware” of these glitches but have and will do nothing about it like usual, their 2k “support” team is a joke. As for gameplay in Mycareer, your start off with a god-awful player as usual, and they took away Rookie difficulty and made the AI play like it’s the hardest difficulty even on Pro difficulty ( Which used to be one tier above Rookie). More incentive purchase their BS VC. Layups are completely broken, you will blow wide open layups and then watch the CPU make an and-one layup on the other end. You will throw 10 ft outlet passes out of bounds. The fouls are ridiculous in Mycareer as well, virtually every time you press the block button on a drive by the CPU a foul is called on either you or the player guarding it. The turnovers are awful, you still get phased into other players out of nowhere and lose the ball on their body parts. Keep in mind this is the same BS from 2k14-17. And to top it all off, the cringy hours upon hours of cutscenes in the story are unskippable and as annoying as ever. There are cutscenes after every game. There are cutscenes when you go to practice. And the Barber Shop. And the Tattoo shop, etc. They range from boring to just outright pissing you off with how bad they are. It’s just hard to have fun on this game. The only positive I have about this game that I didn’t about 2k17 is the All-Time rosters. But even that is hindered by 2k’s laziness while creating the actual rosters. Many stars on the team will have a reasonable attributes but 2k will not give them any badges. What is the point of playing with 2012 Melo if he doesn’t have a single badge? More proof that 2k will half-ass anything if they find another way to make more money instead. Also, the All-Star Team up mode, which I have enjoyed in the past, doesn’t even utilize the full rosters. It’s the same players as 2k17 just with the current players on their new respective teams. Overall this is a lazy, rushed , cash grab of a game with a terrible support team. I would give this a negative score if I could, and all of these weak ass review sites giving the game 9s and 10s for a check from 2k should be **** ashamed. *BONUS*: 2k has been exposed for forcing a game review site to remove a 3/10 review for this ****ty ass game. Screw 2k… Expand
  14. Colinator
    Sep 22, 2017
    0
    Well I was having fun before I got my DAMN PLAYER DELETED. Seriously, I spent 50 dollars of VC on my player, and then it was deleted. Still waiting on a reply from 2k support after I submitted a request 4 DAYS AGO. I'm really pissed off at this company for not realizing that I spent 50 dollars only to have it go down the drain. If I don't get my player back I'm gonna be so **** pissed.
  15. Alpenmilch
    Sep 22, 2017
    2
    Nothing new to the game is actually more a step back from 2017 than I thought. Without talking about the aggressive microtransaction. It's a sport game so please 2K don't milk your customers.
  16. MetaShawn
    Sep 19, 2017
    0
    MONEY 2K18 is HERE! You can buy MONEY 2K18 only with money, also in MONEY 2K18 with money you can buy more money! ALL HAIL TO THE BEST MONEY SIMULATOR EVER (and i hope all the people who made MONEY 2K18 such it is will DIE!)
  17. ilBonez
    Sep 17, 2017
    0
    vc,vc,vc for everything!! i play most in my career mode and my player is a total noob, i max all the stats and he can't score a single shot! garbage! cut scene not skippable and servers problem....
  18. zizhazhu
    Sep 18, 2017
    0
    MyTeam is a joke. MyGm is the worst manager mode experience I have ever experienced. MyPlayer and everything that goes into it is worse than ever, besides the above mentioned VC related stuff, it is made in a way to lengthen the time spent in the game.
  19. Maarifa
    Sep 23, 2017
    2
    U can swap ur game name with VC Simulator 18. Pure grab for cash. Rly. The career plot is so bad its insane. Characters are cringey, dialogs are boring, and on top of that u cannot skip it. VC is floding almost every part of gameplay. I'm sick of it. This year im going with live 18. Withous spending a dime for in-game currency i have 81 overall in my player mode. I enjoy it so much. And toU can swap ur game name with VC Simulator 18. Pure grab for cash. Rly. The career plot is so bad its insane. Characters are cringey, dialogs are boring, and on top of that u cannot skip it. VC is floding almost every part of gameplay. I'm sick of it. This year im going with live 18. Withous spending a dime for in-game currency i have 81 overall in my player mode. I enjoy it so much. And to be honest i think that next year 2k won't change...… Expand
  20. The_Seaman_
    Sep 23, 2017
    0
    After all the hate Microtransactions get these years. Publishers and developers clearly keep pulling this on the consumer.

    Overpriced cosmetics, a slow progression system (unless you pay), microtrasactions
  21. LegitGamer1995
    Sep 22, 2017
    0
    I was gonna buy this game because I love basketball, but as soon as I heard 2K forced someone to revise there score from a 3/10 to something positive, I said **** it." There is no way they are getting my money now. Charging for haircuts, seriously? 2K must be out of their damn minds to practice something so despicable it makes Jesus weep. This microtransaction **** needs to stop, NOW. VCI was gonna buy this game because I love basketball, but as soon as I heard 2K forced someone to revise there score from a 3/10 to something positive, I said **** it." There is no way they are getting my money now. Charging for haircuts, seriously? 2K must be out of their damn minds to practice something so despicable it makes Jesus weep. This microtransaction **** needs to stop, NOW. VC is getting out of hand and 2K should be ashamed of themselves for ever implementing such a dog turd of a system into their game.… Expand
  22. TheManilaMile
    Sep 22, 2017
    2
    As a guy who has a guilty pleasure with Sport Sims, this game is an alright basketball sport sim with an obvious money pig objective which drags the game A LOT. For a guy who LOVES Career Modes in Sport sims, the fact that VC dictates mostly everything and practically revolves around it, I'm very disappointed.
  23. RoccosRant
    Sep 22, 2017
    1
    Pay to play - The Game. They don't even try to hide it in a creative way. It's blatant, insulting, and unfortunately will work. 2K17 was good, this is a slight upgrade in graphics and mechanics and 10 steps backwards in just about every other aspect. What a joke.
  24. Nick419
    Sep 19, 2017
    4
    They completely ruined MyCareer. It takes forever to play. Between all the unskipable, meaningless, stupid cut-scenes and the whole "neighborhood" theme, it's absurd. I can't believe 2k got this bad. I was hoping for more from 2K than this piece of garbage. Unfortunately I got the digital copy so I can't sell it or return it.
  25. Fenir8
    Sep 23, 2017
    0
    I had to return this game. It has been rendered literally unplayable due to greed. While the graphics were good, I base my score on my personal experience with the gameplay. Do not support this behavior. Developers and publishers will continue if they think they can get away with it.
  26. Dopesaint
    Sep 22, 2017
    0
    The worst 2k to date. Micro transactions are riddled everywhere that myplayer is unplayable. But if that wasn’t bad enough the whole game is unplayable, you’d think with this being the next installment in the 2k series it’d be better.. but that’s further from the truth.
  27. jaymrockman
    Sep 22, 2017
    0
    I'd honestly be able to put up with the microtransactions if the rest of the game wasn't trash. From inconsistent controls, players not understanding spacing, defense leaving players open, players bodies moving independent of their legs, pointless story modes in my gm to the uninteresting mycareer story, and so much more, this game isn't worth the money or grind. Then when you add to itI'd honestly be able to put up with the microtransactions if the rest of the game wasn't trash. From inconsistent controls, players not understanding spacing, defense leaving players open, players bodies moving independent of their legs, pointless story modes in my gm to the uninteresting mycareer story, and so much more, this game isn't worth the money or grind. Then when you add to it the face that they decided that money was so much a part of the game that if you play offline you are given a total different experience, this game has made me create a medacritic account just to help bring this score down to where it should be.… Expand
  28. HenryLardwick
    Oct 30, 2017
    5
    The progress in MyCareer is normally a grind, but if you were curious as to how much VC is needed to improve your rookie, it took about 100,000 VC to upgrade to a 75 rating. The gameplay is still quite good on the court, but the cut scenes and VC-cash grab makes the game nearly unplayable. I've owned every game 2k game for the past ten years, but this is certainly my last.
  29. Dantematthews33
    Sep 22, 2017
    1
    We all know about the blatant cash grab that this series has become but that's not my focus. I can't get past how buggy and glitchy this title is. From losing myPlayers(purchased VC) to not having VC added to your total to the actual gameplay. Ive read a few people say how great it is to finally play "sim" basketball and to anyone who chooses to disagree they call them "arcade" styleWe all know about the blatant cash grab that this series has become but that's not my focus. I can't get past how buggy and glitchy this title is. From losing myPlayers(purchased VC) to not having VC added to your total to the actual gameplay. Ive read a few people say how great it is to finally play "sim" basketball and to anyone who chooses to disagree they call them "arcade" style players. I totally disagree, the gameplay is terrible. The shot meter may be broken. I tracked 100 shots i took in practice. With no defenders my 86 overall sharpshooting shot creator SG made 9 of 44 midrange "good" release shots. Thats not "sim" basketball cause if an Nba level backup shot that way he wouldn't be in the NBA for much longer. This game needs a lot of work… Expand
  30. lukustra
    Sep 18, 2017
    4
    Let me start off by saying that I own every 2k title since the first 2k with A.I. on the cover for Dreamcast. I'm a huge fanboy of the franchise and it's literally one of the only games I play aside from whenever a new GTA comes out. Overall, the gameplay of this game is good. Very comparable to 2k17 with a few more animations and slightly better and more frequent contact detection. ItLet me start off by saying that I own every 2k title since the first 2k with A.I. on the cover for Dreamcast. I'm a huge fanboy of the franchise and it's literally one of the only games I play aside from whenever a new GTA comes out. Overall, the gameplay of this game is good. Very comparable to 2k17 with a few more animations and slightly better and more frequent contact detection. It does seem like running with the ball on a fast break is slower and overall the players move a bit slower. I don't particularly like this however this can be adjusted with the gameplay slider if you are playing offline. Overall, slight improvement in graphics / face scans, very similar gameplay, and updated rosters.

    Now to the bad part, and if you have looked at any of the other reviews, you will have probably already heard. Myplayer is a disaster. They've basically removed create a player. You can change about 5 things on how your player looks and this is very apparent when you walk around the world and EVERYONE looks almost identical. I believe there were like 5 different hairstyles you can choose from when starting the game. Bad start. Then the first cut scenes come along. Your player can be a 7'1 center but will be the same height as a teenage girl with the voice of a 15 year old. Aside from that, the cutscenes are RIDICULOUSLY cheesy. I mean, like almost shockingly bad. Your best friend is a little ghetto Asian girl and somehow you live in a beautiful loft with a basketball court built into your house and doorman before you play your first game. Okay, whatever just skip the cutscenes.. oh, you can't do that.

    One of the new features is the open world. This seems like it would be pretty cool if everything didn't cost an outrageous amount of VC that the game makes very hard to earn. I am very good at this game, I scored 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in my first game with about 4 minutes of playing time as a 60 overall. I can play this game with a completely trash player, but for them to make everything and anything you want to do cost VC plus have caps on everything (really, I need to be a 70 to get a tattoo? wtf?) is crazy. Basically, this whole game is designed as a money grab. You'd really need to spend a couple hundred dollars to enjoy this game to it's full potential on day 1 which is completely ludicrous. This is not to mention that the whole walking around to do anything in the game basically just makes everything you want to do (like play the game) take significantly longer to do and adds additional load screens to everything. I play this game on a VERY high end computer and the load screens still drive me insane, if I was playing this on an Xbox I would have literally turned the game off an hour in and returned it.

    I cannot express how disappointed I am in this game. Each year I spend a few months playing this game any chance I possibly get when it first comes out. This year I've played for about 5 hours and don't really look forward to playing more. I will most likely stick to just regular offline gameplay which is pretty disappointing. Ultimately, this was $60 for updated rosters, jerseys, and a few new animations. It's not unthinkable to expect more but I guess 2k is getting into Madden territory with their annual releases.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

58
#58 Best PS4 Game of 2017
25
#25 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017
32
#32 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 54 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 54
  3. Negative: 4 out of 54
  1. Riot Pixels
    Jan 28, 2018
    83
    Basketball fans, NBA 2K18 is your new best friend… until the next fall.
    Read full review
  2. Cubed3
    Nov 26, 2017
    60
    In no way is NBA 2K18 a bad game, but it's certainly not worth its current price-tag, as the few improvements it offers are simply not enough, and, secondly, its sub-par single-player portion relies too much on micro-transactions.
    Read full review
  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Nov 20, 2017
    80
    A beautiful, exciting representation of the sport. You'd be hard pushed to find a better, more accurate simulation of basketball on a modern console. [December 2017, p.82]
See all critic reviews »