NBA 2K25 Review (PS5) – Makes Me Wanna Dribble Dribble…
It’s that time of year again! You know the one, where British game writers have to pretend to have a semblance of an idea of what on earth is going on in video games based on primarily American sports. I’ve already danced with that particular devil in the past year with WWE, and now we’re back once again with NBA 2K25, the latest in a long line of basketball-based simulations built from the ground up to be the most content packed, real to the world recreation of one of the most exciting sports in world entertainment. Now with 25 at the end.
I will once again preface this review by saying no, I don’t follow the NBA in any real way, but damn I do love their video games. It’s one of the sports that makes sense in the video game world (MLB The Show, you just don’t cut it). It’s dense, intelligent and simple all at the same time. Basketball just makes sense and it’s for that reason I choose to indulge into its video game worlds more so than the NFL, NHL etc… It’s also just a bit more shiny, and I love shiny things.
So 2K25, as you can imagine, is full of all the shininess you could ever imagine, spilling gold like an Aztec torture device and deeply indulging itself in the wealth and wonder of the sport. Playing 2K25 made me feel incredibly poor, and that’s not just on the microtransactions, which I’ll get to shortly.
Is it a step up from 2K24? Yes and no. The sheer number of modes available are staggering and for a newbie, fairly overwhelming. If you want to just jump on with a friend and have a quick game it takes more effort than it ever should – in a real FIFA kinda way, where ‘Kick Off’ is now hidden so deep in the options it might as well not be there -, but we’ve become used to that. The most important modes this games wants you to know about is of course MyTeam (2K’s ‘Ultimate Team’) and anything that encourages buying something on top of your £80 purchase.And a huge shout out to the inclusion of the WNBA in The W mode, where you can also play mens v women’s matches
Still, you can ignore them completely if you just want to fulfil some fantasies and get signed by your favourite NBA team through MyCareer, which is without question the best of the sport ‘career’ modes in gaming. It’s a ton of fun creating your player and learning all about how they ended up in the big leagues, particularly via high school flashback games and watching them rise and rise. You’ll need to navigate your player through social media accounts, interviews, brand recognition, training and creating your own playstyle to catch the eye of the scouts that are in the crowd waiting to sign the next big thing.
It’s a much deeper and leaner experience than, say, Career Mode in FIFA (apologies for the constant comparisons but it’s my only real form of reference) which has been largely forgotten about by EA Sports at this point. 2K seems to understand that one of the highlights of their games is that you can put yourself into the Lakers and one day have your jersey hanging in the rafters. It’s those moments that make games like this such a pleasure to invest in.
So what’s new on the court, then? Real world jump-shots, celebrations and hoops have been added, which any discerning NBA fan should be able to instantly recognise and brings the immersion even closer than ever. The green bar shooting mechanic returns from 2K24 along with a far more basic option which is perfect for newcomers. The ‘real footage’ brag also carries over to dribbling where its physics and movement apparently matches the real players. It certainly looks fantastic in motion, with moments where you could be tricked into thinking you’re watching a live match rather than a video game.
Those visuals then. This is by far the best looking sports video game we’ve ever seen. Playing a whacking great 4KTV, 2K25 absolutely shines. The stadiums, players, crowds, benches, managers, UI and much more is all absolutely stunning, and feels like a huge step-up from 2K24, even if it probably isn’t. My eyes aren’t deceiving me when I saw pores of sweat fall down the face of Bronny James. The immersion seeps throughout a match and it’s hard to pick holes in any area, it’s just that good.
The audio matches up just as well. With an absolutely superb soundtrack soaking up the feel and the overall tone of NBA 2K25 (it’s worth checking out on Spotify if you haven’t done so already). The commentary is by far the best in the genre, with often hilarious takes along with some very helpful tips for newcomers woven into their opinions. The stadium sound is glorious (and feels incredible in my new surround sound system, tbh) and with authentic arena sounds and music you would hear only at a Chicago Bulls match, for example, are present and correct. Brilliant
It’s become a little cliche to say that this year’s iteration is the best one ever, but it’s difficult to argue with that here. NBA 2K24 wasn’t the best version of the game, but NBA 2K25 just might be. Yes, it’s drowning in 2K microtransactions and their dirty practices and whilst avoidable, will dampen the entire experience if you purely just want to play a really great basketball game, which is what this game is. Underneath 2K trying their hardest to make you buy buy buy there’s a wonderful experience and I commend 2K for taking their NBA series to another level. There’s one hell of a Career mode that you can fall into along with what seems like endless ways to experience the sport in a way that only 2K can.
I’m excited to see where the series goes next. Can it get better than this?
NBA 2K25 is available now on PS5 (platform reviewed), PS4, Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC via Windows.
Developer: 2K
Publisher: 2K
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Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy from the publisher.
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