NBA 2K22

 Xbox Series X
User Score
4.1

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 51 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 51
  3. Negative: 27 out of 51
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  1. Xbox_Alive
    Sep 14, 2021
    9
    NBA 2K22 is the best title in the series’ history. Big improvements on defense make a difference, and the revamped shot meter is a step up from NBA 2K21. The truth for many years has been that what you get out of an NBA 2K games depends entirely on what you’re looking for. The gameplay remains rock-solid, and a wide variety of modes provide a huge variety of experiences. Many of theNBA 2K22 is the best title in the series’ history. Big improvements on defense make a difference, and the revamped shot meter is a step up from NBA 2K21. The truth for many years has been that what you get out of an NBA 2K games depends entirely on what you’re looking for. The gameplay remains rock-solid, and a wide variety of modes provide a huge variety of experiences. Many of the series’ biggest strengths remain virtually unchanged for years, though, while some new additions feel somewhat terrible. Let’s start with the biggest addition to NBA 2K22. The City is a sandbox that you create a character and work to the top. Playing basketball is a big part of this, with street ball, leagues, and a variety of challenges to help you develop your player into an NBA superstar. There’s just as much to do off the court, though. Grow your personal brand, build your style, get into races; this mode is filled with things to do. Too bad so much of it feels off. The city is definitely big, but getting around this huge place is never fun. Your character moves so slowly, and he gets caught on nearly everything. You can hop on a skateboard, or in time a bicycle, but none of these control all that well. Moving around the city doesn’t have to be the draw, but it shouldn’t feel this awkward when you spend so much time doing it. That’s before getting into the nightmare of branding here. Any sports game is going to feature brands. Things like Nike, Adidas, they’re part of the culture. So playing on the Mountain Dew court or seeing banners in the background are hardly deal-breakers. Do I really need to sit through lectures on the importance of Gatorade or hang out with Jake from State Farm? There’s a line, and The City is over it. Even if The City isn’t for you, there’s still a wide variety of ways to play in NBA 2K22. Many players will jump into My Team, where you collect cards, level them up, and build the best team you can. It’s actually a lot of fun. Trying to go free to play here is awful, with the pace of unlocks horribly balanced. This entire mode is designed to force players to spend real-world money. That’s no big deal in free-to-play games, but when it’s a part of upward of $100 title, I’m a little less inclined to be forgiving. Offline, there’s always single matches, a playoff experience, or the mode which has kept me busy for twenty years: franchise. This allows you to take over a team or group of teams and lead them through the years. This mode hasn’t really changed. There are a few minor tweaks like the ability to remove teams from the league instead of just adding them, but they’re minor. Still, it’s so fully loaded that there’s a ton of fun to be had. You can also jump into a single-player WNBA experience now, which is nice, though it’s pretty bare-bones compared to The City. It focuses on the basketball and removes running around a janky city in slow motion. Once on the court, everything turns around. The team at Visual Concepts has done a fantastic job of building on the game’s already great base. The little things this year feel bigger than in many others, though. The shot meter introduced last year was solid, but I had some difficulty finding the right timing with it. This year’s version does a great job of helping players get a feel for a team full of players and even the defense has seen an overhaul. Perimeter defense feels a lot better now. It feels awesome to silence a crowd and terrible when you just can’t despite your best efforts. Funneling players to your bigs feels natural, and shot-blocking has taken a huge leap. It feels natural, allowing big men with great shot-blocking ability to put their stamp on the game in a way that has been difficult in recent years. AI is also improved. Defenders move together, recovering smoothly. On offense, off-ball movement is the best in the franchise. Finding open shooters after they cut around your pick and roll is awesome. The perfect shot now leads to a little cinematic, which did a nice job of highlighting the moment without taking me too out of the game. Perhaps these are too common, but it’s nice to see a reward for getting my timing right. The rest of the game’s presentation is a mixed bag, though. It looks great on the court with fantastic player models and strong lighting. You really feel the power of the PS5. With everything else looking so good, though, the developers still not quite getting the eyes right stands out, though. Perhaps more importantly, the game’s menu system is a mess. Over the last couple of years, Visual Concepts have worked to streamline what had become a deeply dense menu. There are so many options here that presenting them all in the open can feel a bit overwhelming. Now you’re only shown a limited set of options that look great. The problem is that now it’s almost impossible to find certain features but hands down this is the best version of the franchise to date.
… Expand
  2. Mattyice
    Sep 21, 2021
    9
    I simply don't get the overall hate for this version of NBA 2k22. I skipped out on NBA 2k21 and I got this one to complement my next-gen system, and it's definitely the best playing 2k ever. While the AI defense can be a bit overpowered this year, as well as the pick and roll, the gameplay is fluid, shots FINALLY take openness far more into account than in years past (meaning moreI simply don't get the overall hate for this version of NBA 2k22. I skipped out on NBA 2k21 and I got this one to complement my next-gen system, and it's definitely the best playing 2k ever. While the AI defense can be a bit overpowered this year, as well as the pick and roll, the gameplay is fluid, shots FINALLY take openness far more into account than in years past (meaning more realistic 3 point shooting for once), and the visuals are great. Furthermore, all the modes are loaded with depth (especially franchise mode, which is easily the best of all the sports games), draft mode actually makes me want to play MyTeam for once, and the addition of PA announcers for each team, although a small addition, makes me feel even more connected with the game. I'm not nearly as much of a MyCareer player, so I can't comment on that quite as much, and although microtransactions are still very much prevalent, I don't pay a dime and still have a ton of fun. Overall, NBA 2k22 is a great experience and I'm glad I came back to the franchise after some years of it feeling stale.… Expand
  3. MinePlay512
    Sep 11, 2021
    10
    NBA 2K22 on next gen, is awesome, with new features on the MyNBA mode, and improved gameplay. As well as new features in overall, It's basically one of the best basketball games when on Next Gen.
  4. Patrick26
    Sep 14, 2021
    10
    That's the bar for all sports games. This game is just beautiful. It's basically impossible to try everything that it offers, I think this is the most replayble sports game of all time.
  5. Kevion
    Sep 16, 2021
    10
    NBA 2K22 Finally a better game and now is the best of Xbox One and Xbox Series X.

    Worst Games of Xbox One.
    NBA 2K18, NBA 2K19, NBA 2K20, NBA 2K21 Current Gen. Accept for NBA 2K21 Next Gen was little best but not much because of terrible microtransactions version.
  6. Kobe0824
    Sep 12, 2021
    10
    Great game. Takes a lot of practice to master this years 2k. Anyone giving this game a 0 is totally clueless. Because you don’t take the time to master this game it’s trash? I love this game.

Awards & Rankings

41
#41 Best Xbox Series X Game of 2021
31
#31 Most Discussed Xbox Series X Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. GameCritics
    Nov 22, 2021
    70
    It appears that NBA 2K has finally started to take the “next step” into greater gaming possibilities. Though MyPlayer needs a good amount of tuning and streamlining before reaching the heights of past story modes, it hints at bigger things down the line. But, based solely on the thrilling, beautiful, on-court presentation and gameplay, 2K22 is still a tremendous achievement.
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  2. XboxAddict
    Oct 7, 2021
    75
    NBA 2K22 is probably best entry that the series has seen in many years. On the court everything flows exactly as it should with many improvements from last year. Unfortunately, microtransactions are still rampant everywhere in the game, and to be able to compete online with your created character or in MyTeam you're almost forced to spend money if you actually want to be competitive. If you have skipped the series in the last year or two, it may be time to take a look now. It is not best of all time, but it has taken a very big step in the right by listening suggestions from its players.
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  3. ZTGD
    Oct 5, 2021
    75
    NBA 2K22 has a few things that make this upgrade feel worthy. The new play mechanics are excellent, and it continues to excel on the presentation front. The microtransactions are still super gross and I wish some of the other modes such as Blacktop would get a proper overhaul as they are starting to feel dated. Still being the only NBA game in town it does upgrade nicely. I found myself deleting the old version to play this one, and not being a huge NBA fan that is saying something.
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