NBA 2K21

Last updated

NBA 2K21
NBA 2K21 - Damian Lilliard cover art.jpg
North American cover art for eighth generation consoles featuring Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard
Developer(s) Visual Concepts
Publisher(s) 2K
Series NBA 2K
Platform(s)
ReleaseMicrosoft Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia
  • WW: September 4, 2020 [1]
Xbox Series X/S
November 10, 2020
PlayStation 5
November 12, 2020
Arcade Edition (Apple Arcade)
April 2, 2021
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

NBA 2K21 is a 2020 basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. The game is based on the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is the 22nd installment in the NBA 2K franchise, the successor to NBA 2K20, and the predecessor to NBA 2K22 . The game was released on September 4, 2020, for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Google Stadia, and the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S versions were released on the consoles' respective launch dates. [1] [2] Most versions were released to heavy criticism, citing the lack of originality in the gameplay and many microtransactions and bugs. [3]

Contents

The NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition was released for Apple Arcade on April 2, 2021. [4] [5]

Promotion

A teaser of the game was released on June 11, 2020, during the PS5 Reveal Event and featured the player model of New Orleans Pelicans' Zion Williamson. It showed a few seconds of pre-alpha, in-engine footage, and showed many effects, such as ray-tracing and shadow details. [6] On June 30, 2020, NBA 2K announced Damian Lillard, of the Portland Trail Blazers, would be the cover for the standard edition on the previous-generation consoles. [7] On July 1, 2020, NBA 2K announced Zion Williamson as the cover athlete for the standard edition of the next-generation consoles. The last covers were released on July 2, 2020, honoring the late Kobe Bryant. The demo for the game was released on August 24, 2020 [8] [9] [10]

Gameplay

MyCareer

MyCareer, a major part of the series, returned as one of the available game modes. MyCareer is a career mode in which the player creates their own customizable basketball player and plays through their basketball career. Players may make a male or female player, although female player creation is exclusively available on next-gen consoles. [11] The Neighborhood also returns to MyCareer, as 2K Beach, in which players can customize their wardrobe, get haircuts and tattoos, and purchase boosts. They can also do workouts and run drills to improve their character's attributes at their current team's practice facility. Progress in MyCareer may not carry over across generations, due to some changes made exclusively for next-gen. [12]

MyTeam

In MyTeam, players collect cards of NBA players (current or past) to put on their team. This game mode has packs (or loot boxes) that can be purchased with Virtual Currency (VC) or My Team Points (MT). Players can also buy cards from each other at the auction house using VC or MT.

Ninth generation changes

In the next-generation release for the game, The MyCareer online staple The Neighborhood mode was rebranded into The City with the return of affiliations from NBA 2K16. Players start in Rookieville where they play similarly low-leveled players before they can choose an affiliation to enter The City. MyRep, the level system exclusive to The City mode, is shared across all MyPlayer builds, so players only have to level up out of Rookieville once for all their characters. Once a player levels out of Rookieville, they are automatically assigned without choice to one of four of The City's affiliations, ranging from the North Side Knights, South City Vipers, Beasts of the East, and the Western Wildcats. Players are free to switch their affiliation, however they are penalized for doing so by their level being reset down to Pro 1, the same level the player was upon leaving Rookieville. Although the player can play in affiliations that they are not a member of, there is a penalty by reducing the amount of MyRep experience gained in matches. Players can participate in quests given by NPCs, which are either single-player 3v3 games against famous basketball players, or playing games against other MyPlayers in The City. The rewards are typically VC and customizations. [13]

Every affiliation has elections for a Mayor, which are typically community influencers who are responsible for making videos that display in-game, court designs, in-game playlists, design of murals, and uniform selections. Each mayoral term lasts 6 weeks. [13]

Franchise mode

NBA 2K21 features both MyLeague and MyGM from previous games, where the player can take the helm of a franchise and fully simulate an NBA season while making trades, drafting, and playing games with their teams. Compared to prior titles, eighth-generation console releases of NBA 2K21 were left with little changes for their staple franchise modes, MyLeague and MyGM. Outside of roster changes, the main changes focuses with MyLeague Online where certain users can be given different admin controls. WNBA teams were also given more representation as players were now able to play through a whole season with all 12 teams. [14] [ unreliable source? ]

Ninth generation changes

In the game's Xbox Series X/S and PS5 release, MyGM and MyLeague were combined and rebranded into MyNBA. Instead of the role-playing aspects such as cutscenes, player morale, and tasks being locked solely to MyGM, they are now individually toggleable under role-playing elements before one starts MyNBA. NBA G League games are also playable as well, however playoffs and the championship for the NBA G League are not featured. The boom/bust system was also revamped, giving more unpredictability to draft prospects and young players in terms of how their career will turn out. [15]

Reception

NBA 2K21 received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic, and "generally favorable reviews" on the ninth-generation consoles. [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]

Michael Higham from GameSpot gave the game a score of 6-out-of-10. He states "NBA 2K21 shows that the lone basketball sim we have now has largely stagnated. It's a full package, for sure, but one that demonstrates little-to-no motivation to meaningfully improve upon itself. That doesn't take away from the strong foundation that makes NBA 2K a fun and rewarding time. However, when you go through the same grind and the same process with only superficial changes, you just get burnt out faster than years prior." [23]

Ben Vollmer from IGN gave the game a score of 6 out of 10, stating "More of the same isn't good enough anymore, especially when it includes such obtrusive microtransactions." Vollmer also says "At the same time, it's a shame that 2K's focus isn't on the fun you can have on the court, but instead the money that can be extracted from your wallet off of the court in the MyCareer and MyTeam modes, whist aren't fun to grind through without paying. Maybe the new set of consoles on the horizon will bring a fresh start for the NBA 2K franchise, but right now I feel more pessimistic about the series’ future than ever." [25]

The PlayStation 4 version of NBA 2K21 sold 8,541 physical copies within its first week on sale in Japan, making it the seventh bestselling retail game of the week. [30] The game had sold more than 8 million copies by the end of December 2020. [31]

It was nominated in the category of Best Sports/Racing Game at The Game Awards 2020, [32] as well as Sports Game of the Year at the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. [33]

Related Research Articles

NBA 2K is a series of basketball sports simulation video games developed by Visual Concepts and released annually since 1999. The premise of the series is to emulate the sport of basketball, and more specifically, the National Basketball Association.

<i>ESPN NBA 2K5</i> 2004 basketball video game

ESPN NBA 2K5 is a 2004 basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and co-published by Sega and Global Star Software. It was released in September 2004 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox in North America, and February 2005 in Europe. The sixth installment in the NBA 2K series, it is the successor to ESPN NBA Basketball, and the predecessor to NBA 2K6. Ben Wallace of the Detroit Pistons is the cover athlete; this marks the first time in the series that a player other than Allen Iverson was featured as a cover athlete. It is the last NBA 2K game to be released by Sega before the company sold Visual Concepts to Take-Two Interactive, forming 2K Sports. It is also the third and last game to feature the ESPN branding on its front cover.

<i>NBA 2K6</i> 2005 video game

NBA 2K6 is a 2005 basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It is the seventh installment in the NBA 2K franchise and the successor to ESPN NBA 2K5. It was released in 2005 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Xbox 360. Shaquille O'Neal of the Miami Heat is the cover athlete of the game. NBA 2K6 is the predecessor to NBA 2K7 in the NBA 2K series and is the first NBA 2K title to be released by 2K Sports. This is the first game in the series to be released for the Xbox 360.

<i>NBA 2K7</i> 2006 basketball video game

NBA 2K7 is a 2006 basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It is the eighth installment in the NBA 2K franchise and the successor to NBA 2K6. It was released in 2006 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Xbox 360, and as a launch title for PlayStation 3. Shaquille O'Neal of the Miami Heat is the cover athlete of the game. NBA 2K7 is the predecessor to NBA 2K8 in the NBA 2K series. This was the second and last installment in the series to be released for the Xbox.

<i>NBA 2K10</i> 2009 basketball video game

NBA 2K10 is a 2009 basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It was released in October and November 2009 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, and Wii. As the eleventh installment in the NBA 2K series, it is the successor to NBA 2K9 and the predecessor to NBA 2K11. Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is the cover athlete of the game. NBA 2K10 is the first game in the series to be released for the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo Wii platforms; it is also the first game in the series to be released on a Nintendo console since NBA 2K3 was released for the GameCube in 2002. The game is NBA 2K's last 2000s entry.

<i>NBA 2K12</i> 2011 basketball video game

NBA 2K12 is a 2011 basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It was released in October 2011 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360, and, for the first time, iOS. As the thirteenth installment in the NBA 2K series, it is the successor to NBA 2K11 and the predecessor to NBA 2K13. For the first time in the series, three different covers are available; the three cover athletes are Michael Jordan for the Chicago Bulls, Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics. This was the last installment in the series to be released for the PlayStation 2.

<i>NBA 2K14</i> 2013 basketball video game

NBA 2K14 is a 2013 basketball video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. The fifteenth installment in the series, it was released on October 1, 2013, for Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, and the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One versions were released on the consoles' respective launch dates. LeBron James of the Miami Heat became the cover athlete, and also served as the music curator for the game. 2K Sports also released the DLC pack that as a bonus for pre-ordering the game, they would receive 10,000 VC, bonus content for "Path to Greatness" mode, adding James in the Blacktop mode and a signature skill for MyCareer mode. On August 14, 2013, 2K Sports announced that Crew Mode would return to this year's installment of NBA 2K. NBA 2K14 is the successor to NBA 2K13 and was succeeded by NBA 2K15 in the NBA 2K series.

<i>WWE 2K15</i> 2014 video game

WWE 2K15 is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to WWE 2K14, and was succeeded by WWE 2K16. It was released on October 28, 2014, in North America and on October 31, 2014, in Europe for last generation consoles and released on November 18, 2014, in North America and on November 21, 2014, in Europe for current generation consoles. It was released for Microsoft Windows on April 28, 2015, and was the first WWE game to be released on the platform since WWE Raw, which was released in 2002. Online server play was shut down on May 31, 2016. It is the first game in the series to use the new WWE logo since it was introduced earlier in 2014, which was originally used as the logo of the WWE Network.

<i>NBA 2K15</i> 2014 basketball video game

NBA 2K15 is a 2014 basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It is the sixteenth installment in the NBA 2K franchise and the successor to NBA 2K14. It was released in October 2014 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, one of the three cover athletes of NBA 2K13, is the solo cover athlete of NBA 2K15. NBA 2K15 was succeeded by NBA 2K16.

<i>NBA 2K16</i> 2015 basketball video game

NBA 2K16 is a 2015 basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It is the 17th installment in the NBA 2K franchise and the successor to NBA 2K15, while also being the predecessor of NBA 2K17. It was released on September 29, 2015, for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 3. A mobile version for Android and iOS was released on October 14, 2015. There are three different covers for the main game, one featuring Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans, another featuring Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, and the last featuring James Harden of the Houston Rockets. A special edition version of the game was also released; it features Michael Jordan on the cover.

<i>NBA 2K17</i> 2016 basketball video game

NBA 2K17 is a 2016 basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It is the 18th installment in the NBA 2K franchise and the successor to NBA 2K16. It was released worldwide on September 20, 2016, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Players who pre-ordered the game received it on September 16, 2016. Paul George of the Indiana Pacers is the cover athlete for the regular edition of the game, while Kobe Bryant is the cover athlete for the 'Legend Edition'. In Italy, the cover athlete is Danilo Gallinari, and in Spain, the cover athlete is Pau Gasol. A version of the game for iOS and Android was released on September 23, 2016. NBA 2K17 was succeeded by NBA 2K18.

<i>NBA 2K18</i> 2017 basketball video game

NBA 2K18 is a 2017 basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It is the 19th installment in the NBA 2K franchise, the successor to NBA 2K17, and the predecessor to NBA 2K19. It was released on September 19, 2017 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, iOS and Android. Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics serves as cover athlete for the regular edition of the game, Shaquille O'Neal is the cover athlete for the special editions, and DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors is the cover athlete for the Canadian version. While a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers when selected for the cover, Irving was traded to the Boston Celtics prior to the game's release. As a result, a new cover depicting Irving in a Celtics uniform was revealed alongside the original cover. This was the last installment in the series to be released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

<i>NBA Live 18</i> 2017 basketball video game

NBA Live 18 is a basketball simulation video game developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports, featuring James Harden of the Houston Rockets as its cover athlete. It was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 15, 2017. It is the 21st installment in the NBA Live series and the follow-up to 2015's NBA Live 16 after EA took a year off between games. Though it received criticism for its gameplay, the game was praised for improvements over recent installments and became the series' highest-rated game since NBA Live 10 according to Metacritic.

<i>NBA 2K20</i> 2019 basketball video game

NBA 2K20 is a 2019 basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K, based on the National Basketball Association (NBA). It is the 21st installment in the NBA 2K franchise, the successor to NBA 2K19, and the predecessor to NBA 2K21. Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers is the cover athlete for the regular edition of the game, while Dwyane Wade is the cover athlete for the 'Legend Edition'.

<i>WWE 2K Battlegrounds</i> 2020 professional wrestling video game

WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a professional wrestling video game developed by Saber Interactive and published by 2K on September 18, 2020. A spin-off to the WWE 2K series and a part of the Playground Sports series, Battlegrounds is a fast-paced, arcade-style fighting game; similar in format to Saber's previous games, NBA Playgrounds and NBA 2K Playgrounds 2.

<i>WWE 2K22</i> 2022 video game

WWE 2K22 is a 2022 professional wrestling sports video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It is the twenty-second overall installment of the video game series based on WWE, the eighth game under the WWE 2K banner, and the successor to 2019's WWE 2K20. It was released on March 11, 2022, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The follow-up title, WWE 2K23, was released on March 14, 2023.

<i>NBA 2K22</i> 2021 basketball video game

NBA 2K22 is a 2021 basketball video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K, based on the National Basketball Association (NBA). It is the 23rd installment in the NBA 2K franchise, the successor to NBA 2K21 and the predecessor to NBA 2K23. The game was released on September 10, 2021 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. The NBA 2K22 Arcade Edition was released for iOS, macOS and tvOS through Apple Arcade and Android on October 19, 2021. As of May 2022, the game has sold over 10 million copies.

<i>NBA 2K23</i> 2022 video game

NBA 2K23 is a 2022 basketball video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K, based on the National Basketball Association (NBA). It is the 24th installment in the NBA 2K franchise, the successor to NBA 2K22 and the predecessor to NBA 2K24. The game was released on September 9, 2022 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. The NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition was released on Apple Arcade on October 18, 2022.

<i>NBA 2K24</i> 2023 video game

NBA 2K24 is a 2023 basketball video game developed by Visual Concepts Austin and published by 2K, based on the National Basketball Association (NBA). It is the 25th installment in the NBA 2K franchise, the successor to NBA 2K23 and the predecessor to NBA 2K25. The game was released on September 8, 2023, for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. The NBA 2K24 Arcade Edition was released on Apple Arcade on October 24, 2023.

<i>NBA 2K25</i> 2024 video game

NBA 2K25 is a 2024 sports game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K, based on the National Basketball Association (NBA). It is the 26th installment in the NBA 2K series and is the successor to NBA 2K24 (2023). The game was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on September 6, 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 Bankhurst, Adam (July 2, 2020). "NBA 2K21 Current-Gen Release Date Revealed, Next-Gen Version $10 More Expensive". IGN . Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  2. ↑ Good, Owen S. (August 22, 2020). "Which edition of NBA 2K21 should you buy?". Polygon. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Review | 'NBA 2K21' review: Why should I buy this game (again)?". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  4. ↑ "NBA® 2K21 Arcade Edition Launches Today on Apple Arcade". April 2, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Apple Arcade launches its biggest expansion yet, growing its award-winning catalog to more than 180 games". April 2, 2021.
  6. ↑ NBA 2K21: Official PS5 Teaser Trailer (In-Engine), June 11, 2020, retrieved November 5, 2022
  7. ↑ "Zion Williamson, Damian Lillard named cover athletes for NBA 2K21 | NBA.com". www.nba.com. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  8. ↑ Helin, Kurt (June 13, 2020). "Zion Williamson is the focus of NBA 2K21's just released teaser trailer". ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports.
  9. ↑ Wilson, Ben (March 1, 2020). "NBA 2K21 release date, cover, Kobe Bryant plans, and everything you need to know". GamesRadar+ .
  10. ↑ Mazique, Brian (June 15, 2020). "NBA 2K21 Secret Decoded, More Details Revealed From Package Tease". Forbes.
  11. ↑ Good, Owen S. (August 28, 2020). "NBA 2K21's player creation will include women, but not until next generation". Polygon. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  12. ↑ Lister, Bishop (July 22, 2021). "Does NBA 2K22 have cross-gen progession?". Pro Game Guides. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  13. 1 2 Web, 2K. "NBA 2K21 Next-Gen The City COURTSIDE REPORT". NBA 2K. Retrieved November 24, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ↑ Mazique, Brian. "NBA 2K21: MyCareer, MyGM, MyLeague Current-Gen Details Revealed". Forbes. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  15. ↑ "NBA 2K21 Next-Gen: MyNBA is the new MyGM/MyLEAGUE Experience". 2K Support. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  16. 1 2 "NBA 2K21 for Switch Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  17. 1 2 "NBA 2K21 for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  18. 1 2 "NBA 2K21 for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  19. 1 2 "NBA 2K21 for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  20. 1 2 "NBA 2K21 for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  21. 1 2 "NBA 2K21 for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  22. ↑ Wallace, Kimberley (September 17, 2020). "NBA 2K21 Review – Living Off The Legacy". Game Informer. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  23. 1 2 Higham, Michael (September 24, 2020). "NBA 2K21 Review – Ball Another Day". GameSpot . Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  24. ↑ Wells, Cory (September 12, 2020). "Review: NBA 2K21". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  25. 1 2 Vollmer, Ben (September 10, 2020). "NBA 2K21 Review". IGN . Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  26. ↑ Vollmer, Ben (November 17, 2020). "NBA 2K21 for Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 Review". IGN . Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  27. ↑ Scullion, Chris (September 9, 2020). "NBA 2K21 Review (Switch)". Nintendo Life . Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  28. ↑ Ronaghan, Neal (September 9, 2020). "NBA 2K21 (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  29. ↑ Barker, Sammy (September 10, 2020). "NBA 2K21 Review (PS4)". Push Square . Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  30. ↑ Romano, Sal (September 10, 2020). "Famitsu Sales: 8/31/20 – 9/6/20". Gematsu. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  31. ↑ Calvin, Alex (February 9, 2021). "$70 price hike hasn't stopped NBA 2K21 selling 8 million copies". VG 247 . Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  32. ↑ Tassi, Paul (December 11, 2020). "Here's The Game Awards 2020 Winners List With A Near-Total 'Last Of Us' Sweep". Forbes .
  33. ↑ "2021 Awards Category Details Sports Game of the Year". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . Retrieved December 2, 2023.
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