NBA 2K18

 Switch
User Score
4.3

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 180 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 180
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 180
  3. Negative: 98 out of 180
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  1. lifeofbrian
    Sep 17, 2017
    3
    I don't know how anyone can call this an excellent port. There are serious framerate issues in the games cutscenes, to the point where MyCareer is extremely tedious to play through (since the cutscenes cannot be skipped). You basically end up with cutscenes where the audio is about 10 seconds ahead of the video by the time they are done.

    Wait to pick up this game in a few months. Its    I don't know how anyone can call this an excellent port. There are serious framerate issues in the games cutscenes, to the point where MyCareer is extremely tedious to play through (since the cutscenes cannot be skipped). You basically end up with cutscenes where the audio is about 10 seconds ahead of the video by the time they are done.

    Wait to pick up this game in a few months. Its clear its not ready in its current state.    … Expand
  2. tbv121
    Sep 26, 2017
    4
    Pros

    At least it looks nice. TV like presentation on a handheld is unmatched. Cons Input lag even in offline mode (almost half a second!) Good luck defending and timing your shots... Cutscenes and voices don't sync in handheld mode, cutscene audio crackles like popcorn when docked. Career mode with cutscenes not available offline. Save Data corruption bug?! VC, VC,    Pros

    At least it looks nice.

    TV like presentation on a handheld is unmatched.

    Cons
    Input lag even in offline mode (almost half a second!) Good luck defending and timing your shots...

    Cutscenes and voices don't sync in handheld mode, cutscene audio crackles like popcorn when docked.

    Career mode with cutscenes not available offline.

    Save Data corruption bug?!

    VC, VC, VC, VC, VC, VC (you need VC to even wipe your @$$).

    5GB save file as big as Mario Odyssey.

    Netcode designed by half a monkey ensures a nice delay. Pair that with the local input delay and you just might throw your system off the tallest building in your area.

    Occasionally disappearing buildings give Houdini a run for his money.

    If all the above issues don't bother you, then this game just might be for you.

    Otherwise, avoid this like the plague, or a crazy ex if you have one :)    … Expand
  3. zootrop
    Sep 19, 2017
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really do not liked this port, it looks like a poor limited version of the game. Playng on the go is limited to battery life, i really would like to play more… Expand
  4. Nihelus
    Sep 26, 2017
    0
    Microtransactions ruin the career mode. The predatory way they were implemented is disgusting. Look up the review on Kotaku for a fairly complete list of how they try to force you to give them more money. Do not buy this game. 2K has lost my faith completely and unless they change I will not be giving this company another cent.

    On top of that, the install size for the game is    Microtransactions ruin the career mode. The predatory way they were implemented is disgusting. Look up the review on Kotaku for a fairly complete list of how they try to force you to give them more money. Do not buy this game. 2K has lost my faith completely and unless they change I will not be giving this company another cent.

    On top of that, the install size for the game is literally too big for anyone who hasn't bought a bigger memory stick. Even if you have, the save file is somehow over 5gb in size, and you can only save that to the primary drive.    … Expand
  5. jwalker55
    Oct 8, 2017
    0
    - Microtransactions are outrageous and destroy the fun.
    - Your player starts out barely being able to make a layup, but somehow is able to be signed by an NBA team. But then, you also can barely afford a haircut. Makes total sense.
    - Cutscenes are unbearable. When you're just starting your career, be prepared to sit down like you're watching a movie. And then, in some of the cutscenes,    - Microtransactions are outrageous and destroy the fun.
    - Your player starts out barely being able to make a layup, but somehow is able to be signed by an NBA team. But then, you also can barely afford a haircut. Makes total sense.
    - Cutscenes are unbearable. When you're just starting your career, be prepared to sit down like you're watching a movie. And then, in some of the cutscenes, the audio goes out of sync and you sit there in silence just staring at your characters.
    - Input lag is atrocious. I haven't played this game on any other platform to compare, so I don't know if it's true input lag or just a lack of responsiveness because of the animations, but it makes you feel entirely disconnected from the game.

    Don't buy this trash.    … Expand
  6. Gurubuzu
    Sep 21, 2017
    2
    Esta saga deja mucho que desear, tiene mucho nombre, pero no es nada merecido. sera porque no hay alternativa.. El modo mi carrera es pésimo, en cada partido hay una cinematica al inicio y final, y no hay posibilidad de saltarla. podria pasar si fueran buenas, pero son malas y una clara perdida de tiempo. al inicio juegas poco tiempo porque las estadísticas són muy bajas, perfectamenteEsta saga deja mucho que desear, tiene mucho nombre, pero no es nada merecido. sera porque no hay alternativa.. El modo mi carrera es pésimo, en cada partido hay una cinematica al inicio y final, y no hay posibilidad de saltarla. podria pasar si fueran buenas, pero son malas y una clara perdida de tiempo. al inicio juegas poco tiempo porque las estadísticas són muy bajas, perfectamente puedes jugar 1 minutos y tener 5 de cinematica / perdida de tiempo por partido. pesimo… Expand
  7. Gio2017
    Sep 26, 2017
    1
    The reason this got a one is because of the portability. Shooting in this game is pure garbage. Look it up on youtube and you'll see multiple people complain on this issue. Their attempt to make this game realistic have failed tremendously. How many NBA centers can make a 3 pointer? In this game if there open its automatically going in but if you try to make a 3 pointer with steph curry heThe reason this got a one is because of the portability. Shooting in this game is pure garbage. Look it up on youtube and you'll see multiple people complain on this issue. Their attempt to make this game realistic have failed tremendously. How many NBA centers can make a 3 pointer? In this game if there open its automatically going in but if you try to make a 3 pointer with steph curry he doesn't even make 30% of his shots. Lay ups are terrible, it still incorparates the shot meter but for some dumb reason they do not display the shot meter. Since when has the NY Knicks blown out the Golden State Warriors in real life? Because in this NBA "Simulation" it is constantly happening. Congratulations to 2K games for sucking the fun out of their Basketball title. This game is Trash #SteerClear #Worst$65I'veEverSpent… Expand
  8. music_is_
    Sep 19, 2017
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This port is so glitch, few online player and have worse visual compared to other plataforms. Playing during travel could be nice, but the battery life avoids me playing more. Very upset… Expand
  9. theNivda
    Sep 20, 2017
    1
    One of the worst ports I've ever played. It seems like they didn't make any adjustments to make it work for the switch platform.
    The game suffers from amazingly long loading times. Horrible frame rate, especially in the cutscenes during myCareer mode which you can not skip (it is so bad, that the audio loses sync from the video after 5 seconds and then you have to watch 10 minutes of    One of the worst ports I've ever played. It seems like they didn't make any adjustments to make it work for the switch platform.
    The game suffers from amazingly long loading times. Horrible frame rate, especially in the cutscenes during myCareer mode which you can not skip (it is so bad, that the audio loses sync from the video after 5 seconds and then you have to watch 10 minutes of slow-motion cutscene without sound). If you decide to put the switch into sleep mode when in-game when you log back in, the game kicks you out from the mode you were in, because it can't connect back to the server (and in many times you have to watch the last cutscene you watched all over again). Tons of connection problems when you try to play against another player.

    The only good thing is when you finally manage to enter a game (after a lot of frustrations and rage quits during the loading times and cutscenes), it plays pretty well (other than the lock for 30 fps which is pretty big in a sports game).

    Overall, if you have a ps4 or an Xbox, don't buy the switch version or at least wait a couple of months that they'll hopefully update the game.    … Expand
  10. Tenacidad963
    Oct 13, 2017
    0
    Es un abuso de las empresas poner micropagos para todo. Se fijan en los usuarios que no se informan por x motivos que aun son miles. El próximo juego vendrá con otra aberración más.

    In English:
    It is an abuse of companies to put micropayments for everything. They focus on users who are not informed by x reasons that are still thousands. The next game will come with another aberration.
  11. westkent
    Sep 22, 2017
    0
    When I payed for a full priced triple A game, I did not expect to be hit with the fact the game has more micro transactions than my mobile games, to add insult to injury, 2K is removing tons of fair reviews of the game to try and boost up their metacritic review. Its really a shame as the gameplay was fun and I would have loved a portable sports game. Buying this game at the current stateWhen I payed for a full priced triple A game, I did not expect to be hit with the fact the game has more micro transactions than my mobile games, to add insult to injury, 2K is removing tons of fair reviews of the game to try and boost up their metacritic review. Its really a shame as the gameplay was fun and I would have loved a portable sports game. Buying this game at the current state is agreeing to the shadiest business practice in a long time, if you are truly a fan of NBA2K and games in general, DO NOT BUY THIS GAME or this will be what NBA2K looks like many years down the road.… Expand
  12. derekn210
    Sep 19, 2017
    1
    This is the absolute worst game I have ever played. The graphics look like NBA 2k10. The game plays like NBA Live 2001. The game modes are too confusing and it feels like a maze trying to navigate through it. I hate everything about this game. I wish I had my $60 back so I could get it for PS4 and at least enjoy it a little more.
  13. stingrayBR
    Sep 19, 2017
    0
    Definitely, the size is the main issue about this game. Switch will suffer during all its life cycle because of storage. The looks ok (not better than xone S or PS4 pro version).
  14. supermariodude
    Sep 19, 2017
    0
    the day has come. NBA 2K plays great on switch, but size matters... SD cards is now becoming an issue. Others plataforms have hard drive. And Playstation 4 pro version look way better
  15. februaryson
    Sep 17, 2017
    4
    When I first fired this game up I was blown away by the graphics. Super crisp, not fuzzy at all. I fired up the My Career mode first and had a blast....until...THE FPS DIPS, hence my low score. My Career is unplayable unless you like being extremely frustrated. The FPS during cut scenes takes a nose dive and all you're left with is a volumless (oh yeah, the volume disappears too) jankyWhen I first fired this game up I was blown away by the graphics. Super crisp, not fuzzy at all. I fired up the My Career mode first and had a blast....until...THE FPS DIPS, hence my low score. My Career is unplayable unless you like being extremely frustrated. The FPS during cut scenes takes a nose dive and all you're left with is a volumless (oh yeah, the volume disappears too) janky mess. The server failures are also extremely annoying. It seems like they still have tons of bugs to work out on the switch version. I would hold off on buying for now unless you have no intention on playing My Career. As far as i can tell, the rest of the modes are unaffected.… Expand
  16. NichRigga
    Oct 7, 2017
    3
    Everything is wrong with this trash ass game. It's boring asf and not fun to play and everything is so **** expensive. Dribbling is stiff, shooting is ass, missing open layups, game freezes, lagouts. Server's are the **** worst. Most money hungry **** game and worst than nba2k17.
  17. theshazam
    Sep 17, 2017
    2
    Was super excited to play 2k on the switch wherever i wanted to, but the port is rushed and buggy. The first problem with 2k is its size, the download is 22.5 GB! For perspective zelda is less than 8, mario vs rabbids is 1.8, and mario odyssey is only 5.5 GBs. And since nintendo moved up the release date random as hell, good luck finding a physical copy yet. Now the start of the game wasWas super excited to play 2k on the switch wherever i wanted to, but the port is rushed and buggy. The first problem with 2k is its size, the download is 22.5 GB! For perspective zelda is less than 8, mario vs rabbids is 1.8, and mario odyssey is only 5.5 GBs. And since nintendo moved up the release date random as hell, good luck finding a physical copy yet. Now the start of the game was fine, I started myplayer, made my dude, and played through the intro just fine. But about 30 minutes in the cut scenes become unbearable. The animation runs at half speed, while the audio runs regularly, so you're left watching 30 seconds of slow motion silence every cut scene. These are unskippable cut scenes btw. So i went to MyGM, which was pretty fun for the ten or so hours i played it, until i hit a game breaking bug. When the owners son told me about the team moving to Seattle , I chose to lash out, and then got a loading screen of death. Every time i start the save now, i get a loading screen that never ends. I have more criticism of the actual game, which i still enjoy playing, but all the bugs and unplayable single player modes take precedent.… Expand
  18. snydaddy
    Sep 21, 2017
    2
    2/10 score b/c the game has a good soundtrack, other than that there is nothing that I like about this game. First let me start out by saying all in all it is between 28-29 GB of total necessary storage space for this game. A Nintendo Switch only has 32 GB of internal storage, so b/c of this you are required to have an SD card to play this game. My second gripe is that this game locks at2/10 score b/c the game has a good soundtrack, other than that there is nothing that I like about this game. First let me start out by saying all in all it is between 28-29 GB of total necessary storage space for this game. A Nintendo Switch only has 32 GB of internal storage, so b/c of this you are required to have an SD card to play this game. My second gripe is that this game locks at 30 FPS on the Nintendo Switch. This is UNACCEPTABLE for a game released in the year 2017. The low FPS is clearly reflected in the fluidity of game play. This alone makes me never want to play this game again. Hitting the shot meter on time is so difficult at half of a normal framerate. Passing feels slightly delayed and defense is no longer fun to play. Lastly, the greed of 2K studios is pitiful...Microtransactions EVERYWHERE!! Don't even bother playing myCareer if you're not going to spend an extra $100 on their Virtual Currency, as it won't be worth the grind. To merely get your player to an 80 overall rating will take you hundreds and hundreds of hours of grinding, and if you decide to spend your VC on customization, it'll take even longer. Don't bother buying this game, spend your $60 on FIFA as it'll be the first major sports release for Switch that will actually run at 60 FPS.… Expand
  19. picacrazy
    Sep 19, 2017
    0
    The game looks ok, but HDR and better resolution is not the case here. I really prefer visual improvements like xbox one s and pS4 pro do, but nintendo dont
  20. jj72
    Sep 19, 2017
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. oh boy, i really hated this port. Ugly compared to my ps4 version, controls are laggy and the game is preetty glitchy. And I had to buy an SD card just to download the rest of the content… Expand
  21. sukari
    Dec 3, 2017
    0
    Buyer Beware: if you decide to get the Legend Edition you will not get your 20 weekly MyTeam packs. I have an ongoing case and 2K Support is unable to resolve it. So essentially I just paid more money for some in case items and a poster. Keep that in mind if you're going to get that edition! The support staff is terrible too unfortunately.
  22. plantoon
    Jan 18, 2018
    0
    I created an account here just to say how horrible I think this game is. I've been gaming recreationally for 20 years and just felt I had to say something. First, the micro-transactions are appalling. That is the main issue. Add the un-skipable cut scenes and long load times to this, and the game is unplayable. It would take 1000 hours to level up, grinding through 30fps and lagged shotI created an account here just to say how horrible I think this game is. I've been gaming recreationally for 20 years and just felt I had to say something. First, the micro-transactions are appalling. That is the main issue. Add the un-skipable cut scenes and long load times to this, and the game is unplayable. It would take 1000 hours to level up, grinding through 30fps and lagged shot meters. Meanwhile, everything costs "VC" ($$$). Everything. And it's not cheap. This game is literally just a way to fleece consumers. Unless you only want to play with friends in the same room, do not buy this game; it will only irritate you.… Expand
  23. nkcrothers
    Feb 9, 2018
    4
    Looks fine, biggest problem with the game is a slowdown that happens after long plays sessions that lead to game crashing. I don't think it's fps because that shouldn't lead to hard crashes. if it is fps, this game runs at about 5 fps sometimes.
  24. GreenMenace
    Sep 28, 2022
    1
    I keep trying to like 2k basketball games. With the lack of sports games on the Switch (and a 98 percent discount) I really really hoped to like this game.

    It's hard to pass the ball. It's hard to shoot. Games should not be this tacky, be this hard to play, and take up this much space. It takes a TON of gbs to have this game, and it just isn't worth it to even keep it downloaded. I've    I keep trying to like 2k basketball games. With the lack of sports games on the Switch (and a 98 percent discount) I really really hoped to like this game.

    It's hard to pass the ball. It's hard to shoot. Games should not be this tacky, be this hard to play, and take up this much space. It takes a TON of gbs to have this game, and it just isn't worth it to even keep it downloaded. I've tried earlier and later renditions of the game and nope. Just not worth it. I was willing to shell out a couple bucks on a hope for something enjoyable so I suppose it was worth my purchase. But I didn't like a single thing about this game.

    To get me to like 2k in the future, I need smoother, more forgiving controls. I want the game to do a lot of the thinking for me. And I really don't like sports games that have their players standing around. Let my players play basketball    … Expand
  25. Boomahly
    Aug 11, 2023
    1
    No, just no. This game was the start of the fall of the NBA 2K series. Its a shame that they took to this direction. Though I liked the new graphics and new mechanics, but it doesn't justify their action to choose this direction.

Awards & Rankings

87
#87 Best Switch Game of 2017
29
#29 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2017
26
#26 Most Shared Switch Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 15
  3. Negative: 1 out of 15
  1. Switch Player
    Nov 2, 2017
    80
    As part of a wave of sports sims to be hitting the Switch right now, it's once again a great time to be a sports fan who just plays Nintendo systems, like me. Just like FIFA, WWE and the like, NBA's absence has been sorely felt by Nintendo fans, so you ought to go out and add this stellar entry to your shelves.
    Read full review
  2. Cubed3
    Oct 12, 2017
    70
    Teased as a prime title for the demographic aimed at in the Nintendo Switch reveal trailer, NBA 2K18 achieves that goal of serviceable console play in the portable space, but with notable compromises. Questionable micro-transaction placement and downloadable requirements aside, NBA 2K18 is the truly authentic basketball experience, and a strong sign of things to come.
    Read full review
  3. 4P.de
    Oct 12, 2017
    78
    Unlike with FIFA 18 you’ll get an almost complete package with NBA 2K18. Visually of course scaled down and with the “Neighborhood” as well as the story career confined to an online environment, Visual Concepts did their best to port the best basketball game on Nintendo’s hybrid system.
    Read full review
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