NBA 2K18

 Xbox One
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
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  1. MondoXbox
    Sep 20, 2017
    97
    Visual Concepts managed to improve an already perfect game, adding a new captivating free roaming mode and further improving animations, players character and gameplay. A must-have not just for NBA fans, but for any sports games lover.
  2. XGN
    Sep 23, 2017
    95
    NBA 2K18 is a beautiful sports game. The Neighbourhood lets you feel, live and experience basketball and an NBA career. The body-scans allow for much more realism and the new layup and shot system works well. MyTeam is a also true blessing.
  3. Generación Xbox
    Sep 22, 2017
    95
    NBA 2K18 returns to be the star of the sports games. The effort of Visual Concepts continues to surpass year after year is evident in this release to recreate the entire NBA perfectly, with The Neighborhood as a great novelty and a lot of content and game modes with which you will have endless hours of entertainment. All this with a spectacular graphical aspect.
  5. Game Informer
    Sep 20, 2017
    90
    Not all the shots NBA 2K18 takes are swishes, but its shooting percentage is high enough to once again recommend you step on the hardcourt. The deep MyGM, MyCareer, and MyTeam modes offer hundreds of hours of compelling play, and the on-court action is once again stellar. Once the servers stabilize and Visual Concepts patches in some easily correctible fixes, NBA 2K18 should once again be in pole position for sports game of the year.
  6. SomosXbox
    Sep 19, 2017
    90
    NBA 2K18 is the best basketball game ever, with many possibilities for all NBA fans. This year the game includes huge changes with My Career and My GM modes, and you can spend plenty of hours playing these two modes. Of course, we see changes on the gameplay front, and new options like the All Time Teams.
  7. Trusted Reviews
    Sep 18, 2017
    90
    NBA 2K18 is very likely the best basketball game ever made and a template in how to approach a sports sim on nearly every level.
  8. Sporting News
    Sep 18, 2017
    90
    NBA 2K18 shines in the areas that matter most to basketball fanatics, through excellent gameplay and presentation, a variety of modes all with considerable depth and its celebration of the league's history.
  9. Xbox Achievements
    Sep 25, 2017
    85
    NBA 2K18 is yet another astonishingly good basketball game that delivers on the hardwood and in the suite of inviting modes on offer. Resist the urge to shell out for Virtual Currency and you'll be fine. Just focus on the great game at NBA 2K18's core, because it really is at its best this year.
  10. XboxAddict
    Oct 18, 2017
    82
    There is some hits and misses in NBA 2K18 with some amazing graphics, stellar controls and a decent online experience that holds the core of the game together. However, there needs to be some work done in the custom experiences along with some coaching for the sportscasters to sound a lot more realistic and sincere rather than reading from a script. In the end though the core gameplay experience is superb and I can see why this series has been the go-to basketball game for quite sometime. NBA 2K18 will no doubt entertain and delight basketball fans and sports fans alike.
  11. 4P.de
    Oct 18, 2017
    81
    Visual Concepts has to be very careful not to overdo it. And I am not talking about the almost flawless mechanics that haven’t changed over the last few years or the modes that have been only marginally tweaked. With all its mechanical brilliance it is a pity that this years’ prime basketball game is merely a vehicle for an abundance of microtransactions that are borderline pay-to-win.
  12. TheXboxHub
    Nov 9, 2017
    80
    NBA 2K18 succeeds in delivering truly addictive gameplay that is pretty easy to pick up for newcomers, while long-time players will enjoy mastering the advanced techniques.
  13. GameSpot
    Sep 28, 2017
    80
    This year's entry is incredible in so many ways, from graphics, to soundtrack, to the different modes and ways to play hoops. It becomes clear early on that the fastest and easiest way to progress is by spending real money, slightly marring an otherwise tremendous experience.
  14. New York Daily News
    Sep 25, 2017
    80
    More than any sports video game before it, this title makes you ponder a sport as you’re playing the game, makes your mind kick into overdrive as you debate slices of basketball.
  15. Attack of the Fanboy
    Sep 19, 2017
    80
    2K Sports is getting absolutely brazen with their community, testing the limits of what they'll put up with in terms of microtransactions in 2K18. Thankfully it doesn't persist into every mode, because there's a lot of good ones to compliment the excellent gameplay and presentation.
  16. Digitally Downloaded
    Sep 21, 2017
    70
    A handful of technical hiccups mixed with an aggressive monetisation strategy could very well leave a questionable taste in peoples' mouths.
  17. EGM
    Sep 19, 2017
    65
    Maybe NBA 2K18 has been the king of the court for too long and now it’s getting bored. Instead of improving gameplay, it’s figuring out more ways to make money through MyCareer and MyTeam. It’s new Neighborhood functions as a metaphor for the entire game itself, in that it seems like a big addition to the game but you quickly realize it’s pretty much just an empty shopping mall and a distraction from the actual game.

Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Best Xbox One Game of 2017
23
#23 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2017
25
#25 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2017

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
1.8

Overwhelming dislike- based on 191 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 191
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 191
  3. Negative: 155 out of 191
  1. Vstyle
    Sep 15, 2017
    0
    2K has ruined the series with VC (virtual currency) greed. Hey want you to buy more in-game currency so the lessened the amount you can earn2K has ruined the series with VC (virtual currency) greed. Hey want you to buy more in-game currency so the lessened the amount you can earn and started charging for idiotic things, like unlocking hairstyles. Absolutely unacceptable to utilize a microtransaction model like this in a full-priced game. Make it free to play if that's the model you want to use.… Full Review »
  2. jay_caspian
    Nov 3, 2017
    4
    The game is flawed inside and out. The game hinders itself by making every little choice a micro transaction. They reduced how much virtualThe game is flawed inside and out. The game hinders itself by making every little choice a micro transaction. They reduced how much virtual currency you earn in games significantly, and raised the cost of every attribute. Trying to play the game without spending $20 on virtual currency is impossible since they built it into the fundamentals of the game.

    Apart from this, they took away features from las year. You can't play MyCareer without having Xbox Live Gold, MyGM does not have the league expansion feature we had last year, And MyCareer's story is not only embarrassingly pathetic, but you cannot exit out of cut scenes, most of which are 3-10 minutes long (note: there are cut scenes before/after almost every game your rookie year). I couldn't possibly be more disappointed.

    Also, beware of the other reviews out there marking it a 10/10. Some are obviously paid reviews from people who don't speak English and don't actually play the game.

    Edit from original review:

    The game is still terribly flawed from microtransactions with little being done from 2K’s position to indicate that they care at all about user complaints. The inability to skip the poorly-written storyline is another frustrating feature, however after your rookie year, most cut scenes seem to disappear. However bad the storyline is in MyCareer, it's fantastic in comparison to MyGM's storyline that is embarrassingly bad. (Spoiler: Your decisions don't matter because the boss and his son will do whatever they want anyway and overrule your decision). MyGM, something I usually replay every year at least two or three times, is unplayable.

    MyLeague is by far the best and most complete mode. The customizations for new teams and league option changes continue to solidify it as the best single mode of any sports game, period. The AI for other GMs is pretty interesting and nothing out of this world has over-taken any team, as was a problem in previous iterations.    … Full Review »
  3. jrswifty23
    Sep 18, 2017
    0
    The game is broken. I bought the legend edition which comes with 100k vc and other in game items. After playing the mycareer for a littleThe game is broken. I bought the legend edition which comes with 100k vc and other in game items. After playing the mycareer for a little while they deleted my player and all of the vc was lost. This is in game currency in which I spent my money on, and now is wasted. It's bad enough that 2K is immensely greedy with these micro transactions, but now you cant even use what you paid for without the servers causing issues. This is unacceptable and we should not let these companies get away with these terrible business practices.… Full Review »
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