Please note that as I write this NBA 2K22 has only been out a short while so these are my early thoughts on the game. I thought that NBA 2K21 was a decent entry in the series, but I would also say that four or five games could be called that too. 2K and Visual Concepts are at a point where they do not have many places left to go when it comes to the world of virtual basketball.
How to Download NBA 2K22
To download the game for PC or your console, click on the Download button at the end of the review.
The Game Review
The most noteworthy thing that has happened to NBA 2K22 on the court is the new stamina system. Games are played at a much slower pace as running and special moves use stamina which affects your shooting. You have a shooting meter and the less stamina you have the smaller it is, making it harder to shoot.
The days of playing as someone like Steph Curry or Klay Thompson and sprinting up the court and then hitting a 3 each time you have possession of the ball are gone. It may sound like this would take some of the fun out of the game, but I liked it. If you play smart and move the ball around, your shooting meter will be large and in theory easier for you to nail a shot.
I have to talk about MyTeam, you know the mode where you try and build your dream team of NBA players from the past and present. In theory, I have always loved the idea of this, but it is a mode that is tailored to those that are willing to spend a lot of money. The same rings true for MyCareer as well!
The main mode that interests me each year is MyGM. Each year and NBA 2K22 is no different, I try to build the Bulls from the ground up and make them champions again. I love the management aspect here just as much as the on-the-court stuff and it is a mode that I wish Visual Concepts would give more attention to. Still, what I have played here so far is as good, if not better than it has ever been.
MyPlayer is very well done this year and once you have created your player you have this large city to run around in. You can hit the gym, play on your skateboard, try and build your brand, start a record label, oh and also play the odd game of basketball if you want to. The story here is far better than it has any right to be too and I can see myself spending a great deal of time in this mode.
I played NBA 2K22 on the PlayStation 5 and it looks great, to be fair since the series started on the Dreamcast it has been a visual powerhouse. From the realistic-looking sweat, incredible player likenesses, and TV-style presentation it is amazing how good this game looks. The play-by-play is great at first, but I will wager after a few weeks I will be sick of hearing the same lines over and over again.
If you liked the past NBA 2K games you will like NBA 2K22. It is not amazing or a huge leap forward for the series, but it is once again the best basketball game in town. It is easy to say it is the same thing each year, but to be fair to Visual Concepts, they perfected this formula many, many years ago so it is getting harder and harder to make meaningful innovations to the world of basketball video games.
