NBA 2K18: Innovation comes at a price
![NBA 2K18: Innovation comes at a price](https://www.thea-blast.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/header.jpg)
NBA2K serves as basketball fan’s way to escape reality from not only reality, but from their respective NBA team. One of the ways you can escape is by playing “MyCareer.” The game mode allows you to immerse yourself into the harsh journey of becoming an NBA player and working hard to become the league’s top player and create a legend of an NBA career.
“ProAm,” an eSports competitive game mode, where you can make a team of up to 10 with you and your friends and take on some of the best in the world. “MyPark” is more casual, where you can team up with some friends on the fly and take people head on in 2v2, 3v3, or 5v5. Or even go 1v1 with a friend to see who the better 2K player is.
Though, In 2K18, “MyCareer,” “ProAm,” and “MyPark” where combined to make “The Neighborhood,” a social-like hub, comparable to Activision’s Destiny. It allows you to build your player your way, and grow him in more entertaining way.
There’s also some mini-games if you go down to the “2K Zone” in “The Neighborhood” like trivia and an arcade hoops game. You can really personalize your player.It all sounds great and ingenious until you see the price: 1,500 VC for a basic pair of Nike shoes? In other words, $1.16 for virtual shoes?
2K has decided to implement micro transactions into about everything in the game: clothes, tattoos, shoes, haircuts, and the development of your player. You can play to earn VC, but it’s not enough. 2K practically puts sanctions on you to go into your pockets, and give them $3.49 for 5,000 VC, and even that won’t give you a nice outfit for a virtual player. A virtual. Player.
The graphics are polished from 2K17, though they did implement new AI, making the computer more difficult on defense, forcing you to make a more educated play. The gameplay is somewhat improved, once again polished, to add a little more realism into 2K. There’s been some bugs with 2K, the main ones are the inability to save your MyPlayer, and one where it wipes your MyPlayer’s saved data, bought VC, and in-game items. As expected, a large amount of 2K players have complained heavily to 2K. 2K has already released a patch to battle this bug. Then you have the online servers… Never change, 2K. Never change. All in all, 2K took a few steps forward with the introduction of “The Neighborhood”, creating this new, awesome, more social environment for its players though also took a couple steps back with the force feeding of micro transactions into the game, the awful data-wiping bugs, and unimproved online serves.
Rating 7.6/10
![Photo of Noe Gonzalez](https://www.thea-blast.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/20170831_091840-475x397.jpg)
Senior TJ Gonzalez, is a 1st year A-Blast staff member in sports and entertainment, also a videographer/vlogger and enjoys dabbing a little in politics....