NBA 2K19

 PlayStation 4
User Score
2.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 462 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 86 out of 462
  2. Mixed: 50 out of 462
  3. Negative: 326 out of 462
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  1. scather
    Sep 8, 2018
    5
    Good: Seem to earn a bit more VC from games, Haircuts are free. Load times are faster. Skip-able cut scenes. Story not as bad as last year. Nice how you can change clothes without going to mycourt. Training makes more sense for badges.

    Bad: No "rookie" difficulty in Mycareer again. Controls seem lagged at times. Moving player feels like piloting a boat at times. AI still steps through    Good: Seem to earn a bit more VC from games, Haircuts are free. Load times are faster. Skip-able cut scenes. Story not as bad as last year. Nice how you can change clothes without going to mycourt. Training makes more sense for badges.

    Bad: No "rookie" difficulty in Mycareer again. Controls seem lagged at times. Moving player feels like piloting a boat at times. AI still steps through you/around you with ease when you are defending yet when on offence you can't move anywhere without the usual player defense gravity BS where they stick to you like flies on **** One button press to intercept can send you halfway across the court. Trying to steal is like playing rugby where your guy grabs the other player, often 3 seconds after the fact. Bump steals are NOT fixed. Catch a rebound and drop the ball if anyone is within range, assuming you actually get the rebound. Seems weird at times. Pushing up on the stick when defending sends you out of the way rather than just raising your arms. You and your team still commit dumb passes that defy logic. Throw passes to your open team mates and they brick all the time. Shame the AI doesn't miss. TOO HARD FOR THE CASUAL PLAYER.

    Note: I watched a lot of youtubers/streamers and suspect they have pretty much been paid off with events/head scans and attention from Devs. Taints everything they say. I don't believe them. The fact Ronnie etc avoided answering some of the questions tells you everything. I would have probably still bought the game, but no respect for the fact they were not up front about certain things. Like NO ROOKIE MODE.

    The casual player might as well forget about it. This game is for the hard core.

    Overall frustrating. Not as fun as it should be.    … Expand
  2. game4mastermind
    Sep 10, 2018
    5
    This review is focused on the my career mode Ghost Blocking has been a problem since 2k17 and they still have not fixed it and a lot of the bugs from 2k18 have carried over with off the knee ball turn overs when you dribble , players legs and jersey disappearing, missing wide open dunks/layups when the player defending you is much smaller and barely touching you, the cpu splashing 3s likeThis review is focused on the my career mode Ghost Blocking has been a problem since 2k17 and they still have not fixed it and a lot of the bugs from 2k18 have carried over with off the knee ball turn overs when you dribble , players legs and jersey disappearing, missing wide open dunks/layups when the player defending you is much smaller and barely touching you, the cpu splashing 3s like curry with a rating of D because they are matched up on you the cpu turns into a cheese machine that can never miss even when their ratings are way lower or have little to no defensive rating, the shoe glitch from 2k18 is back getting angry texts when you are wearing the correct brand. The only positive is the team mate cpu is much better and the neighborhood is better layered out overall a mixed experience but the bad is currently weighing out good and badly needs these things patched ASAP… Expand
  3. Gn2056
    Sep 7, 2018
    6
    Problems. 1. Input latency is as horrible as ever. 2. Terrible gatorade training facility returns to waste yourtime to fill turbo between games. 3. This game is fine if you play against computer, my career n mypark however are a disaster. Rec center disaster. Honestly, the game is pretty much the same as last year with a boost to vc earned. But people that play know the problem is the postProblems. 1. Input latency is as horrible as ever. 2. Terrible gatorade training facility returns to waste yourtime to fill turbo between games. 3. This game is fine if you play against computer, my career n mypark however are a disaster. Rec center disaster. Honestly, the game is pretty much the same as last year with a boost to vc earned. But people that play know the problem is the post 85 grind and terrible on court performance. But biggest problem is the greed. Wait for a sale.… Expand
  4. jay_caspian
    Sep 12, 2018
    6
    NBA 2k19 is one of the most engaging and fun sports games I've ever played. However, it is bogged down by an ever increasing reliance on micotransactions that, while improved from NBA 2k18, still act in an aggressive attack against their customers.

    The game is visually stunning. The core gameplay mechanics are near perfect and the changes they made to steals (most especially) were duly    NBA 2k19 is one of the most engaging and fun sports games I've ever played. However, it is bogged down by an ever increasing reliance on micotransactions that, while improved from NBA 2k18, still act in an aggressive attack against their customers.

    The game is visually stunning. The core gameplay mechanics are near perfect and the changes they made to steals (most especially) were duly noted and much appreciated. While 2K is pretending to bring new additions to the game, they are only half advanced as they pretend to be. Many features are simply a return from NBA 2k17 or earlier, and had been deleted, removed, or dramatically changed for the worse. For example, skipping cut scenes, the traditional MyGM mode, and free haircuts for your MyPLayer, all returned this year, but it begs us asking the question, why did 2K remove these features in the first place.

    While 2k touts that they are making VC easier to earn this year, they can only claim this due to a deceptive change to the game. Yes, you earn more VC by having difficulty multipliers and the overall per-game VC cap has been raised, but the amount of VC you need in order to level up your character has been permanently increased. For example, last year I spent $10 buying 35k worth of VC which was enough to get my MyPlayer to a healthy 71 before beginning the game mode. That same 35k worth of VC can only get a MyPlayer up to a 67 or 68 now. You'll need 200k VC, or $50 worth, in order to go from a 60 to 85 -- a truly daunting task for an adult like myself who works 40 hours a week and has a family. The MyCareer path could have easily been called 'Return to the Grind.'

    Once you get passed the VC issues, the game is amazing. The new MyCareer story mode is amazing. It was the first time since they introduced the storytelling with 2K14, that I actually wanted to watch every cut scene. They hired a great writing staff and a number of A list actors to partake in the experience, and it was amazing. I felt myself attached to my character because 2K delivered a powerful story about BASKETBALL life, rather than creating some phony and pathetic storyline and then wrapping basketball around it.

    My only other critique is that the teammate grading system is terrible. They tweaked it so that you are punished incredibly hard for minor infractions while not rewarding positive play. An assist gets you plus 20% while leaving your coverage of a player on defense, mixed with him scoring, can net you a full letter grade penalty. They also are reckless with how often they cite you for someone scoring on your character, even if you were playing solid Defense (this is basketball, your opponent will inevitably score some of the time). My last game I had 27points, 11 Assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals, with 2 turn overs, only to have a teammate grade of C+. This definitely needs an update.

    Overall, NBA 2K is a phenomenal game that's incredibly fun to play but is hindered by it's desire to take the money of its most devoted fans.    … Expand
  5. SaintJames012
    Apr 30, 2019
    6
    2k19 is a step back on track from the absymal state the game was in last year, but it does not complete redirect itself toward a path I still like. The game is still a cesspool of microtransactions, and any attempt to play the game in a normal way is hindered by others in the community who push for the idea of paying to skip the grind. Let's not forget, it is the developers who make this2k19 is a step back on track from the absymal state the game was in last year, but it does not complete redirect itself toward a path I still like. The game is still a cesspool of microtransactions, and any attempt to play the game in a normal way is hindered by others in the community who push for the idea of paying to skip the grind. Let's not forget, it is the developers who make this grind that is so unbearable that one would want to skip it. The MyCareer story was better but anything after that is shallow and offers nothing. What can you actually do with your career after the story? nothing really. Gameplay is for the most part solid as you would expect, and the environment is still the best in any sports game. Above average, but still has major problems… Expand
  6. tomjoneser
    Jan 26, 2019
    5
    It's an unfortunate reality. A studio takes what was once an amazing franchise and has reduced to a means to strip people of extra money for a pay to win model rather than reward players for loyalty.

    Not to mention gameplay actually feels WORSE than that of 2K17. How does a game go backwards in how well it plays? Look, I'm not gonna come out and give it a 1 or a 0 just because the    It's an unfortunate reality. A studio takes what was once an amazing franchise and has reduced to a means to strip people of extra money for a pay to win model rather than reward players for loyalty.

    Not to mention gameplay actually feels WORSE than that of 2K17. How does a game go backwards in how well it plays?

    Look, I'm not gonna come out and give it a 1 or a 0 just because the studio is going in the wrong direction. There's still a lot to like about the game, especially in the offline modes (Franchise mode is still amazing). But it can't be ignored that there are some predatory tactics going on (and I hate using that term but here it is true).    … Expand
  7. ErayTellezi
    Jan 10, 2021
    7
    All time Golden State ile yargı dağıttığım, nba 2k serisine giriş oyunum. Kariyer veya online modlarını hiç denemediğim için bilmiyorum.
  8. jon_king
    Nov 5, 2020
    6
    eu costumava amar jogar NBA2K na época do Xbox 360/PS3 mas nos últimos jogos eu sinto uma gameplay enjoativa e que não me cativa a jogar mais, eu passava a maioria do tempo reconstruindo um time e na hora de jogar eu desanimava.
  9. Acrizz
    Mar 3, 2021
    6
    Honestly, I liked this game a lot. MyCAREER was really appealing as well as MyTEAM. If you talk about innovation however, it's just same old, same old.
  10. AnthonyDiMattia
    Sep 11, 2021
    5
    Blow-average MyCareer, interesting by extremely pay-to-win MyTeam, and good gameplay. The perfect recipe for an average 2K.

Awards & Rankings

46
#46 Best PS4 Game of 2018
27
#27 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2018
46
#46 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 49 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 49
  3. 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. Worth Playing
    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.
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  3. XGN
    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.
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