Press Row Podcast: Microtransaction Mania
2K Sports is facing criticism from all sides over the aggressive implementation of Virtual Currency within NBA 2K18. VC is nothing new to the popular basketball franchise however, so why has this become such a story now that mainstream gaming media, Youtube personalities, and consumers are all making their voices heard on the matter? We discuss the circumstances specific to the NBA 2K series that has allowed the situation to blow up, and the necessary pursuit of digital revenue for publisher...
Details on first major patch for NBA 2K18
The patch for NBA 2K18 that has just gone live on PlayStation 4 will be out on Xbox One today, while both PC and Nintendo Switch are being framed only as arriving "soon." This update to 2K18 doesn't address the major issue of MyPlayers that have vanished or change the way in which VC affects the game given the heavy backlash the game is receiving, but it does take care of one of the biggest in-game problems that had been widely reported.
It was discovered that the framerate would plummet ...
The uproar over VC in NBA 2K18 has now reached the mainstream
It took long enough to get to this place from a coverage standpoint, but NBA 2K is starting to be recognized as a real video game that sells eight million copies and generates hundreds of millions in digital revenue annually and not "just a sports game." Major media websites and Youtube personalities with massive followings have jumped all over NBA 2K18 for its aggressive implementation of Virtual Currency and for the first time in recent memory publisher 2K Sports is taking fire from all di...
Press Row Podcast: Roundball Review Roundtable
NBA 2K18 and NBA Live 18 came upon their respective releases having traveled dramatically different paths to get there. NBA 2K has grown into the second biggest sports game in the world and is guaranteed to be a smash hit now annually. NBA Live is simply trying to recapture some credibility after eight years defined more by its cancellations than even its sub-par editions.
In this episode of the Press Row Podcast both games are examined closely, with areas such as accessibility, gameplay,...
VC backlash results in cost reduction for certain customization items in NBA 2K18
2K Sports has generally been able to sail under the radar as it pertains to the implementation of virtual currency in the NBA 2K series. The company had to course correct following the disastrous NBA 2K14 which was made into an always-online game in order to support a currency system that was weaved throughout all of its modes, but it was the server issues that made the game literally unplayable for weeks at a time that exposed the tactics being employed and making it a story the mainstream ...
Review of NBA 2K18
In what amounts to a bounce back year for the NBA 2K series, the latest edition delivers phenomenal gameplay while continuing its place as the most content-rich game in the genre. The new motion system for gameplay, expanded story elements in MyGM, and addition of all-time teams help to take the game to the next level.
Note: The ongoing serious situation with deleted MyPlayer characters did not factor into the score, as this is not affecting everyone and will likely be resolved in the nea...
The biggest early issue for NBA 2K18 is lost MyPlayer saves
The good news is that the servers have been performing surprisingly well for NBA 2K18 even under the intense traffic load surrounding release and with multiple online-based modes now merged together to create an open-world "neighborhood." Unfortunately there is one serious issue widespread enough that does have to do with the servers, and that's MyPlayer characters being lost with the corruption of save files. That seems to have been occurring most often after a disconnect that then results ...
Complete game played in NBA 2K18 MyLeague
Though only hours remain until release there will likely be few (if any) reviews ready to go live for NBA 2K18 right at launch. Between a shortage of time to dig into arguably the deepest sports game ever made, and a need to assess server performance given that many of the features rely on being connected online, my review for instance will probably be complete on Monday instead.
With that in mind, and having spent time between MyGM and MyCareer primarily up until this point, I figured it...