NBA2K18 ups the realism, but not for the faint of heart

NBA2K18 came out for pre-release Friday and offers basketball fans an immersive experience. More than anything, it offers them a real basketball simulation.

NBA fans around the world got their first taste of the NBA season this weekend with the release of NBA2K18 on pre-order Friday. The game is available for sale to the general public beginning Tuesday, Sept. 19.

The game has gained a cultural zeitgeist, delighting fans as much as it delights actual NBA players. NBA2K has consistently rated as the best sports game every year. And fans find something new in it every year — whether it is the continually evolving MyPlayer story mode, the immense online multiplayer modes including MyTeam or the traditional gameplay of MyGM. NBA2K never disappoints.

And that is true of the 2018 version, NBA2K18. This game has taken some big improvements from 2K17 in some key ways, it just takes some getting used to for long-time players.

NBA2K18 is the most realistic basketball game I have ever played.

Everything down to the pacing of the game — yes, I am the guy who plays 48-minute MyGM games and my scores and stat lines come out surprisingly normal (maybe I am terrible at the game — read: I am terrible at the game) — feels so much more realistic. It is a true basketball experience.

This pacing could certainly frustrate new gamers or players who are picking up a basketball game for the first time. All of your video game instincts tell you to run, run, run and try to jack up 3-pointers and score as much as possible. This game does not reward that. Almost to a frustrating level. It takes patience and execution to win in this game.

Playing this game requires a bit of rewiring of expectations.

But that is the depth of the realism in this game. The developers put a lot of focus on player fit and coaching styles into the game. This is seen most in the MyGM mode and MyTeam mode where the kind of coach you have, along with the players you put together on the floor, can have a massive effect on the floor. It forces the player to recognize this and hew to that style — or create one that fits their playing style better.

Orlando Magic

Additionally, the game added more “player chatter” so game players can hear defensive communication, down to receiving messages from teammates on how to defend pick and rolls. This is part of a general defensive overhaul in the game. Defense is much easier to manage and play in this game overall than previous versions. There are fewer spacing moves players can use to warp the defense and create open lanes. The AI is much more responsive in help side.

This creates a much more detailed and richer basketball experience for hardcore fans. A little bit of basketball knowledge would help a player immensely get the most from this game playing experience. New gamers may have a hard time adjusting to all this detail, especially if they want to play at a breakneck pace.

Trying that will lead to some level of frustration. The chances of fast breaks are limited in this game, just like they would be in real life. This game instead values a player’s ability to create off the dribble, to manage pick and rolls, to create space and to dish the ball to the perimeter.

It is a much more challenging game to play in that sense. It rewards better basketball play. Of course, having better players help — thank you, blue Kyrie Irving pre-order card.

There are the usual bugs that come with every NBA game. The computer does not like running a lot of motion-based offenses and sometimes stops short on cuts when there is a clear path to the basket. Rebounding is also a bit tricky — a really strong offensive rebounder is going to cause a lot of havoc for teams, especially if you struggle defensively on the perimeter.

And, maybe most frustratingly, but also most realistically, players sometimes do not catch the ball cleanly, bobbling it and taking the player out of position. It is harder to get cheap run-ahead dunks as the computer sets its defense.

Again, that is the level of realism they added into this game.

From a gameplay standpoint, the new shot stick takes some getting used to for long time players. The shot meter for timing in previous games was at the player’s feet. Now the shot meter appears above a player’s head once you begin the shot motion.

The game also requires adept stickhandling too. In previous versions, just holding the right thumbstick would start a layup animation. Now, players have to direct the positional thumbstick toward the basket to begin the layup animation.

And around the basket scoring is a bit harder. Post moves, a dying but necessary art even in video games, do not generate a shot stick. So it is difficult to get the timing right on hook shots and other post moves over the defense. It sometimes feels like the player is relying on luck when shooting in the post sometimes.

All this comes with the caveat that I need to get much better at the game (although I have been surprisingly effective in multiplayer modes after struggling at worse than .500 in 2K17).

That is the other thing that is so rich about NBA2K18. There is so much to explore. It will be hard to experience everything the game has to offer.

I have not even touched the ever-popular MyPlayer mode or gone into its open-world The Neighborhood. The storyline for the MyPlayer mode seems much richer and deeper than even previous versions. The Neighborhood is a massive expansion of the multiplayer world.

The same could be said for the MyGM mode, which has its own narrative story for the first time. This traditional game mode has a lot more depth to it with the interaction between GM, staff, owner, coach and players than ever before. At this early point, I am only scratching the surface.

And that gets me probably to the point everyone wants: How do the Orlando Magic look in this game?

I have to say, the Magic are not a terrible team to play with. But there is definitely the usual frustrations of playing with them. Good luck trying to break down anyone off the dribble or shooting a high percentage. Like the real Magic, I have gone through spurts where I score a lot with the team and spurts where I cannot score at all with them.

Realism is the key here. And the Magic are very realistic in that sense. Aaron Gordon fits into the gaps and can work around most of the bigger power forward — and his dunks are fun. Nikola Vucevic has a reliable jumper and then that iffy post game. They could use some higher rated players. But that is part of the challenge, right?

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NBA2K may have skimped on a few details — the Amway Center lighting is a bit off (something they can correct with the shading on the parquet court) and the Twitter handle on the court is still @orlando_magic instead of @orlandomagic — but the gameplay and style for the Magic fits the real team well.

Playing as Orlando takes a lot of patience and precision. But that is what you expect when playing as the 23rd best team in the game and the 28th best offense in the game.

As for the team everyone could not wait to play — the all-time Magic. Yes, Tracy McGrady is incredibly fun to play as. The starting lineup is amazing as advertised. There are some details to work out there too. Darrell Armstrong is left-handed for some reason. But the team is a blast to play as. And MyTeam adds more great historical Magic players to the mix.

Overall, NBA2K18 will give a basketball fan everything they could hope for in a video game. The depth of the game and the amount there is for a player to explore is immense.

But what stands out about NBA2K18 more than any previous version of the game is just how real it feels. It looks and feels like a real basketball game, down to the very pacing of the game and the playbook the players use. That could frustrate some fans just looking to have a good time and play a fast-paced, score-heavy game.

Next: 2018 Orlando Magic Player Outlook: Evan Fournier

For true basketball fans looking for a real basketball simulation experience, it is heaven.