NBA 2K21

 PlayStation 4
User Score
0.9

Overwhelming dislike- based on 546 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 546
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 546
  3. Negative: 500 out of 546
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  1. Maranho7
    Sep 8, 2020
    0
    Too many mistakes in shot icon, until the producers fix this the score is 0
  2. Cuban_kid15
    Sep 8, 2020
    2
    This game once again dissapointed Its almost as if 2K doesn’t want you to have fun and wants to create a much bigger skill gap for you to even be decent at the game.

    If you dont get a perfect green jumpshot on a three you can forget making it. ITS NOT POSSIBLE The game is not fluid at all with gameplay and not fun when you are bricking every jumpshot even if you are wide open. 2K has    This game once again dissapointed Its almost as if 2K doesn’t want you to have fun and wants to create a much bigger skill gap for you to even be decent at the game.

    If you dont get a perfect green jumpshot on a three you can forget making it. ITS NOT POSSIBLE
    The game is not fluid at all with gameplay and not fun when you are bricking every jumpshot even if you are wide open. 2K has taken huge step backs the past two years trying to create bigger skill gaps when forgetting the whole reason we all fell in love with the game in the first place. MAKING BUCKETS If you dont have 24/7 hours to play like a streamer then you can forget having any competitive my player in the game get your wallet out because they are going to bait you into micro transactions for sure.    … Expand
  3. DinaSousa
    Sep 8, 2020
    0
    Everytime I buy a sports game, it seems like its last years version and has weird money spending schemes attached to it. Do yourself a favor and avoid this year. maybe every year to be honest.
  4. mbandzzz
    Sep 8, 2020
    0
    bro the game is dead trash. the shot meter is wack af like no matter what part you hit the ball still doesn’t go in like this is wack bro, i spent 100 and for what cuz i didn’t even get all the pre order bonus that was supposed to be included. i’m returning my game and getting my money back. such a waste
  5. Regant2000
    Sep 8, 2020
    3
    what a load of tosh, gameplay is horrific and laggy even with fast Internet, alot of people are complaining about gameplay being delayed, lots of people are also getting error codes for different game modes so they can't play even after doing some troubleshooting steps, game needs to be better, shooting is terrible and hardly anyone can get any greens in neighbourhood, sort it out 2k!
  6. Andr3
    Sep 8, 2020
    0
    As a long term 2K Player and huge fan am more than disappointed by this years game. Its the worst of all time. Shooting, movement, everything is bad in this game. When a Cover Athlete tells a company their game is trash, there must be somethign very wrong with this game. DONT BUY IT, save your money and take your girl, family or friends out for a dinner / movie night instead.
  7. sundubone
    Sep 8, 2020
    0
    The game is too difficult.. straight up.

    I am an offline player and generally have only a couple hours to play the game daily. I play the myteam mode and the CPU opponent just destroys you in every game whether it's triple threat or domination or single player challenges. The initial cards you receive from the Mamba edition are piss poor that cannot shoot or make layups with. The    The game is too difficult.. straight up.

    I am an offline player and generally have only a couple hours to play the game daily. I play the myteam mode and the CPU opponent just destroys you in every game whether it's triple threat or domination or single player challenges. The initial cards you receive from the Mamba edition are piss poor that cannot shoot or make layups with. The rewards you receive for playing is not worth the time involved to get them. At this point, i wouldn't purchase the game unless you have ample time to learn how to shoot or have the patience losing to the CPU multiple times.    … Expand
  8. Garden777
    Sep 8, 2020
    4
    the worst version of 2k20. The shooting is terrible. No changes at all. The only good thing about the game is the mycarrer prelude with college and high school, the rest it isn't worth it
  9. GirlGoneGamer
    Sep 7, 2020
    8
    I’m giving this game a solid 8, I don’t care what the madden fanboys have to say about this game. They are too stupid to realize their football game is trash; and wanna review bomb this game. The only issues I have with this game is the shot meter and the stamina drain. Other than that the game is fun and is a little better than what 2k20 was and improved on something’s
  10. Frandawg
    Sep 7, 2020
    5
    The game definitely isn’t bad enough to get review bombed like it currently is, but it’s disappointing that a series that used to be absolutely teeming with innovation and pushing the boundaries of what made sports games great has become so stale. Unfortunately seems to suffer from this pre-nextgen syndrome where annual releases aren’t given a proper update. Everything is fine. Which isThe game definitely isn’t bad enough to get review bombed like it currently is, but it’s disappointing that a series that used to be absolutely teeming with innovation and pushing the boundaries of what made sports games great has become so stale. Unfortunately seems to suffer from this pre-nextgen syndrome where annual releases aren’t given a proper update. Everything is fine. Which is about as good as it gets really. Calling it nba 2k20 1.5 is probably a little off the mark, considering there haven’t been enough upgrades to warrant that Tagline...

    One issue I do have, however, is the inconsistency with shooting. It was pretty bad in 2k20 but has becomes even worse in this iteration. When you make shots vs when you don’t makes absolutely no sense. You miss sitters inside the rim when you’re timing is perfect and you’re barely covered, but make a 3 pointer on the fly when your timing is off and you’re far more covered. Makes the experience quite frustrating overall.    … Expand
  11. Jacks320
    Sep 7, 2020
    0
    The 2K franchise needs to put more effort into there games. They want to overcharge for low quality, this game should be $30 instead of $60 and this is based on the minimum enhancements made.
  12. Romvng
    Sep 7, 2020
    0
    The shooting in this game is broken. Even if shot is near perfect release it’s a guaranteed brick...Defense is constantly in your face from the start of the game to the end..The cpu backpedaling is faster than my driving down the lane with the ball...nothing new compared to 2k20 and if anything, they took out more stuff..MyCareer is about 30 minutes of useless cutscenes and once in the NBAThe shooting in this game is broken. Even if shot is near perfect release it’s a guaranteed brick...Defense is constantly in your face from the start of the game to the end..The cpu backpedaling is faster than my driving down the lane with the ball...nothing new compared to 2k20 and if anything, they took out more stuff..MyCareer is about 30 minutes of useless cutscenes and once in the NBA it’s nothing new, they took out after game interviews..Constantly missing open and-one layups and the mid air passing is always overthrown, as if someone in the nba shouldn’t at least know how to pass the ball 10 feet..I’m a pure shooter and even when my takeover is active I’ll brick open 3’s..game is trash.… Expand
  13. Soulfuljyl
    Sep 7, 2020
    0
    biggest cash grab ever, been playing 2k since 2k7 with no money spent, this years version entices you to start up myteam and straight away faced with extreme difficulty of scoring a basket, urging you to spend VC or MT to open packs, first weekly challenge is against way higher tier players than your line up and force you to open at least 4 packs to even start the challenge, I created thisbiggest cash grab ever, been playing 2k since 2k7 with no money spent, this years version entices you to start up myteam and straight away faced with extreme difficulty of scoring a basket, urging you to spend VC or MT to open packs, first weekly challenge is against way higher tier players than your line up and force you to open at least 4 packs to even start the challenge, I created this account purely for this cash grab slot machine, absolutely disgusted by this years game.… Expand
  14. Blakey123
    Sep 7, 2020
    0
    2k20 copy and paste. Completely the same graphics, animations, badges. This game is a complete cash grab, which is typical of 2k interactive. The game is centred around borderline forcing players to buy VC on-top of its 60 dollar price tag. the game is also littered with advertisements. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME!!!
  15. neviusnc
    Sep 7, 2020
    0
    This game is beyond repulsive and it's your duty as an informed consumer to not buy this cash grabbing pile of dog **** The company is beyond gross and has zero morals other than an almighty dollar. I dream to see the day where they are all unemployed and shunned from the industry for their slime tactics. Grotesque human beings
  16. Dmoney86374
    Sep 7, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Nothin new added lazy entry to an untherwise wise great series. I think they should have added a completely new park and fixed my league everything besides that is nearly the same. Counting playing nba 2k20 and wait for next gen this game on current gen is the exact same.… Expand
  17. Gongbanza
    Sep 7, 2020
    5
    Same thing as the last 5 entries, Mycareer is okay not as good as last year's, and the soundtrack is good.
  18. drizzydrodrew
    Sep 7, 2020
    8
    Okay, where to begin. First of all I am a massive fanboy of 2k and have been buying since the goat 2k11. I have noticed the substantial dip in quality and lack of updates from the 2k franchise for some time now. I remember the days when 2k11 2k12 and 2k13 were such fantastic values in terms of gameplay and overall content compared to other sports games at the time. Now it seems that inOkay, where to begin. First of all I am a massive fanboy of 2k and have been buying since the goat 2k11. I have noticed the substantial dip in quality and lack of updates from the 2k franchise for some time now. I remember the days when 2k11 2k12 and 2k13 were such fantastic values in terms of gameplay and overall content compared to other sports games at the time. Now it seems that in order to play a AAA sports game you have to deal with the now-greedy companies of EA and 2k. This is simply something one must come to terms with when buying each year's new edition.
    I personally have not purchased a 2k since 2k17, and I thought that 2017 did a phenomenal job with the dribble mechanics and the shot meter. I did get to play 2k20 for awhile with gamepass and had an enjoyable time on MyTeam. Yet would not have considered paying over 20$ for that game. I completely faded 2k18 and 2k19 as they just looked not fun to play when compared to 2k17 gameplay.

    This year, I didn't know what to expect but I was getting absurdly impatient and wanting to jump in to a new sports game. and after witnessing the **** show that EA released with Madden 21 it became apparent that it was 2k or bust. I decided to preorder the game in hopes of developing a dope MyTeam over the next few months. My expectations were tempered but I did at least want to enjoy the gameplay and be able to grind towards my favorite players.

    I have had the game for 3 days now, and I can say that I am mostly pleased with the entire package of the game. There still is quite a lot of content and ways to play the game. Anyone here is likely not new 2k so you know exactly what to expect in terms of gamemodes.

    Let's talk about what is causing such a division in reviews from this community. THE SHOOTING.
    Yes it is definitely true that the dribbling and shooting mechanics have been tampered with. I feel like in the long run these will feel normal and potentially even preferred. I know that I had a few rage moments during my first few hours of play, seeing as the dribble moves and shooting combos take time to master and do not feel intuitive. The shooting is much much much less forgiving and it will take practicing your favorite players releases and figuring out their hot spots as you will have to run picture perfect plays to get them open looks from outside or set enough picks to blow by the defender for a layup. Layups and shooting in the paint is overpowered while outside shooting takes immense skill and patience. Get it?

    Yes the skill gap has gotten a substantialy steeper and yes the CPU players play like Monstars from Space Jam, but I truly believe that overtime a lot of these issues will get smoothed out and players will adjust to the new mechanics and whatever gamestyle that 2k seems to want to reward. I am not sure why 2k would want to punish the casual gamer, but this game is built for serious hoopers and experienced 2kers. Which honestly is fine with me, I love technical and skill driven games.

    All I know is that I can take the good with the bad seeing as its so early in the release, and I can say that I have had a ton of fun with the new MyCareer story and always love MyTeam. I actually enjoy the challenge of shooting and it really allows people with legit basketball IQ to thrive. When you do dominate it feels earned and its something to savor when you go on a shooting streak. This may not be popular opinion but I am fine with struggling upfront to learn new mechanics if it makes the gameplay more balanced and enjoyable in the long run.    … Expand
  19. Game20
    Sep 7, 2020
    0
    No fun, they first make impossible to score with shooters and all driving archétype so there is no fun attacking and now they patched the shooters and even at the easiest difficulty every IA makes the shot
  20. Goodgamebrojt
    Sep 7, 2020
    0
    Worst game ever I’m sooo mad I bought the game my career sucks no cut scenes at all no awards cut scene nothing just a dumb story before you reach the nba then it’s over. We have alll been robbed if you haven’t bought it yet don’t buy it.
  21. Tron0304
    Sep 7, 2020
    0
    Before 2k said NBA 2k21 was coming out? I thought they were going to delay the launch of the game because the NBA season wasn't over. No team has been crowned champion yet. The NBA draft hasn't even happened yet. So I thought they would delay the release until the season was over? Wrong!!! I already knew they weren't going to put much effort into my career mode or anything else. Expect forBefore 2k said NBA 2k21 was coming out? I thought they were going to delay the launch of the game because the NBA season wasn't over. No team has been crowned champion yet. The NBA draft hasn't even happened yet. So I thought they would delay the release until the season was over? Wrong!!! I already knew they weren't going to put much effort into my career mode or anything else. Expect for the neighborhood and park. But my career and my team are my two favorite modes. In fact, there wasn't even a trailer released for my career mode. I already know that after you finish the story and start playing in a real NBA game. There isn't much else to do in that mode but grind it out in order to make your player better. You can do what everyone else does or what the game wants to do. Which is spend money on VC in order to get better. What 2k did was make small minor adjustments. Instead of creating new modes or having new commentary for play by play. They decided to "adjust" the shooting in the game. Like shooting was a problem in the first place. I've seen other people review for this game. The people who review this game either never played an NBA 2K game before or have little interest in playing sports games at all. Sites like Forbes or IGN will give this game a 7 or 8. I would say hold off on buying this game until 2122 comes out. The only other thing that I can say is that the next gen of this game better be worth it.… Expand
  22. Biglala
    Sep 7, 2020
    0
    Games straight garbage only bought because i got 2k20 free thought it would be decent cant make open buckets even 3 feet from the rim terrible game first and last 2k game i purchase
  23. Jnelrod
    Sep 7, 2020
    0
    This game is terrible. Myplayer has a 73 mid range and 70 3 pointer yet he couldn’t throw a rock in the ocean. MyCareer shooting is fine but when I get into competitive modes it may be easier to do quantum physics then make a jumpshot. This game has been the worst experience I’ve ever had playing a video game.
  24. Tylernoll
    Sep 7, 2020
    0
    Christ, I bought this game 5 years ago. The amount of greed from this game is just **** disgusting, especially marketing towards kids without explicit warnings. **** off 2k. Also using a deadbolt man to sell more copies is **** despicable
  25. Jayk12TTW
    Sep 7, 2020
    0
    Same game since 2k18, absolutely no changes for the best, the only thing that changes smh is how much worse it becomes year by year. Good job Ronnie, suck a big D.
  26. DropDeadShotty
    Sep 7, 2020
    0
    Ronnie, bro, stop giving people the same game every year. Time for the community to speak up about how much of a fraud you are my man. Take that zero for giving us a copy-paste game.
  27. AngryRebel
    Sep 5, 2020
    0
    Trash... If u wanna spend over 300 bucks to play a game that has Crap gameplay then this is the Game for u.. Game is built to take your money. Save your money please, Dont be fooled by the other positive reviews and 2K saying they are working on a Fix. They knew it was broke when they released it
  28. smoovelai
    Sep 7, 2020
    4
    Very dissatisfied and disappointed.

    Would not recommend for the first time in this series existence.
  29. ungallegomas
    Sep 7, 2020
    0
    Not funny. Worst game ever.
    If they don't make 3p easier i sell it.
    Mike Wang, wtf man
  30. sullyliam
    Sep 7, 2020
    1
    mycareer is ruined with this edition. Influenced too much by park. Can't hit a jumpshot without high attributes and badges. Trying to force you to buy vc just so you can hit a 3. Somehow made the nba but can't hit a 3. Ruined the rpg element of mycareer.
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Awards & Rankings

24
#24 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 50 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 37 out of 50
  3. Negative: 0 out of 50
  1. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Nov 15, 2020
    70
    It loses a point because of its Virtual Currency (VC) obsession, a recurringissue in 2K games. It’s supposed to ensure that all your actions in every mode – career, MyTeam, even watching 2KTV – secure rewards, but they’re often someagre that the entire game comes across as a grind, aimed at funnelling you towards the PS Store to part with real cash.Please don’t do that. The only way games like this and FIFA will change in the next gen is if their players make a sustainedeffort not to exchange any of their hard-earned dosh for digital trading cards. Otherwise this is solid, but on that front 2K (and EA, and the rest) must do better. [Issue#181, p.94]
  2. GamingBolt
    Oct 31, 2020
    60
    NBA 2K21 makes welcome improvements to its MyCareer and MyTeam modes, but the frustratingly inconsistent new shooting system and lack of changes elsewhere make it feel like it’s lost its step over other sports games.
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  3. Games.cz
    Oct 23, 2020
    70
    On the court, this is a brilliant basketball game that doesn’t change much. Why would it when it’s not really necessary? The microtransactions, however, are more annoying than Houston’s playstyle.
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