The aim-meter mechanic is really difficult to master, but has led to a really satisfying one-on-one isolation successes. It's nice having the ability to use the right stick only as a sculpting tool until I am ready to pull back for NBA 2K MT Coins a shot. The capability to size-up, which is tied to unique dribbling animations for lots of the best players in the league, and isolate is far better than ever. I spent a couple of hours experimenting with different playstyles, like facilitating the pick-and-roll with Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. It is tremendously rewarding to utilize Doncic's size and footwork to make space - something I could not replicate with other guards around the team, such as Seth Curry. While it's not entirely new, NBA 2K21's capability to emulate players' playstyles is outstanding this season.
Nevertheless, there are already a few frustrating gameplay issues I have come across, also. Fastbreaks seem marginally improved, but player spacing continues to be clearly off. For instance, even my finest three-point shooters will track inside the three-point lineup on fast breaks when they would be better off locating space in the corner. In general, it feels like NBA 2K21 has not fully adapted to the emphasis modern NBA basketball has placed on the line. Quick catch-and-shoots aren't as prevalent as they should be, and final out remains far too easy on protection.
Likewise frustrating is the CPU's ability to make problems for itself. In my brief time with NBA 2K21, I have seen two backcourt violations on wide-open inbounds passes. It functioned as a jarring reminder that I was not, in actuality, experiencing a true game of NBA basketball.
From a cursory glance, MyLeague seems to have received almost zero updates. The mode has a good set of features built into it , but this is the second year in a row with no striking improvements. As someone who enjoys to deep-dive into franchise construction, it is really disappointing that there's so little effort being put into the mode.
Thankfully, MyTeam has ditched its dreadful casino aesthetic out of this past year. Make no mistake, though -- even though it looks different, it still seems heavily determined by microtransactions and purchasing packs. As I said in last year's review, it's apparent the MyTeam's central goal is to extract as much cash as you are prepared to give up so as to avoid needing to grind out mundane challenges to advancement, and it does not appear anything has changed in that department.
There does seem to be an emphasis on personalization for MyTeam this year: you can now select different ability paths for your development cards, such as focusing on athleticism or playmaking, which ought to help direct players to Buy MT 2K21 better fit under my individual playing style.Over the weekend I will be diving deeper into game modes, including the new single-player narrative effort, the re-designed Neighborhood, WNBA quickplay, and online play before wrap up this review prior to the end of next week.
