User Score
2.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 462 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 86 out of 462
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  1. Sep 13, 2018
    4
    EDIT: Changing score to 6 after 3 full days of playing. Tried to play a Rec game and pro am game with my friends for the past 5 hours. Only had 2 games in those moments. Same thing like last year, game modes fail to work properly and the game hasn't even been released yet. Crashes happen way too often.

    EDIT2: Okay, so 2K just stealth patched the game to dramatically reduce the amount of
    EDIT: Changing score to 6 after 3 full days of playing. Tried to play a Rec game and pro am game with my friends for the past 5 hours. Only had 2 games in those moments. Same thing like last year, game modes fail to work properly and the game hasn't even been released yet. Crashes happen way too often.

    EDIT2: Okay, so 2K just stealth patched the game to dramatically reduce the amount of exp points you get a game. For any company doing this, most would release a statement of some sort. This is extremely shady and makes me wonder what else they stealth "fix" without any of the player base finding out. They have changed it more after the backlash and reaching front page on reddit. I am sure the changes would have stayed if that didn't happen. I've seen so much greed, predatory nature, and shadiness from 2K so I shouldn't be surprised right? Sadly, I am. How a triple A company can succumb to such leeching tactics from players of all ages and how nobody has the power to stop them. Guys this is a rated E game and they essentially have a game mode where you can gamble the "Virtual Currency." The only notable difference from this and a casino is that the house ALWAYS wins. Very optimistic about the game when I played it 4 days early. It seems like they used that as research method on how to maximize profits and "quietly" modify everything on release date. I'm reducing score to 4, this is disgusting. 2K, please take notes from Blizzard and how they handle patch notes and responding to fanbase.

    I only gave one review in my life, which was last years NBA 2K18, and I gave it a 0 from how many things were wrong with it. The obsessive bugs and predatory was rampant more than ever last year and it was to the point of being distracting and anger-inducing. It was an extreme grind to get your character where you wanted it and the cutscenes were awful. I am glad to say that this year has made great improvements.

    Many have agreed that this year's 2K has the best story, and best of all, it's skippable. Thank the **** lord. The gameplay is smoother than ever and low-skill players are punished for bad dribbling and ball protection, instead of having the ball on a string like last year. Everything feels more fluid.

    While the predatory VC tactics are back again this year, it has turned the dial from 11 to a 7. I can't say they've changed much because they release a special edition that allows for the game to be played 4 days earlier with some bonuses - I think they are just trying to minimize outrage. That being said, it's much easier to earn VC this year and more items are not as expensive or free.

    You can't have 2K without it's glitches. Some modes won't work (rec center) and game crashes pretty often. Still, loading times are quicker than ever and it seems to be the most polished one so far. You can tell that 2K cheaped out a bit by bringing the exact same assets from past 2Ks straight into this one.

    One big complaint I had last year was about the neighborhood and how spread out everything was. This year it's all centralized and closer, which is nice, but I still much rather prefer menus for everything.

    Overall, I am very impressed with the changes. But improving from 2K18 may just be an act of actually trying a little to make a game. I hope they can keep doing this moving forward and minimize the pay-to-win tactics.
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  2. Sep 9, 2018
    1
    I’ve been playing NBA 2K since 2k3 and I always loved the game but I feel like 16 was the last good game they released, Im one of the players that loves playing PlayNow Online with classic teams and this year instead of adding the players some teams missed they removed some that were already in the game, each team has basically a rotation of 6 or 7 players. The My Career mode is trash, whyI’ve been playing NBA 2K since 2k3 and I always loved the game but I feel like 16 was the last good game they released, Im one of the players that loves playing PlayNow Online with classic teams and this year instead of adding the players some teams missed they removed some that were already in the game, each team has basically a rotation of 6 or 7 players. The My Career mode is trash, why do I need to start playing inn China? WHy everything I want to do ask me to buy VC? This game really feel so like a copy of the last one, don’t buy it if you care about your money. No more 2K for me. Expand
  3. Sep 8, 2018
    0
    Buggy mess full of microtransactions. Every year people blindly pre-order this game and every year they shaft us...
  4. Sep 9, 2018
    2
    Paid for the 20th Year Anniversary edition and boy did I need it (for the extra VC to make mycareer player viable)

    I enjoyed the Prelude story of the MyCareer, sadly after the prelude the career mode quickly dies. The prelude itself can be skipped and even at that, it lasts a very short period of time, you could probably complete it a couple of hours including the matches you have to
    Paid for the 20th Year Anniversary edition and boy did I need it (for the extra VC to make mycareer player viable)

    I enjoyed the Prelude story of the MyCareer, sadly after the prelude the career mode quickly dies. The prelude itself can be skipped and even at that, it lasts a very short period of time, you could probably complete it a couple of hours including the matches you have to play.

    After the prelude the mycareer just dies, cutscenes are non existent, you get repetitive, generic interviews at halftime and end game with the same two option one question interviewer.

    Nothing happens, sim games to the end of the season get 0 VC
    Play every game without paying to win (upgrading your stats with the VC bundles) you will be in for a very long and boring grind, struggling to do anything against anyone.

    The Mycareer mode is filled with pay to win micro transactions, I bought the anniversary edition so I could play the game early(before release) and I’m glad I did as I had a long weekend.

    I enjoyed playing the game, but you must invest real money to purchase VC to make your mycareer player viable otherwise you would be grinding badges and VC for atleast 5 full NBA seasons (over 400 full matches) before your player could match the ratings of the NBA.

    The grind is far too slow in this game, I made it to the end of the prelude at 75 rating and was going up against 90+ rated players in the playoff games, they stick to you like glue even on the easiest difficulty, I went from 30+ point games in the prelude to struggling to make 10point games in the NBA.

    The AI in this game is also terrible, you have to manually run plays even when not playing the Point Guard position(there is an option to enable automatic offensive and defensive plays in the main menu, I highly recommend you turn it ON) otherwise you will be left with 5 stationary players doing nothing while you spam the pass button until you finally don’t get “call for pass ignored” (after your teammate rating takes a pummelling because you had to ask stationary Frankenstein to pass you the ball 8 times.

    Games felt rigged during the playoffs, game 1 we would win easily shots when in, even enough game at times, we had better shots and pulled away.

    Certain playoff games were just unwinnanble, teammates miss every shot, you can’t hit any shots.
    If you get close to winning you get subbed out and lose (or get subbed back in with a deficit) then your teammate turnovers the ball for no reason by dropping it or playing the most ridiculous pass you have ever seen to the opposing team.

    Top tip go someone really really tall, the perks of being tall beat every position in the game.
    You cannot beat a tall player as a small player no matter what you do.

    I invested in a 6”4 shooting guard and went into the “neighbourhood” to play some street hoops against other players, did a 2v2 against weaker opponents, they were both 7” foot + giants and you cannot stop them backing you down and scoring in the paint (cannot) if you see two big guys on the court and you are smaller, just find another court.

    The shot feedback is terrible, you must need gold badges to become an efficient shooter (I wouldn’t know, you need about 1000 games to get gold badges)

    Excellent release gets you a bucket every time.
    Anything else is less than 50/50 even when you are open
    Have a 90 shot 3pt shooter and I struggle to get 50% from 3pt land with open shots with slightly early/late just ridiculous.

    The outfits and accessories you can buy are pretty basic and cost VC (and a lot of it)
    Costs 4000 for a tank top

    Can’t change shot type unless you go to the neighbourhood, a major pain, no area to test the individual jumpshots before you select it, you have to go to neighbourhood(1 minute load screen), pause, select my player, select animations, set the jump shot, head to the practice arena(1 minute load screen), test the jumpshot, head back to the neighbourhood if you don’t like it(1 min load screen)

    Load times are pretty bad in all aspects of the game as well.
    Loading into a game takes about a minute, including the 2k pregame show (shaq, ernie) which becomes repetitive after 3 games, that you have to watch for about 20 seconds before the match loads to allow you to skip.

    Then every foul, out of bounds, sub takes about 10 seconds to skip. Hitting X like previous games seems to have a timeout delay where you have to wait at least 5 seconds before you can skip the break in play(no matter what) a key place you can see this is during timeouts, it has an onscreen “team name timeout timer 60 seconds” timer that you cannot skip until it hits 53 seconds, hitting X before 55 results in nothing happening.

    Either way I wish this game was better, watching videos and the hype by streamers/personalities made me buy it early, but they all got VC boosts to make their players the highest rating so they were basically “paid to win”
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  5. Sep 8, 2018
    0
    Always grinding, they say they already scale back the VC, but by how much ?? 1% ?? I play my career it very frustating to get the VC, it almost impossible to play using VC in game. The design us to make purchase the VC, what do you want me to do ? Buy $65 AAA game and spend another $50 just to get 85 overall, you nutt, don't buy this game
  6. Sep 8, 2018
    0
    An unnecessary and supidly-long grind fest, coupled with microtransactions the publishers are actually publicly defending (o,O?), ruin any and all possible fun this game might've had at inception.
  7. Sep 9, 2018
    0
    Been a huge fan of NBA 2K since 2006, so let's get that out of the way. For you real OGs that play NBA 2k without a shot meter, let me break it down for you.
    1. The MyPlayer is dreadful. I have no idea why they are so determined to waste time with the terrible cut scenes. Even with the skipping mechanism, there are constant delays and the interface has been in decline for years.
    2.
    Been a huge fan of NBA 2K since 2006, so let's get that out of the way. For you real OGs that play NBA 2k without a shot meter, let me break it down for you.
    1. The MyPlayer is dreadful. I have no idea why they are so determined to waste time with the terrible cut scenes. Even with the skipping mechanism, there are constant delays and the interface has been in decline for years.
    2. Microtransactions. You thought EA was bad? For this reason alone, do not purchase this game. Do not allow these developers to destroy the industry with pay to play BS, after you have already dropped $65 on a game. Do yourself and gamers everywhere a huge favor and wait for this game to go on a major sale. Do not give 2k your money until they wise up. Log in and drop a negative review until they start giving hoopers the experience they deserve. They are literally pleading with their fans to support microtransactions in the German version of 2k, because the German government has assessed the extra "lootboxes" to be complete BS, which they are!
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  8. Sep 8, 2018
    1
    Dont buy it!! Buggy mess full of micro-transactions !! Avoid this game!! Once again dont buy it!
  9. Feb 8, 2019
    0
    This game is just a giant mess, and it`s basically dead already. MyCareer is a giant cash grab, just like last year. Everything in MyCareer is branded and it is nothing but advertisement. When you go into the foot locker and leave the dude working there saying something like "Don't forget to download our app" In the middle of the game they advertise Gatorade. This game is nothing but aThis game is just a giant mess, and it`s basically dead already. MyCareer is a giant cash grab, just like last year. Everything in MyCareer is branded and it is nothing but advertisement. When you go into the foot locker and leave the dude working there saying something like "Don't forget to download our app" In the middle of the game they advertise Gatorade. This game is nothing but a giant ad. The Gameplay is broken as well. My player is rated 90 ovr with 90+ stamina and he can`t stay on the court for three minutes before he is out of breath. The jumpshot creator is completely broken, it doesn't save the jumpshot or it just saves something i didn't create. You can't play defense unless you are a lockdown defender. Your player will be too slow to catch up with westbrook or steph. Opponent defenders are all Kahwi Leonard. On HoF difficulty, you cross half court and the AI will be right in your face reaching for the ball. You can`t create room for an open jumpshot, cause everyone defends like Mj or Kahwi. MyCareer basically dies after the prelude. No real story, same generic interviews at the end of games. Avoid this trashy game. Expand
  10. Nov 11, 2018
    0
    Seems like game journalists have lost touch with reality. Not only is this game buggy it is a complete predatory rip off. Shame on 2k and the so called game journalists.
  11. Nov 6, 2018
    4
    En ataque, los tiros siguen la misma línea de las entregas pasadas: el acierto va en función
    de la precisión a la hora de soltar el botón y de la defensa que ejerza el defensor sobre nosotros, pero da la sensación de que ahora las insignias tienen una mayor importancia.
    Jugadores como Klay Thompson pueden tirar por encima de defensas ajustadas sin que por ello perdamos efectividad, lo
    En ataque, los tiros siguen la misma línea de las entregas pasadas: el acierto va en función
    de la precisión a la hora de soltar el botón y de la defensa que ejerza el defensor sobre nosotros, pero da la sensación de que ahora las insignias tienen una mayor importancia.

    Jugadores como Klay Thompson pueden tirar por encima de defensas ajustadas sin que por ello perdamos efectividad, lo que hace que sintamos una gran diferencia cuando llevamos a un buen tirador.

    La defensa ha sido uno de los ganadores en esta nueva revisión. Los jugadores se mueven de manera más ágil en los desplazamientos defensivos y es más sencillo poder moverse cuando nos están intentando anotar. Los robos son más fáciles de conseguir, y no se acusan tantas faltas como en años anteriores, en los que el intentar robar el balón provocaba una expulsión rápida.

    Otro punto a destacar son los balones divididos. En pasadas ediciones los jugadores se quedaban sin saber qué hacer o cómo reaccionar. Algunos problemas con la IA producían situaciones divertidas incluso exasperantes si esto nos ocurría en momentos clave del partido. Da la sensación de que ahora los jugadores luchan mucho más en este tipo de situaciones.

    Detalles, detalles y más detalles, es así como definiríamos la evolución a nivel jugable que ha sufrido esta saga a través de cada entrega.

    Gráficos

    Una manera de resumir el avance a nivel visual de NBA 2K19, es continuista: las consolas de hoy en día han llegado a su límite y podríamos decir que 2K se conforma con seguir a un buen nivel. Actualizar escaneos faciales de los jugadores, cambiar peinados, barbas de cada jugador... Pero el espectáculo visual sigue ahí, la ambientación de los pabellones sigue produciendo ese aura de estar disfrutando un partido televisado, con los abucheos de la afición, los aplausos de la grada y la cantidad de espectáculos ajenos al partido que caracterizan a la NBA.

    Modos de juego

    La variedad de modos dentro del juego es extensa, y hay modalidades para todo tipo de jugadores. Tenemos partidos rápidos, juegos en línea, Mi Carrera, Mi GM, Mi Equipo, El barrio.... Una amplia selección para que podamos escoger qué nos apetece más, si jugar partidas casuales, organizar una temporada con nuestro equipo favorito, coleccionar cartas, o empezar nuestra propia andadura por la NBA.

    En el modo Mi Carrera, nuestro personaje es un jugador al que no le ha sonreído la suerte y deberá empezar su camino en el baloncesto profesional fuera de los grandes focos de la mejor liga del mundo. El guión, en esta ocasión, es algo más elaborado. Sin llegar a ser una producción de Hollywood, sí que encontramos a actores reconocidos dentro del juego que tienen un papel importante en el entorno de nuestro avatar.

    Y ahora, un tema que ha generado polémica: el de los micropagos. Los micropagos han ido haciéndose un hueco poco a poco en cada edición, pero eso ha ido cambiando la experiencia en los distintos modos de juego, siendo cada vez más complicado relacionarse de manera natural con el producto. Los usuarios que paguen tendrán claras ventajas sobre los demás.

    Conclusiones

    NBA 2K19 es el máximo exponente en cuanto a simulación de baloncesto se refiere, pero no aporta nada completamente innovador a la fórmula. Una fórmula de gran calidad
    que sigue vigente, pero que se va desgastando año tras año.

    En el caso de que sea tu primera entrega de la saga podrás disfrutarlo al máximo, pero para los seguidores acérrimos del sello 2K se encontrarán con un producto similar a los anteriores, muy pulido pero "demasiado familiar".
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  12. Nov 18, 2018
    0
    Cut scenes are just dumb. They slow the game down to a crawl and really make no sense. My character went to the NBA after averaging 1.2 points in China and 2.0 in the G league. I am pretty sure, if my player were a real person, I could actually take him one-on-one.
    Then its too grindy. I love the idea that my player will improve over time, like in MLB the Show. But the difference is
    Cut scenes are just dumb. They slow the game down to a crawl and really make no sense. My character went to the NBA after averaging 1.2 points in China and 2.0 in the G league. I am pretty sure, if my player were a real person, I could actually take him one-on-one.
    Then its too grindy. I love the idea that my player will improve over time, like in MLB the Show. But the difference is that in MLB your character actually improves. IN 2K19 if you even 99's miss half of their free throws and easy shots.

    This game is trash. Its too hard, too grindy, not worth micro transaction. The devs found a way for the third year in a row to take an awesome game and screw it up. Here is my advise for the DEVS.... Allow the player to adjust the difficulty setting (foul setting, shot, speed, AI) etc.... If you have to keep your insane and needless microtransactions then reduce the amount depending on the level. I would accept earning no VC in exchange for letting my guy actually make more than 1 point and 2 assists per game.
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  13. Nov 24, 2018
    0
    Don't buy this garbage, by far the worst basketball game ever. And I am not talking only about vc greed and bugs, gameplay is 0, game is so slow, unrealistic and frustrating. 2k18 was miles ahead of this ****
  14. Feb 10, 2019
    4
    Unresponsive, moving your player around the court feels like you're on roller skates. A development team that is very out-of-touch with the community. The game itself is unbalanced and a buggy mess. Microtransactions are essentially unavoidable, the game (the MyCareer feature, the primary mode) is pay-to-progress in its pure essence. Perhaps the biggest flaw of this game is its sheerUnresponsive, moving your player around the court feels like you're on roller skates. A development team that is very out-of-touch with the community. The game itself is unbalanced and a buggy mess. Microtransactions are essentially unavoidable, the game (the MyCareer feature, the primary mode) is pay-to-progress in its pure essence. Perhaps the biggest flaw of this game is its sheer brainless design: terrible AI, reminds me of a grind-fest MMO, stupid and annoying cutscenes, frustrating and inconsistent gameplay, painstakingly slow loading screens in every mode of this game. The game feels like a copy of the previous year with small changes to mask the fact that it is the same game, like free haircuts, but in reality these small changes affect nothing. Expand
  15. Jun 25, 2019
    4
    Do you like product placement and spending money and unskippable ads? Well here’s the game for you! It could be fine but the 2K devils are too money hungry for that
  16. Oct 16, 2018
    0
    Not sure why any of you idiots keep buying the same sports game(s) year on year when there is ZERO new content included in the newest edition.

    The only thing worse than this game is the customer service.
  17. Nov 20, 2018
    0
    2k19 is buggy and greedy af with all their micros. Prelude made it seem like it'd have a solid story, but it was a trick, there's only a story during the short prelude. Playing My Career with no story is lame. 2k17 had a much better My Career mode.
  18. Sep 14, 2018
    0
    You should not buy this game at all, which is sad if you are a fan of basketball. The use of micro-transactions is egregious; at every corner VC is required to progress your character. This is a "AAA Game" that costs $60 yet it is based on a pay to win platform....this is unacceptable. One cannot play the game without being inundated with commercials either. The announcers literallyYou should not buy this game at all, which is sad if you are a fan of basketball. The use of micro-transactions is egregious; at every corner VC is required to progress your character. This is a "AAA Game" that costs $60 yet it is based on a pay to win platform....this is unacceptable. One cannot play the game without being inundated with commercials either. The announcers literally plug Gatorade for 30 seconds at a time. 2K is trash and predatory. Parents...do not buy your kids VC as this is an unethical scheme Expand
  19. Sep 14, 2018
    0
    The game is pay2win. All the content is locked behind VC and MT, you must pay to enjoy the game. The grind is insane and it's not possible to unlock anything by playing unless you play 10h/day every day for 5 months. And they even lowered rewards this year and locked the auction.
  20. Sep 14, 2018
    0
    2K are trying to create a basketball themed online theme park/casino rather than a basketball game. They want you to spend hours and hours in the game in the hopes that you'll eventually buy in game currency. That is the sole purpose of this "game". Underneath the money grabbing there is a great basketball sim, it's such a shame that 2K care more about microtransaction revenue than player2K are trying to create a basketball themed online theme park/casino rather than a basketball game. They want you to spend hours and hours in the game in the hopes that you'll eventually buy in game currency. That is the sole purpose of this "game". Underneath the money grabbing there is a great basketball sim, it's such a shame that 2K care more about microtransaction revenue than player experience and rewarding players with loyalty to the series. They should make this game a fully fledged subscription MMO however then they couldn't charge full AAA game price every year for the same game with a few small changes. This is essentially what's happening, you are paying a yearly subscription to play a pay-to-win microtransaction fest.

    Instead of spending countless hours a week running around the empty park hoping to play a game, or constantly getting nowhere trying to jump into a rec centre game, just play something else, go read a book, use the money you'll save to go do something worthwhile rather than pay into the bonus fund for some douche bag executive who ruined your favourite basketball game.
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  21. Sep 15, 2018
    0
    NBA 2K19 is like the last game. It kinda a "Full Price Free2Play" game and has very cool features like Paywalls, Pay2win... it is almost Pay2Play.

    It is so frustrating to make VC.
    Please dont buy, dont support.
  22. Sep 14, 2018
    1
    Story mode has a lot of potential but the vc and microtransactions made me forget about the game for good. I'm not going to spend an extra 85 dollars when I can can play **** NBA live 2007. What a waste of time this project became.
  23. Sep 14, 2018
    0
    how much money did these reviewers get paid? please do not spend $60 on this terrible cash grab of a game. the predatory microtransanctions are absolutely criminal. I hope something is done about this, it is getting out of hand.
  24. Sep 15, 2018
    0
    Terrible cash grabbing garbage. Every year these sports game companies push the envelope...on how much they can rip you off. Don’t stand for that. We deserve better. Do. Not. Buy.
  25. Sep 14, 2018
    0
    I like this game at the beginning when I started playing a week ago. I have to admit that this is a way better game compared to 2K18. However, something goes bad when they updated the game to 1.02. They literally ruin the game by adding more annoying bugs to mock at players. Once I finished a mycareer game, I cannot get my upgrade progress. I literally waste my 2hrs to play this fkingI like this game at the beginning when I started playing a week ago. I have to admit that this is a way better game compared to 2K18. However, something goes bad when they updated the game to 1.02. They literally ruin the game by adding more annoying bugs to mock at players. Once I finished a mycareer game, I cannot get my upgrade progress. I literally waste my 2hrs to play this fking game. I am done with it. fk you 2K Expand
  26. Sep 12, 2018
    2
    Ever been charged €50 just to be able to walk in to a casino, then get screamed at to fork over more money? This game is what that's like.
  27. Sep 14, 2018
    0
    This is going out of the control.
    Greed takes over like nobody cares.
    It is very frustrating that the money is more important than to satisfy the consumers so they actually can enjoy the game and recommend for others like back in the day when there was no pay to win rubbish in the games like this. Everyone who gives a high score here please tell me this: Why is it fun to play approx.
    This is going out of the control.
    Greed takes over like nobody cares.
    It is very frustrating that the money is more important than to satisfy the consumers so they actually can enjoy the game and recommend for others like back in the day when there was no pay to win rubbish in the games like this.

    Everyone who gives a high score here please tell me this: Why is it fun to play approx. 20 hrs and have an 80 overall player heading to Mypark and hoping to have a balanced/not one sided game with others who has 90+ overall and with only playing 5 hours because they levelled up with real money?

    It has been for years now.

    I am talking from experience, I have 100+ hour in mypark in 2k15, 2k16, 2k17 struggling to win because of I could not afford extra money to pay to unlock extra attribute points to increase my overall stats.

    Shame on the publisher who just want money instead to create the best ever basketball sport simulation in history.

    I recommend NBA LIVE 19. It is not bad at all. A different experience for sure but it has no pay to win. If you see a 90+ overall player online, well you can tell that player has worked all the way up to earn the skills and ratings which is fair and inspirational.

    Here is how 2k shall sell coffee for their employees at their headquarters:

    Basic espresso straight from the machine right into the mouth – 100 VC
    Basic espresso served in a paper cup – 140 VC
    Double espresso in a paper cup and a lid – 250 VC
    Coffee latte + paper cup + lid – 300 VC
    Plus sugar – 60 VC each sachet
    Plus sweetener – 80 VC
    Plus/minus temperate of the beverages – 20 VC/10 degrees
    Extra milk (cold) – 80 VC / 10ml
    Extra milk (hot) – 90 VC / 10ml
    Chocolate powder on top – FREE if you buy NBA2K 19 Anniversary Edition
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  28. Sep 13, 2018
    0
    - VC everywhere
    - An actual gambling system where you can lose it ALL
    - “Buy VC” right under the quit button - Need VC to do those dances in the trailer - Need VC to use a skateboard or bike from the trailer - $200 of VC gets your player to level 80 only - Stuttering in 4K on Xbox One X - Horrible stadium lighting - Players warp and ice skate on the court - The biggest name in the
    - VC everywhere
    - An actual gambling system where you can lose it ALL
    - “Buy VC” right under the quit button
    - Need VC to do those dances in the trailer
    - Need VC to use a skateboard or bike from the trailer
    - $200 of VC gets your player to level 80 only
    - Stuttering in 4K on Xbox One X
    - Horrible stadium lighting
    - Players warp and ice skate on the court
    - The biggest name in the world - Lebron - and they get his skin tone wrong (way too dark)
    - The biggest rookie name - Doncic - and they have his height wrong
    - After release they made a patch to reduce and nerf XP
    - 2K are evil scum
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  29. Oct 19, 2018
    0
    You have to be kidding me, does 2K pay the "professional" article writers to artificially inflate the Metacritic score? Constantly getting kicked from games, weak looking graphics, horrible music choice (pick a lane) and bad sound design / levels overall. I don't mind micro-transactions as much as most seem to, but the difference between "professional" reviews and those of us who play theYou have to be kidding me, does 2K pay the "professional" article writers to artificially inflate the Metacritic score? Constantly getting kicked from games, weak looking graphics, horrible music choice (pick a lane) and bad sound design / levels overall. I don't mind micro-transactions as much as most seem to, but the difference between "professional" reviews and those of us who play the game for fun is pretty drastic.

    Metacritic is funny, you see a column of positive articles and tons of horrible user scores.
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  30. Sep 16, 2018
    0
    They need to to remove those microtransactions that are affecting the gameplay or make it a free to play game. This game is unplayable without mnicrotransactions.
  31. Sep 18, 2018
    4
    A game with great potential which is unfortunately ruined by a predatory use of microtransacitions. Every mode which includes microtransactions feel like a grind and lacks a balanced and natural progression. The game also feels like a big commercial platform for itself that constantly tries to get you to spend more money.

    The things that’s still good in this game are those modes that’s
    A game with great potential which is unfortunately ruined by a predatory use of microtransacitions. Every mode which includes microtransactions feel like a grind and lacks a balanced and natural progression. The game also feels like a big commercial platform for itself that constantly tries to get you to spend more money.

    The things that’s still good in this game are those modes that’s not affected by microtransactions. Taking control of a team and playing single player is still fun and it’s also great when playing with friends on the couch. This makes it an overall okay game but with very limited content. So in the end the microtransactions ruins what could have been an amazing game and turns it into a less than mediocre experience.
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  32. Sep 12, 2018
    0
    Microtransactions and VC have ruined this game. Executives should take note that in chasing the whales - that 2% of the community who pay thousands in ruinous micro transactions in order to get an unfair advantage over others - they alienate the other 90% of the people who play the game. Dont buy or support this garbage.
  33. Sep 11, 2018
    0
    If you buy this game, you cannot really play it unless you spend at least an additional $100 more on micro-transactions. You can play it, but you will not have a fun time doing it, unless you pay-to-win. Also the developer has urged Belgian players to "fight" their government to allow micro-transactions to be activated. Ain't that just insane? This SHOULD be the death of NBA2K, the greedIf you buy this game, you cannot really play it unless you spend at least an additional $100 more on micro-transactions. You can play it, but you will not have a fun time doing it, unless you pay-to-win. Also the developer has urged Belgian players to "fight" their government to allow micro-transactions to be activated. Ain't that just insane? This SHOULD be the death of NBA2K, the greed is just too strong with this one. Expand
  34. Sep 12, 2018
    0
    Shame on these 'professional' reviewers for not condemning this game for it's terribly implemented micro-transactions. NBA 2k19 is completely designed around holding back your progression to entice you to spend real money on it's virtual currency. This is a free-to-play phone game choking out what used to be a wonderful basketball series.
    Have principles. Don't be the sucker 2K thinks you
    Shame on these 'professional' reviewers for not condemning this game for it's terribly implemented micro-transactions. NBA 2k19 is completely designed around holding back your progression to entice you to spend real money on it's virtual currency. This is a free-to-play phone game choking out what used to be a wonderful basketball series.
    Have principles. Don't be the sucker 2K thinks you are. Don't buy this game.
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  35. Sep 18, 2018
    0
    The definition of Pay2Win. Do not play unless you're ready to spend $200+ and 100+ hours on it. And trust me, it's not worth it.
  36. Sep 20, 2018
    0
    Completely surrendered to its hardcore base, there is absolutely no entertainment whatsoever in this game anymore. A sad story of how a bad player you start to be, with no chance to reach the stats of a truly great player (like Curry or Lebron), awfully punishing system - as always - and a complete lack of a realistic momentum built-up within the game (one halftime yours or mine, 3rdCompletely surrendered to its hardcore base, there is absolutely no entertainment whatsoever in this game anymore. A sad story of how a bad player you start to be, with no chance to reach the stats of a truly great player (like Curry or Lebron), awfully punishing system - as always - and a complete lack of a realistic momentum built-up within the game (one halftime yours or mine, 3rd quarter comeback for the team behind, last minutes of 4th quarter up for grabs...it's getting boring...). But, no point in buying a game that is so consistently disappointing its fans and then writing a review about it. Next year, NBA Live for me...cheers! Expand
  37. Sep 15, 2018
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Keep losing MyCareer files following glitches in the program and following version updates. Basically burning money on MyCareer as the file keeps disappearing after i pay real money for VC to upgrade player - a poorly executed program. They are aware of the problem and should recall it on the PS4 until they fix the problem. Don't buy! Crap game! Expand
  38. Sep 15, 2018
    3
    Put simply, NBA 2K19 is not worth your money. It honestly feels like a really good patch for 2k18. If you already own NBA 2K18, or even 2K17, you're better off sticking with those for another year.
  39. Sep 12, 2018
    1
    Although the game is better than last year, let's not act like 2k is doing us a favor. The game still revolves around micro-transactions like a **** F2P mobile game. I'm Canadian so I already pay $80 + tax for the game to still be basically forced to pay an additional $60 to actually make the game playable. They still deserve the hate until they fix it.

    One of their executives in an
    Although the game is better than last year, let's not act like 2k is doing us a favor. The game still revolves around micro-transactions like a **** F2P mobile game. I'm Canadian so I already pay $80 + tax for the game to still be basically forced to pay an additional $60 to actually make the game playable. They still deserve the hate until they fix it.

    One of their executives in an interview said, "Users expect everything for Free and that's not reasonable". Well you dumbass, users expect that because they already paid full price for your stupid game, did you forget that part?
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  40. Sep 12, 2018
    0
    Microtransactions everywhere, stay away from this money grabbing mobile game.
  41. Sep 13, 2018
    1
    there is something wrong with game's face models and lighting as they look very plastic-like and lighting on the skin looks awful. There is also NO Brightness and HDR settings in the menus...ONCE AGAIN. The colours look awful on my 4K HDR TV and it is only game where they seem to overbright and I cannot do anything about it, because 2K was too lazy to implement the settings..

    Online is
    there is something wrong with game's face models and lighting as they look very plastic-like and lighting on the skin looks awful. There is also NO Brightness and HDR settings in the menus...ONCE AGAIN. The colours look awful on my 4K HDR TV and it is only game where they seem to overbright and I cannot do anything about it, because 2K was too lazy to implement the settings..

    Online is still laggy and there's still input latency, although surprisingly it is much less of it this year than previous years (2K17 etc, was unplayable because of the input lag when playing online games).

    I don't really like the way they adjusted the difficulty settings this year as it seems that CPU nails all the shots, but it is very hard to hit a bucket for yourself..

    Also the amount of blocks you get and weird looking animations for loosing a ball are enormous...Not to mention the shot meter for layups which is really ridiculous to see 90 overall players miss layups undefended, the shot selection in the post also raises lots of question marks!

    In general, it is not much different from NBA 2K18. New menus, new neighbourhood layout, new game mode in myTeam (also like 3 modes removed from it, I guess they will bring it back in the future as a "new mode")... Yeah, I am pretty disappointed.

    I am not even going to speak for microtransactions and CV bs... let's just say I was playing 6 hrs of myTEAM straight and only managed to earn 8k in game currency (myTEAM coins) (from about 30 games played and about half of them I have won).

    Negative rating because I feel like 2K need to review their pay2win walls and free2play mechanics game has (selling for 60 bucks!)
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  42. Sep 12, 2018
    2
    The gameplay is on point but I have to give it a negative review. The microtransactions system is as bad as it was last year if not worse because you no longer get sponsor money for playing playground, the most poular mode. Beware 2K it might not be next year or even the year after but at some point EA is going to release a good product and boy when that happens do not expect any loyaltyThe gameplay is on point but I have to give it a negative review. The microtransactions system is as bad as it was last year if not worse because you no longer get sponsor money for playing playground, the most poular mode. Beware 2K it might not be next year or even the year after but at some point EA is going to release a good product and boy when that happens do not expect any loyalty from the players you've been ripping off for years. You'll be begging us to buy your game $30 before Christmas. Expand
  43. Sep 13, 2018
    0
    every year theres bugs, every year they are hungrier for microtransactions and pay to win players.i only bought it because it was suppose to change all the BS problems that have piled up over the years, a big one being the ridiculous grind that attempts to coerce players into microtransactions to save weeks of your life. The reddit community believed this was addressed so i bought theevery year theres bugs, every year they are hungrier for microtransactions and pay to win players.i only bought it because it was suppose to change all the BS problems that have piled up over the years, a big one being the ridiculous grind that attempts to coerce players into microtransactions to save weeks of your life. The reddit community believed this was addressed so i bought the game, then within 48 hours of buying it they patched the game to make it more of a grind like it was before. now i want my money back. Expand
  44. Sep 25, 2018
    0
    Microtransactions have ruined this franchise. The grind in both MyCareer and MyTeam feels like a chore. Both modes are essentially pay to win, which is total BS for a $60 game!

    It's just no longer fun and as a huge basketball fan, it really pains me to say that...
  45. Sep 12, 2018
    3
    Gameplay is good but is its only saving grace. Death by microtransactions as usual. Should not be blatantly pay-to-win when we've paid the full price for the game + it comes out every year. Been hoping for an offline mycareer so that we would not be subjected to the limits because of scaling for online players. Slow grind is unrealistic because some of us are working and don't have thatGameplay is good but is its only saving grace. Death by microtransactions as usual. Should not be blatantly pay-to-win when we've paid the full price for the game + it comes out every year. Been hoping for an offline mycareer so that we would not be subjected to the limits because of scaling for online players. Slow grind is unrealistic because some of us are working and don't have that kind of time too.

    Career games can be skewed against you - your teammates are 'powered down' so that you can be the hero of MyCareer and basically carry everyone to victory. But if you're not paying to win the grind is horrible, you can't do **** against the opponents and your teammates are kinda useless too. No proof of course but it is very possible for 2k to do something like that.
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  46. Oct 2, 2018
    0
    This developer deserves no support from gamers because they do not care about the people who actually have loyalty to the franchise and go out and buy the game for full price. Those people are "rewarded" with free2play mechanics. This dev has no respect for gamers they just want to get as much money out of you as possible and they use every trick in the book to do so.

    It really doesn't
    This developer deserves no support from gamers because they do not care about the people who actually have loyalty to the franchise and go out and buy the game for full price. Those people are "rewarded" with free2play mechanics. This dev has no respect for gamers they just want to get as much money out of you as possible and they use every trick in the book to do so.

    It really doesn't matter that the gameplay is improved this year if the most popular game modes are compromised by arguably predatory microtransactions.
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  47. Sep 11, 2018
    2
    One word: Microtransactions. Completely ruins the progression and makes the game a real slog
  48. Sep 11, 2018
    1
    60 dollar games that promote pay to win mechanics and build their game around it don't deserve good ratings, regardless if you have a good game or not.

    NBA 2k is superior in gameplay to Live, but the money grabbing is despicable.
  49. Sep 11, 2018
    0
    awful movement. Shot meter taking all the skill out of the game. micro transactions up the ass. yeah 0 and a refund from me.

    you literally pay 60$ for a Roster update, the game looks the same for the past few years.
  50. Sep 15, 2018
    0
    I'm really not bothered with microtransactions like everybody else because they are optional and does not affect gameplay. But... I preordered game because I really liked 2K18. Seems they changed everything to worse. Shooting mechanic is totally changed, specially layup. I constantly get lost game in online play because of "too many penalties" mad by my NPC players!!!!! Hope they will fixI'm really not bothered with microtransactions like everybody else because they are optional and does not affect gameplay. But... I preordered game because I really liked 2K18. Seems they changed everything to worse. Shooting mechanic is totally changed, specially layup. I constantly get lost game in online play because of "too many penalties" mad by my NPC players!!!!! Hope they will fix something in updates, but for now game is broken, annoying and unplayable! Expand
  51. Sep 16, 2018
    0
    Another crash grab. As long as fools keep handing over money to these criminals they will continue doing this. I'm not buying this game or will ever again buy any game from these crooks
  52. Sep 12, 2018
    0
    Been a huge fan of NBA 2K since 2k11 , with quick play mode is getting better every year . However , the increasing amount of microtransactions has made the MC mode which is the mode i play most an unenjoyable grind progress , i really hate the gym system while u waste a lot of your time playing stupid mini-games , what is more worse is that u need the time to play more boring games ifBeen a huge fan of NBA 2K since 2k11 , with quick play mode is getting better every year . However , the increasing amount of microtransactions has made the MC mode which is the mode i play most an unenjoyable grind progress , i really hate the gym system while u waste a lot of your time playing stupid mini-games , what is more worse is that u need the time to play more boring games if you dont want spend extra money, u have to tolerate the fact u may need to finish 3 games to get one skill point up . Actually , money can not solve your problems too. Using money will cut your feeling of your character is growing and if u stop investing , then u will feel so hard to grow . I‘d like to make 2K
    pay for it's greed this time.
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  53. Sep 10, 2018
    4
    Problems that were in previous games are still here graphically it seems to have taken a few steps back and forward in some areas. Overall an improvement over the trash 2k18 was. Would've been a fun game if VC still didn't dominate it
  54. Sep 12, 2018
    0
    pay to win and cheats, don't buy this game, EA and 2K don't deserve your money
  55. Sep 12, 2018
    0
    Buggy with multiple crashes in just a few hours, reprehensible micro-transaction policy and online matchmaking issues make this game complete crap. Not recommended.
  56. Sep 13, 2018
    1
    Pay to play. The biggest joke of a game this year for sure, don't buy this game
  57. Sep 12, 2018
    0
    MTX infested dross. Don't buy this horrific scam of a game. Reasonable gameplay crippled once more with unnecessary and overly long tedious grind (Unless you want to take 2k's benevolently offered opportunity to 'choose' to pay your way through the game faster...so kind of them)

    Avoid like the plague. It's worse than you could ever possibly imagine.
  58. Nov 16, 2018
    2
    Not fun. Quite unresponsive controls, very arguable defense balance which affords you to push to the basket via ankle-breaking only, no matter how bigger, faster and stronger vs defender your attacker is.
    Atrocious defensive movement of your players (autoplays help but to a certain extent), lock-down defense no longer auto-triggers obstacle to shooting player as in 2k18, now you MUST jump
    Not fun. Quite unresponsive controls, very arguable defense balance which affords you to push to the basket via ankle-breaking only, no matter how bigger, faster and stronger vs defender your attacker is.
    Atrocious defensive movement of your players (autoplays help but to a certain extent), lock-down defense no longer auto-triggers obstacle to shooting player as in 2k18, now you MUST jump with him and it's irritating. On-ball defense is again worse than in previous titles.
    I do not cover myCareer as I'm interested in myLeague/myGM stuff only and while gameplay is disappointing this year - had to de-install after 10 games.
    Very upset, even this year's NHL is better.
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  59. Sep 20, 2018
    0
    microtransactions microtransactions microtransactions microtransactions microtransactions microtransactions microtransactions microtransactions microtransactions microtransactions microtransactions oh yeah... microtransactions...
  60. Sep 19, 2018
    0
    Yet another disgraceful annual product generated by greed instead of passion and creativity.
  61. Sep 25, 2018
    0
    Take note, developers, and take OUT THESE DAMN MICROTRANSACTIONS! You've ruined what could be some very good games! Disgusting practices by these companies, practices that should be illegal and hopefully soon will be!
  62. Oct 12, 2018
    1
    NBA 2K19 is without question one of the absolute worst games to ever touch my Playstation 4. This game is so broken and unfinished that it is hard to see why this game was released. It's sad when almost every single mode has a problem. We will go through each mode an examine the many problems.
    MyTeam: This mode is where 2K makes most of their money from and thus this is the mode that
    NBA 2K19 is without question one of the absolute worst games to ever touch my Playstation 4. This game is so broken and unfinished that it is hard to see why this game was released. It's sad when almost every single mode has a problem. We will go through each mode an examine the many problems.
    MyTeam: This mode is where 2K makes most of their money from and thus this is the mode that garners the most attention. It's basically: You pay, You win.

    MyCareer: The "fan-favorite" story mode that has been garbage since 2K16. This year, the story is actually pretty good but once again the gameplay is trash. The games all feel scripted and pre-determined. The opponents play much better than they ever did in real life but the AI that are on your team play like blind idiots who have never touched a basketball a day in their life. They foul nonstop for no reason, they miss open shots excessively and they just seem to act like they are playing for the other team.

    MyPark: Basically pay-to-win except controlling one player. You tend to notice that people with higher overalls tend to perform better game in and game out although you have similar attributes. 2K has brought back the overall rep system which is not a good idea. If people see that your overall is too high they will be scared to play against you and if they see that your overall is too low, they will be scared to play with you which makes it almost impossible to find a game. Something else that makes it impossible to find a game is the fact the number of people in an entire neighborhood is extremely misleading. It could say that 100 people are in the neighborhood but only 30 are playing Park. This is very annoying and is a good reason why the Park players and MyCareer players should be seperated

    Jordan Rec Center: Good luck finding a game.

    All Star Team Up: For some idiotic reason, the public All Star Team Up mode was removed but the private mode was included.

    Play Now Online: This year, 2K has forced Play Now Online players to have more variety with what teams they are choosing. They have implemented a Tier system that groups teams based on overall and you have a limited number of choices with each tier. This is awful because no one likes being forced to play with teams that are trash or that they don't like. They were better off keeping the system from last year where you could pick any team and choose whether to go against a team in that same tier or against any team. The Classic Teams are basically unusable due to the massive drop in NBA players from the Classic Teams. Each team is pretty much the starting 5 and a bunch John Brown, John Smith bums. They also implemented a mode which allows you to control only player which will be used probably one time in total. I don't get what the purpose is.

    MyLeague/MyGM: Copy and pasted from 2K18 with minor additions that may or may not matter depending on who you are

    Other common problems include: Inconsistency with shooting, Shot contests having absolutely no effect, MyPlayers frequently being corrupted, and your account balance being shrinkened. I highly recommend you stay away from this game while it is full priced.
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  63. Oct 7, 2018
    0
    This year I got the 20th Year Anniversary edition for the 1st time when it 1st release I liked it and it was enjoyable until 9/11 when stupid Ronnie & 2K decreased the mycarrier points to make it look like the game is good I didn't notice until 9/15 and when I found out I was enraged and wrote a very angry tweet @ 2k on twitter and the fact that my team is still trash with shorter packThis year I got the 20th Year Anniversary edition for the 1st time when it 1st release I liked it and it was enjoyable until 9/11 when stupid Ronnie & 2K decreased the mycarrier points to make it look like the game is good I didn't notice until 9/15 and when I found out I was enraged and wrote a very angry tweet @ 2k on twitter and the fact that my team is still trash with shorter pack odds than EA so I am done with this trash game. My message to 2k and all those greed companies is to reformulate your games to not use mircotractions so much or face a boycott. Expand
  64. Sep 13, 2018
    0
    Yet another money grab.Im going live this year.This game should be free to play with the amount of microtransactions.NO THX.NEVER AGAIN.
  65. Sep 10, 2018
    0
    Probably the worst 2K game to date. Been playing for a few hours now, and not a single aspect of the game excites me, It is like they took a fairly 2K18 and just made it worse
  66. Sep 11, 2018
    4
    Same as last years. Gameplay itself is good, graphics are good but still unplayable without buying VC. Also Proam force you to play with 5 players so not playing it this year...
  67. Sep 12, 2018
    0
    En el videojuego de 2K19 se observa lo mismo que en el del año pasado. Todo se logra con microtransacciones a pesar de que se paga como un triple A. En vez de vender el producto con todo incluido te obligan a pagar para no tener que jugar por horas, que a la larga se hacen semanas. Aun con la edición de aniversario lo que te venden no es la experiencia de juego, sino la emoción de comprarEn el videojuego de 2K19 se observa lo mismo que en el del año pasado. Todo se logra con microtransacciones a pesar de que se paga como un triple A. En vez de vender el producto con todo incluido te obligan a pagar para no tener que jugar por horas, que a la larga se hacen semanas. Aun con la edición de aniversario lo que te venden no es la experiencia de juego, sino la emoción de comprar por partes todo el contenido. Incluso, uno de los productores del equipo de desarrollo dice que la gran mayoría de jugadores de videojuegos no tienen paciencia para jugar y por eso ponen las microtransacciones. Sin embargo, en Steam para PC el NBA 2k18 tiene una clasificación de mayormente negativos.

    In English
    In the video game of 2K19 the same thing is observed as in the one of last year. Everything is achieved with microtransactions despite being paid as a triple A. Instead of selling the product with all-inclusive you are forced to pay for not having to play for hours, which eventually become weeks. Even with the anniversary edition, what they sell to you is not the gaming experience, but the excitement of buying all the content in parts. Even one of the producers of the development team says that the vast majority of video game players have no patience to play and that is why they put microtransactions. However, in Steam for PC the NBA 2k18 has a rating of mostly negative.
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  68. Sep 13, 2018
    0
    Another microtransaction simulator, don't buy it, don't help this scumbags get away this time.
  69. Sep 25, 2018
    0
    Frankly its a little unsettling how commonplace and just accepted the blatant cash grab of the VC coins and MyTeam card packs have become. I have friends who are usually hugely against these kinds of mechanics but even they talk about how they drop like 300 bucks on card packs. Its unreal.

    What is ther to really say about 2k19? its a borderline clone of 2k18 stuffed to the brim with
    Frankly its a little unsettling how commonplace and just accepted the blatant cash grab of the VC coins and MyTeam card packs have become. I have friends who are usually hugely against these kinds of mechanics but even they talk about how they drop like 300 bucks on card packs. Its unreal.

    What is ther to really say about 2k19? its a borderline clone of 2k18 stuffed to the brim with product placement and cheap gimmicks that encourage you to drop even more money.
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  70. Oct 14, 2018
    4
    When at this not competitive online game will be balance like at Starcraft 1-2 ? When they realise, that balance manager, who can hear users and can play online too - is MUST NESSESARRY ?? Before patch 4 this game has some troubles, but they was not so much impactful, like after patch 4, when balance again become bad ! All stupid dudes got atvantage again.
    Some historic troubles of 2K NBA
    When at this not competitive online game will be balance like at Starcraft 1-2 ? When they realise, that balance manager, who can hear users and can play online too - is MUST NESSESARRY ?? Before patch 4 this game has some troubles, but they was not so much impactful, like after patch 4, when balance again become bad ! All stupid dudes got atvantage again.
    Some historic troubles of 2K NBA Series:
    1. OP Offencsive rebounds - 2 years in a row ! Why? For noobs, who must shot again and again?
    2. Goal or foul at paint. This "insane" feature relised at 2k16 and now actual again, after patch 4.
    3. Greed. Last realistic cards at MyTeam whas at 2K16, then ..... We neeed more your money.

    This game will be trash, before they hire balance manager, who must be EXPERT at online game!
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  71. Sep 22, 2018
    0
    I was excited to play after noticing they allows the true inside game ALA Wilt, Kareem with the hook shots and post moves. Promptly a week after releasing the game they nerf the entire thing. Now the 100$ preorder + 100$ VC pack I bought is basically worthless.

    Don't do it. I for one am reconsidering ever thinking about 2k ever again, and this statement is coming from me who played 2k14
    I was excited to play after noticing they allows the true inside game ALA Wilt, Kareem with the hook shots and post moves. Promptly a week after releasing the game they nerf the entire thing. Now the 100$ preorder + 100$ VC pack I bought is basically worthless.

    Don't do it. I for one am reconsidering ever thinking about 2k ever again, and this statement is coming from me who played 2k14 for the past 4 years. This game changes everything on a whim but expects you to invest major time and money in builds that might be garbage in a week (they also want you to play one character a whole year, really?)
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  72. Sep 23, 2018
    1
    NBA 2K19 provides a basketball simulation that is unfortunately plagued with micro-transactions that ruin the experience for a "casual" gamer. I spent $20 on VC and got to ONLY a 75 overall. Because of this, I called Sony and demanded a refund for the game and the VC I bought. Choosing between 2K and Live, you should choose Live. No $60 dollar game should be based upon the principles of aNBA 2K19 provides a basketball simulation that is unfortunately plagued with micro-transactions that ruin the experience for a "casual" gamer. I spent $20 on VC and got to ONLY a 75 overall. Because of this, I called Sony and demanded a refund for the game and the VC I bought. Choosing between 2K and Live, you should choose Live. No $60 dollar game should be based upon the principles of a FREEMIUM game. Expand
  73. Sep 10, 2018
    0
    The graphics are ugly AF. Everything feels like the same. Micro transaction centric game. Another poor product by 2k sport.
  74. Sep 8, 2018
    0
    Is it wrong for me, to think that Live is better this year? I was expecting more. A shot meter for LAYUPS? ARE you serious? Layups are supposed to be easy. It takes FOREVER to level up your player in 2K. In Live, you can level up in no time. There is no grind in Live just FUN and Free clothes, gear and accessories daily. $100 Anniversary Edition, lucky me BUT Live is Better.
  75. Jun 11, 2019
    1
    game Is not new player friendly among bugs and micro transactions , the developers should feel ashamed of this game
  76. Apr 29, 2020
    0
    How this ratings of magazines are so high? This game is a cash cow, they actually destroyed this year. Do not buy!!!
  77. Sep 10, 2019
    1
    My casino was ruined by a basketball game. Do not buy this money grab, it's awful
  78. Sep 12, 2019
    1
    The one point here is for the fact that they haven't quite **** up enough yet to ruin the gameplay of the 2k series. However, this game isn't trying to improve as a game anymore. The only goal of this franchise is to improve the efficiency of its many micro-transactions.
  79. Nov 25, 2018
    1
    Once a good guys on the basketball games front, 2k were ruined by all the money and a lack of competition. Now they are just another greedy corporation, not only they want you to spend 60$ on the roster update every year, this game is also riddled with microtransactions proudly representing all the worst qualities of a modern game industry. Please, do yourself and an industry a favour andOnce a good guys on the basketball games front, 2k were ruined by all the money and a lack of competition. Now they are just another greedy corporation, not only they want you to spend 60$ on the roster update every year, this game is also riddled with microtransactions proudly representing all the worst qualities of a modern game industry. Please, do yourself and an industry a favour and don't buy this game. Only declining sales will make them realise that gamers are fed up with this approach. Expand
  80. Jan 12, 2019
    0
    Hands down the worst basketball game unless you're a child who likes shooting ridiculous 3 pointers and making every one of them even if great defense is played on you. If that profile fits you then its the game you've been looking for. If you're a mature basketball gamer who likes realism in your sports game then this is THE ABSOLUTE WORST NBA GAME EVER CREATED!!!
  81. Dec 16, 2018
    0
    I used to love play now online. I had my favorite 2 or 3 all time teams that I used all the time. Now I'm forced to play with the worst teams in the game if I want to rank up. It's just not fun missing wide open layups and dunks. I'm made to play with tier 3 garbage teams, and with players I've never heard of.
  82. Dec 21, 2018
    2
    This is all referring to the MyCareer Mode, which is their bread and butter:

    1) you're not a dual archetype till you're a 94. O wait, i'm sorry, except for slashing post scorers. My guy is not a dual type till a 95. Paying the extra 50+ dollars to begin with was crazy, but at least last yr doing it got me to max the only two things I cared about. LIke when I made a dunker and
    This is all referring to the MyCareer Mode, which is their bread and butter:

    1) you're not a dual archetype till you're a 94. O wait, i'm sorry, except for slashing post scorers. My guy is not a dual type till a 95. Paying the extra 50+ dollars to begin with was crazy, but at least last yr doing it got me to max the only two things I cared about. LIke when I made a dunker and rebounder, at 85, i was able to do those two things while everything else i needed to earn which was fine, it just sucked that I needed to pay 50, unlike now, it doesn't mean anything. Not to mention as you unlock new things, it requires more VC. Some items like in the wheel shop, which can even be more expensive than paying another 50 dollars and starting over with a new guy.
    2) you have no control on what is getting the rep up, even after paying.
    3) you now have to grind for more badges now, like the personality badges that were free as you repped up. Now this, i wouldn't mind, but it already takes, days, weeks, months, to rep up. Like last yr I joined the 2k grind in January played till August. I put in so much, but i was only able to get to a 91 after starting from an 85. Then this 2k comes out, and I gotta pay another 50 and start all over again and do the samething when 2k20 comes out. if I continue to play, it will be pc, F it, I don't blame the hackers. Atleast they're just paying for the game.
    4)Guards got so much more love than big men. One, the taller you are, the less you can shoot which doesn't make sense cause there are bigs that can shoot well. Bigs are already at disadvantage because they are slow, cant dribble, cant pass, etc. So their idea to "make it fair" is to also make them weak shooters even if you make that you're main and only job. Also keep in mind, shooters are one of the worst defenders(attribute wise). Then to top it off, when maxing a big's weight, you become uber slower than last yr and harder to dunk with cause you'll need more ground for a running head to start. However, a guard will only need about 3 steps to take off and can dunk on you're head if they have their badges at least at silver. Then when its your turn, it doesn't matter that you have hall of fame and gold stuff, you're slow. Like shaq moved at -6 miles a hour on the lakers and no one could stop his dunks next to or under the basket. Their idea of making the defense stronger was an epic fail.
    5) no double progress days on holidays, so now it takes even longer to grind your player
    6) Game Lags costing VC when playing ante up games, lose the VC and the game. I was up 19-6 on a player, about to end it, a lag kicked me off and not only I didn't win the VC owed, I lost my VC too.
    7) if you win an ante up game, 2k taxes the VC you won while also taking VC from the loser. Like taxes on fake money, seriously?! I played some one for 500 VC, 2k gave me 450.
    8) Why is it so hard to knock the ball out of the AI hands, but its uber easy for me to just lose it without anyone touching me.
    9) The ball goes through my hands when i'm on defense trying to get a block at least a couple times in the span of 3 or 4 days. its like i'm finger popping the ball.
    10) random crashes.
    11) Need to join a person a session 4+ times just to meet up
    12) making purchases using my VC and seeing the deduction in my VC but not getting the Item. When I complain to 2k support, they ask for a youtube video. How the hell can I show a video of something that happened after the fact.
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  83. Dec 24, 2018
    0
    Broke a** m*game. I keep trying though. Ball hit CPU leg turnover on me. Kickball right? U should let EA sports have your my player idea because I can assure you the gameplay on live will be 20 times better than this..hands down.
  84. Dec 30, 2018
    2
    Microtransactions and online play have utterly ruined everything good about this franchise. Progressing your character in any way is a depressing grind without spending real life money to unlock their dumb in-game currency. It only becomes fun after at least a dozen plus hours of it not being fun at all. I could deal with that if their ridiculous neighborhood and focus on online playMicrotransactions and online play have utterly ruined everything good about this franchise. Progressing your character in any way is a depressing grind without spending real life money to unlock their dumb in-game currency. It only becomes fun after at least a dozen plus hours of it not being fun at all. I could deal with that if their ridiculous neighborhood and focus on online play didn't screw everything else up. It's almost 2019 and this game doesn't allow you to have multiple save files in any meaningful away. Yes, I can create multiple players, if I feel like skipping through a dozen cutscenes to get to actual gameplay. And then if I want to switch back, I can't even change my character's name back without creating a whole new save file and deleting it once the name change has taken affect. Being able to switch between multiple unique characters is the absolute minimum I should be able to accomplish in a game in 2018 and I can't even do that. The gameplay itself is actually quite a lot of fun, but once again is ruined by the fact that you have to pay in-game currency for unique dunks, layups, passes, crossover moves, and celebrations, and you can only unlock most of these once your character has reached a certain level, and depending on your position and your character's play style, some times you can't even unlock them at all.

    If you want to create multiple players to experiment with different play styles and experience different aspects of the game, you are out of luck, unless you want to skip the same dozen cutscenes of the Prelude. Skipping the whole thing isn't worth it either, because the gameplay is actually fun and your character will be in a better starting place if you do it. What's more, the Prelude/story in 2K19 is actually a massive improvement over the hot garbage that was 2K18's myCareer, its pisspoor excuses for characters and story, and the fact that in that game, you actually couldn't skip any of the cutscenes, so creating a new character was a two or three hour drudge through mind-numbing dialogue and a story that feels like it was written by a 12 year old. The story itself is actually really good for a sports game, although I'd like to be able to choose my backstory, similar to how it usually works in the Madden franchise, rather than being shoved into whatever character the game devs make you play as. The fact that you don't have a choice to be anything other than an undrafted college dropout is really annoying. Most of the issues with this game are fairly small, but they combine with the cash-grabbing tactics the company uses to maximize their profits to make an absolute mess of a game franchise that offers the best basketball gameplay of any game out there, far as I can tell. Eventually it just gets boring, and I'm guessing the devs purposely plan it that way so that you'll have to buy the next year's game, since they only ever plan on you playing it for a year at most. I wasn't even going to buy 2K19 until I saw how much more I liked the myCareer mode than i did for 2K18, but now, even though I got it for less than half price, I just feel ripped off. I have better ways to spend my time and money than marginally improving an undrafted shooting guard's jumpshot to go from a 78 to a 79. Things need to drastically change or this will be the last 2K game I ever buy.
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  85. Dec 31, 2018
    1
    I have been buying the 2k Series for a while, this will be my last game for a bit.

    My Career: I start my Career, man this is bogus. The engineer that came up with the coaching AI needs to be fired and blacklisted from the industry. They give you something to do, you are 5/5 12 pts 2 assists and destroying the other team, coach sits you in the first quarter till 30 seconds left in
    I have been buying the 2k Series for a while, this will be my last game for a bit.

    My Career:
    I start my Career, man this is bogus. The engineer that came up with the coaching AI needs to be fired and blacklisted from the industry. They give you something to do, you are 5/5 12 pts 2 assists and destroying the other team, coach sits you in the first quarter till 30 seconds left in second quarter. You get going again then he sits you again and your team loses....... What? Who subs with 2 seconds left in the game when a team is up by 10 ? WHO ? WHO Calls a timeout when you are down by 10 with 2 seconds left to go (then you get subbed out). Aside from that you have to play some bogus games (like an NBA 2k version against another player from 5 years or so ago). Why? I just want to get into the game, you start in China (no real reason). After the prelude I just didnt care to play anymore. I find myself needing to be motivated to play

    Aside from the obvious issues with my career, the controls are neat but very, very, very, clunky. There are times your character doesn't move or respond to the joy stick and it leaves your guy wide open. Spins and steps will take a lot of time to figure out if you are new. Half of the time I do a spin my person stops and tries to shoot (not sure why shooting motion is anywhere near the same thing as spining). Shooting doesn't stay consistent.

    The assignment system is still broken. On a pick you will be selected for the wrong person constantly. There are times you crash the boards following your coach's request then get dinged when someone else gets the rebound and your person scores.

    Aside from that someone put GOAT on the cover ..... Seriously seeing how in love the game is with LJ that is just sad... I would stay away and try something else.
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  86. Feb 9, 2019
    0
    One of the worst sports game i've ever played. I play nba2k since 2k10, and this is the worst 2k after 2k18. The game is still a cash grab and full of predatory microtransactions. I buy 2k mainly for my career, like 90% of the players do. MyCareer is still a cash grab and just a giant advertisement for Gatorade etc. The gameplay is arguably the worst in 2k history. I have a 90 rated shotOne of the worst sports game i've ever played. I play nba2k since 2k10, and this is the worst 2k after 2k18. The game is still a cash grab and full of predatory microtransactions. I buy 2k mainly for my career, like 90% of the players do. MyCareer is still a cash grab and just a giant advertisement for Gatorade etc. The gameplay is arguably the worst in 2k history. I have a 90 rated shot creating point guard and I can`t do a damn thing. The AI defense is completely overpowered. 2k makes kris dunn look like kahwi leonard. Everyone is a lockdown defender. You can`t create rooms for an open jumper cause the AI runs trough screens and your defender will be in your face constantly. When there is an open lane to the hoop, my player will just stop in the middle of the sprint for no reason and gets stopped by a defender. You can't hit open shots. The gameplay in my opionion is the worst in the history of 2k. Park is dead already. The only thing you can do with this game is either trade it in, or throw it in the trash can, this is where it belongs. Expand
  87. Feb 15, 2019
    0
    I purchased the anniversary edition to which I deeply regretted doing so within an hour of play. The game is designed to make you pay more and more in order to even think about completing side tasks and winning games. The games A.I is horrible, feels like the game is rigged and designed to make you lose.

    EA have despicable customer service and offer no help whatsoever except only to
    I purchased the anniversary edition to which I deeply regretted doing so within an hour of play. The game is designed to make you pay more and more in order to even think about completing side tasks and winning games. The games A.I is horrible, feels like the game is rigged and designed to make you lose.

    EA have despicable customer service and offer no help whatsoever except only to condescend and mock to which it makes me believe they have little to no interest or intentions of fixing the plethora of issues abound.

    I Have been playing the franchise since 2001 and I can say with confidence that this is definitely the last one in the series I will ever buy or play.

    Do yourself a favor and give this a miss.

    Almost zero customization options. Myplayer career is the single most frustrating experience I have ever had in a game. You cannot choose a nickname, the face scan feature never works leaving your scanned face with blue or black patches on your characters face, the story makes your player come across as a self entitled cringe worthy tool. It feels like you are playing against even your own team mates at times with their constant clumsiness and "keep away" attitude. The only decent thing about this game is the graphics.

    If you like missing uncontested wide open shots with perfect releases, having fouls called on you for no reason, replaying the same game over and over with the same fixed result, fighting against team mates in order to try and win games, paying plenty of real life money to get a slight but worthless advantage and wasting time on pointless game modes; then this title is just for you.
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  88. Mar 10, 2019
    0
    WHAT IN THE HELL IS THIS!!You pay $60 a YEAR FOR A ROSTER UPDATE, oh and did it mention MICROTRANSACTSHONS a lot of those and the gameplay feels like your on. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY on 2k20 it lets them do nothing and get MONEY!
  89. Feb 26, 2019
    3
    This game is a lot of fun when it's not glitching, or throwing error codes. Literally the second the clock ran down to win the finals, the game threw a code, and kicked me out to the main menu. I now have to play the game yet again. Extremely aggravating.
  90. Sep 19, 2019
    0
    A videogame that teaches little kids how to gamble. How to spend ridiculous amounts of money to get an in-game tattoo or dance emote... Well done 2K. If the game were excellent i would say it is almost tolerable. But it is the same as last years... And the year before that...
    So the only thing I can say is WELL DONE 2K.
  91. Mar 20, 2019
    0
    This is the worst basketball game ever! I have tried to give this game chances but I am totally done with this series. Pushing which is an illegal screen or even a technical foul has been in the game for way too long. I stopped playing 2k19 for months because of this exploit, came back and its still in the game! The developers dont really seem to care about the actual user playing theirThis is the worst basketball game ever! I have tried to give this game chances but I am totally done with this series. Pushing which is an illegal screen or even a technical foul has been in the game for way too long. I stopped playing 2k19 for months because of this exploit, came back and its still in the game! The developers dont really seem to care about the actual user playing their game and just like 2k18 where there was an inblound steal glitch, travel glitch, animation glitches, vc glitches and the list goes on. 2k19 is full of glitches and there is no skill gap. You aren't rewarded for good defense when contesting someones shot, stealing is overpowered, it takes too long to grind for badges and if you want to be a decent overall like an 80 with your MyPlayer to compete in park it takes much time of nonstop playing the game for like a month just to be decent enough to play but by the time you do that competition is still ahead because they bought vc to upgrade their player so its a lose lose situation for those who dont buy vc. I can no longer support this game that doesnt seem to care about its fan base and it is the same recycled modes to play over and over again, same park, cages and rec center. It takes too long to achieve getting mascots in this game, 2k literally has to be your job to do so, I mean people have lives, work, go to school, relationships etc and in order to achieve and go higher up in the ranks you literally have to play an unhealthy amount which even non of the developers have played to reach the 98 level. Quick game takes no skill, all people do is play computer defense and you cant speed boost around the computer to score easily, its very hard to score in mycareer weather on pro or hall of fame difficulty. I havent even touched on the MyTeam issues but I know from seeing other youtube videos that it is basically pay to win, this entire game is pay to win and where is the fun for those who dont buy or cant buy vc because nobody plays with you if your a 80 or below. I have more bad memories of this game than good and as a person who plays basketball and made all-star teams in High school I know how to play basketball and understand what shots to take and not. I had a 75 win % so its not like i have no idea as to what i'm doing on the game. Its just depressing to play the same thing over and over again with nothing to gain and when there are problems in the game those issues aren't fixed immediately. Goodbye 2k this game is horrible on so many levels and I wish that other youtubers would be completely honest about this game instead of continuing to support it because of money or what ever the case may be. Expand
  92. Apr 2, 2019
    2
    This is a fun experience if you are athlete but is very annoying with lack of feed back and care from developers.
  93. Apr 2, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. NBA 2K19 is the worst game in the whole franchise's history. I have been playing since 2k12. The stealing is absolutely ridiculous and 2k tries to rip you off on MyTeam because player packs cost tons of money and it is difficult to get good. One of my friends has a great MyTeam, however, having played on his PS4, my experience has been nothing less than awful. Galaxy Opal Blake Griffin is trash and 97 overall Shaq cannot make a layup. If you want to rage quit games, throw your controller, and also have your console get struck by lightning when the game is in the system and need repairs (actually happened) then, by all means, buy this egregious game. Expand
  94. Apr 5, 2019
    0
    worst sports game ever played, constantly getting shoved and pushed around as if there is no rules in basketball, i wouldn't even recommend this to a friend if it was on sale for a dollar, biggest waste of time ever created, and money.
  95. Apr 25, 2019
    0
    Shut all these critics up, this game was very unappealing. Too many microtransactions, and don't even start with the difficulty of this game, it doesn't even have any mercy, you get no tutorial, and the story is lazy. graphics aren't that good but it doesn't matter. this game was the worst game I ever bought on my ps4. Such a waste of money.
  96. May 22, 2019
    0
    Это худшая игра из всех существующих игр на всем белом свете. Разработчики просто не хотят делать ничего с этим куском поноса. Бесконечные баги, вылеты. Стоит ли говорить о дизбалансе (каждый в парке ссаный стретч 4)
    Это не игра, это просто ежегодная выкачка ваших денег. Каково мне было сейчас выиграть игру с победным мувом, и чтобы игра просто такая "у вас проблемы с сетью", и вылететь к
    Это худшая игра из всех существующих игр на всем белом свете. Разработчики просто не хотят делать ничего с этим куском поноса. Бесконечные баги, вылеты. Стоит ли говорить о дизбалансе (каждый в парке ссаный стретч 4)
    Это не игра, это просто ежегодная выкачка ваших денег. Каково мне было сейчас выиграть игру с победным мувом, и чтобы игра просто такая "у вас проблемы с сетью", и вылететь к чертям собачьим
    Абсолютно дизбалансная игра, полный ширпотреб. Все зедсь сделано через задницу. Ведь для победы нужен простой стретч 4 и ВСЕ. А сервера в европе когда нибудь появятся нормальные? а система уровней когда нибудь появится, чтобы был хоть какой то смысл играть в ссанном парке?
    В ней нет ничего хорошего, она просто убивает любовь к баскетболу и видеоиграм в целом
    0/0 горите в аду
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  97. Jun 3, 2019
    1
    **** THIS GAME at first I had a great time grinding up to my first championship, and of course I was excited as hell because obviously it's my first championship. Well either way I was playing OKC as the Chicago Bulls in the championship and it went to game 6 my team had 3 wins and OKC had 2 wins so all we had to do was win that game and I went on to score 38 points and dominate the other**** THIS GAME at first I had a great time grinding up to my first championship, and of course I was excited as hell because obviously it's my first championship. Well either way I was playing OKC as the Chicago Bulls in the championship and it went to game 6 my team had 3 wins and OKC had 2 wins so all we had to do was win that game and I went on to score 38 points and dominate the other team, keep in mind this was the best game I played all season.so it was the end of the fourth quarter and we were up 62-43 and i was like well we did it, all the regular season grinding and we finaly did it we won the championship and I was happy as hell. Then the game ends and it ****ING CRASHES and none of what I just played counted I loaded the game back up and I was in the pre game show. Morral of the story is play a diffirent game and dont have to waste money on a new controller like I did. Expand
  98. Jul 9, 2019
    1
    Don't buy, no seriously don't do it, not worth the money. If you do, buy it second hand there are plenty of copies because of how terrible a game it is. Attempting a slashing player is a complete waste of time and effort they dont dunk this year at all
  99. Jun 20, 2019
    1
    cant make any opens shots or any shots at all in my career when i was making them before i got drafted
  100. Jun 20, 2019
    1
    Worst game I’ve ever played. I’ve just beat the rockets for the championship in my career an soon as it ended it kicked me out and had to start over. Worst game ever! Thank god I only paid 2.99 for it. It’s not worth the full price. Plus they could exceed the story and not make it so short. After you get drafted story ends which is garbage.
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 49 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 49
  2. Negative: 1 out of 49
  1. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Oct 28, 2018
    80
    NBA 2K19 is fantastic at all the times when it isn’t asking you to part with real cash. Although sadly, in MyCareer, you’ll be tempted to open your wallet way too often. [Issue#155, p.95]
  2. Oct 12, 2018
    85
    NBA 2K19 is still the go-to basketball simulation game out there. Its polish and refinement have only improved since last year, and it's difficult to imagine any improvements for next year. The MyCareer story has definitely improved, and so have the cut scene management and character customization. MyTeam feels like a revolving mode of new updates and content, but players who don't purchase VC may be getting the short end of the stick, since 10 pack boxes are exclusive to VC only. The game is amazing in all regards, but the constant reminder and pressure to purchase VC is wearing thin.
  3. Oct 9, 2018
    90
    NBA 2K19 is everything that you expect from a basketball game. With the new edition 2K Games and Visual Concepts are closer to the real thing than ever.