14 DAY TRIAL // 
The NBA 2K20 basketball sim from 2K arrived this year with some improvements and a host of new issues that troubled the community. It turns out that people love to play basketball, but hate microtransactions with a passion. Who knew?
Basketball is one of the most exciting sports, and the NBA is the most exciting league, at least in terms of showmanship. Along with the NHL, NFL, and MLB, the NBA is one of the most-watched sports in the world. Having a game that emulates reality seems like the obvious choice.
The problem with sports sims is that they are never even close to reality, but, for the most part, they are good enough. They provide users with a way to experience what's it like to be an athlete, competing at that level. Of course, it also feels nice to crush your friend in matches.
As you can expect, all of the above sports and many others have their own sim, and that includes basketball. For the longest time, the NBA 2K series has been the go-to franchise if you wanted to play, along with the EA's NBA Live. The two franchises are in direct competition, and they should force improvements, but that's not always the case.
The gaming industry has seen a shift in the past few years, with the implementation of microtransactions. Long story short, companies want to make money after they've sold you the game, and that's one of the ways to do it. Most players won't enjoy it, but the few people that actually spend money on microtransactions are keeping them alive.
Story
NBA 2K20 returns with a story mode, called When the Lights Are Brightest, which is a significant improvement over the previous iteration, although it could have been better. To be fair, the story mode is a collaboration with SpringHill Entertainment, a company that works on a number of projects for Warner Bros, and which has James Lebron as a co-founder.
They even employed the help of famous actors, such as Idris Elba and Rosario Dawson, which are big names in Hollywood. It turned out to be much better than people expected, and the characters are relatable and the story interesting. In fact, we can say that it's one of the strong points for NBA 2K20, even if it takes a long time to finish the storyline.
Players will get to experience the rise of a star, starting with a simple kid named Che. He just wants to play, but he's about to become embroiled in a life for which he's not ready. People are trying to take advantage of his talent, and few people have his interest at heart.
The only way to get him to succeed is to play with Che and improve his talents. It takes a long time, but the journey is worthwhile. It also serves as an excellent introduction to the game, if you've never played any of the previous iterations.
Gameplay and graphics
One of the common complaints is that the game doesn't seem to evolve all that much from one year to the next, but that's only partly true. The game is very similar to NBA 2K19, there's no doubt about that, but if we were to compare with even older games, from two or three years ago, we'd notice some significant discrepancies.
Reinventing the wheel with each new edition sounds good, but it would be technically impossible. And companies don't like to drop a successful recipe, preferring to improve it slightly, from one iteration to another.
The same is true for NBA 2K20, which has a refined ball control system, with much more natural moves, more convincing dribbles, and a more natural feel. It might not be evident from the start, but the changes are there and improve upon the gameplay significantly.
Granted, there's still room for improvement. We can still see choppy animations, uneven transitions from one animation to another, and the biggest issue of them all; sometimes, the characters feel like they are floating and not making real contact with the floor.
Another positive aspect is the redefinition of the sprint, a resource that's now much more difficult to manage. We used to keep that trigger pressed all the time, but in NBA 2K20 that's no longer a viable strategy. Like everything else, players need to choose the right time to spring and to use that as a weapon.
Lastly, we have to mention the implementation of WNBA, which is a first for the series. Women sports are really making a difference in many of the sports sims, and it's great to be able to play with teams and strategies that are different from what we usually get to experience.
Unfortunately, this is where the positive aspects seem to stop. The CPU-controlled teams make a ton of mistakes that shouldn't happen. Not that it's bad that it makes mistakes, just that the errors are childish, like not recognizing the correct size of the field and dribbling outside.
And the cherry on top, in a bad way, is the implementation of microtransactions, which is like poison to almost every aspect of the game. The options to buy stuff to advance quicker in My Team, for example, are present at every step. It's almost as bad as playing a mobile game, only that you've already paid $50.
The pushback wouldn't have been so drastic if they kept microtransactions for cosmetic items, but 2K seems intent on repeating all of Electronic Art's mistakes and perhaps make a few new ones on the way.
I can't stress enough just how much the microtransactions are dragging the game down. A game that otherwise would have been an excellent addition to the franchise. If I were a betting man, I would say that NBA 2K21 is going to be very different in this regard.
As for the graphics, NBA 2K20 rises to the expectations. I played the game on PC, where it looks and feels great. The character models are very well implemented and look really lifelike. It might not seem all that important in the heat of a match, but it adds to the overall experience.
I also need to mention the commentary, especially its richness. Everything flows, and the banter is excellent, leaving the impression of a real conversation, even when exciting things are happening in the match.
The Good
- Excellent ball control
- Exciting matches
- WNBA implementation
- Worth-playing story mode
The Bad
- Microtransactions at every step
- The AI makes stupid mistakes
- Some problems with animations
Conclusion
What makes it worse, is that there's literally a roulette wheel implemented, which only underlines what 2K had in mind. It's a shame, become the highlight of the NBA 2K20, like the addition of the WNBA, the improved ball control, and the multitude of other smaller changes are buried under a pile of microtransactions that make people wonder what they are actually playing.
The only mode that seems to have escaped, somewhat, the microtransactions plague, is the story, which is almost good enough to keep the game upright by itself. But it's almost good enough.
