8,5 million copies sold for NBA 2K17, 10 million for 2K18, the series developed by Visual Concepts had never reached such a level in terms of popularity. Proof that the Californian studio arch-dominates virtual basketball with an insolence that has discouraged more than one. With such a hegemony, developers could perfectly rest on their laurels and settle for the bare minimum, but this is not the case. Always with this desire to go further, to surpass themselves, the teams of Rob Jones try every year to produce better basketball. Can we push the realism even further, especially when we have reached a threshold of requirement as important as that of NBA 2K? According to the game producer, there will always be improvements to make, details to add, elements to readjust. And this year again, it will be difficult to take 2K19 by default, the previous episode having already made major changes in the animations, making the game even more fluid, both visually and in terms of playability. No more clumsy play, each movement and transition in actions was done with such a disconcerting naturalness that it took time to adapt to get used to the new inertia of the characters on the ground.
PLACE YOUR BETS !
We find these same very pleasant sensations in NBA 2K19, with the difference that the developers have reviewed the penetration into the racket. No more forced entries without at least cross-overs or size-ups, since you will have to take the time to analyze each situation, favor teamwork at all costs before trying to approach Cart. Of course, guys like LeBron James will always be tanks (with a rating of 98, how can it be otherwise?), but overall, the whole system has been reviewed and corrected, with the added bonus of the implementation of a novelty that will quite upset the daily game, via the Takeover. This is a brand new mechanic borrowed from NBA Jam, the benchmark of the arcade basketball game which had reached the heights of popularity in the 90s. The equivalent of the "He's on Fire" mode transposed into the gameplay of NBA 2K and which in fact makes it possible to know the predisposition of the player to carry out certain actions. Rest assured, once your player is in possession of all his abilities, he will not start jumping 5 meters before making a dunk, or even chaining the three points with a burning ball. No, here, it is a question of filling a gauge by performing a series of good deeds, thus making it possible to unlock hitherto unknown skills. On the screen, this translates into an icon that changes from blue to red depending on the state in which the player is. It's always a very subtle way of making the skills of each player on the team unique, knowing that it's easier to see his gauge fall than to fill it.
If this Takeover mechanic makes it possible to introduce a new system of gauges, Visual Concepts has understood that it was necessary to restore the shoot bar for lay-ups, which disappeared last year, which was quite disturbing. confess. As a result, the actions became less precise, the failures more numerous and the frustration inevitably great. That said, with the return of this highly requested gauge by the community, the developers opted for different timing depending on the type of finish, which forces the player to assimilate more actions. Overall, the timing has been refined throughout the gameplay, thus forcing the player not to play too much on instinct, but to think twice before taking any action. Suffice to say that 2K19 is even more demanding compared to the other episodes, making the game even less accessible for the layman. This was already the case in previous years, it is even more so this season, as if the series was intended only for insiders, certainly more and more numerous, but still just as selfish in sharing the pleasure. The "2KU" mode is still there to teach us the basics (basic, intermediate, advanced), but the practice is still not very user friendly since it involves playing a match with interludes when performing certain actions, which not only interrupt the action, but also do not allow you to properly assimilate the commands if you are really new to the field. We can always go to the options to scroll through each movement, but it's always with this feeling of slippery dragging that has trouble getting up to speed. For once, NBA Live 19 clearly has its card to play, with its much more accessible gameplay.
HEY COUSINS, ARE YOU DANCING OR AM I EXPLODING YOU?
If we note that simple readjustments in the gameplay of NBA 2K19, difficult not to feel a better control of the players with, as we already said above, a greater flexibility in the movements, a better management of the collisions between the players on the field and a more present realism in the layouts. The defensive game has indeed taken the lead compared to the 2018 episode with a more realistic, less permissive contact management, allowing the opposing team to better counter and be more present on the rebound as well. It is true that at the level of interceptions, the AI is relentless, to the point of disgust, knowing that it is also easier to steal the ball from the hands of the opposite camp, especially if they are busy focusing on the countless gauges surrounding the players this year. In this regard, know that Visual Concepts has decided to leave the choice to the player to place his shot gauge, which can be assigned either next to the hands of the athletes, or under their feet. A good thing.
Regardless of the changes in the end, NBA 2K remains this season still a reference in terms of sports simulation, whatever the discipline. Always more technical and fine in its gameplay, 2K19 is also demanding in its realization, close to photo-realism. Graphically, this new opus has not changed much, the rendering is still as clean and impeccable, and we seem to have reached the limits on this generation of consoles. However, be aware that the show is there, and that great progress has been made in terms of facial and body expressions and better rendering of the templates for the players. The crowd also continues to diversify, with more different NPCs with ever more varied behavior. The feeling of attending a real basketball game is even more present this year, supported by the presence of ever more numerous commentaries, perfectly adapted to the situations, especially since they are managed this year by Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett, supported as a bonus by Bill Simmons. Admittedly, the comments are always in English, without any possibility of displaying subtitles (which would not be a good idea either in real life, especially if you don't want to pollute the already loaded screen in visual elements), a factor that will undoubtedly repel those who resist Shakespeare's language.
LOST IN TRANLASTION
In truth, where NBA 2K19 tries to correct the situation, it is in its single player mode, always more ambitious with this desire for the developers to go always further. It's not a scoop for anyone, so far, every attempt to script MyCareer mode has resulted in a result that bordered on the laughable, especially the year when Spike Lee made us stall once again of his bad taste for cliché and bogus stories. This year, 2K19 seems to have put aside the "did you see me" aspect to return to something quieter, more classic perhaps too, and suddenly equipped with a plan-plan staging, without taking any risk. Maybe it's better that way. Well, it's true, the choice of the surname of the central character is still just as dubious, but between a DJ who thought he was a star and an AI who tries to impose himself as he can, we still prefer the rookie party of the States to try to make a career in China. This is the premise of this "Prelude" mode, which makes us follow the wanderings of a young basketball player rejected for the 2017 NBA draft and who finds himself propelled into the Chinese championship, with all the barriers (language, culture, methods of coaching) that this entails.
A voluntary choice, to say the least, as Rob Jones told us during his whirlwind visit to Paris a few days ago. We chose China, because it is a country that everything opposes to the United States. Not only is it located on the other side of the planet, but in addition, for an American who knows neither the country nor the language, it's like landing among the extraterrestrials. Deal with it, this is how the Middle Kingdom was selected, with this desire, however, to do things well. Because, story that the player gets lost with his avatar, the dialogues in China are neither subtitled nor explained in any way. Visual Concepts has even gone so far as to offer fully dubbed comments in Mandarin, which contributes to total immersion. Well, it's true that apart from the sports commentators who seem authentic, the actors who have been chosen to dub the Chinese characters keep this little American accent which proves that Mandarin is probably not their mother tongue. There had to be something embarrassing to grumble about Visual Concepts' dubious choices again this year...
Despite everything, the whole passage in China is far from being unpleasant. There is even a certain form of satisfaction in wanting to follow the story to the end (count 4/5 hours of play), especially since 2K Games has not skimped on the means by calling on renowned actors. ...
Despite everything, the whole passage in China is far from being unpleasant. There is even a certain form of satisfaction in wanting to follow the story to the end (count 4/5 hours of play), especially since 2K Games has not skimped on the means by calling on renowned actors. such as Haley Joel Osment (the boy who sees dead people in Sixth Sense), Anthony Mackie (better known for being the Falcon in Avengers) and Michael Rapaport, a second-rate actor who nevertheless shone in Basketball Diaries (with Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio) or the sensual comedy Hitch with Will Smith. The three actors have indeed done a nice job for this Prelude to pass cream, even to the point that we did not need to zap the whole passage, while the developers had the good idea to add the option to the in case we get really bored. On the other hand, nothing to do, there is always a monstrous discrepancy between the anims of the players on the ground and those that can be seen in the scripting of the MyCareer mode, as if two different teams were working on the game (something completely denied by Rob Jones during our interview) or that the 3D engine was not made to make real cinematics. We opt for this option, which is less insulting than thinking that the Visual Concepts teams have no sense of Hollywood staging…
BOYZ’N THE HOOD
Once all the passage at the Shanghai Bears is over, we can finally get down to business, that is to say, return to the NBA championship and thus prove ourselves. It's funny how the developers have bet everything on China, excluding any staging and cinematics once back in the United States. No more narration, the focus is then on basketball, nothing but basketball. It's somehow what they know how to do best, even if somewhere, we would have liked a better balance of resources. That said, it also allows you to focus on the MonQuartier mode, introduced last year with great forceps, to the point of having disgusted all the players. The community grumbled, the press too, and Visual Concepts understood that there was no point in having a gigantic exploration zone if it was to hit miles of back and forth without any means of fast locomation or fast travel. As a result, the main activities have been concentrated in the center of the district, promoting exchanges, reducing travel but also loading times. This is also one of the points on which NBA 2K19 has made progress, the game hiding much better all the loadings necessary to load the data. Because despite everything, 2K19 is a game that requires resources and on PS4 Pro, it will not be uncommon to see the fan blow up in an attempt to cool the CPU.
Inevitably, with a friendlier neighborhood, we are able to promote activities. And that's good, Visual Concepts understood that it was essential to give cookies so that players continue to connect and socialize. So don't be surprised if you're asked to take part in dodgeball matches, make spectacular trampoline dunks, bring the Jordan Rec.Center to life, or spend your time playing the mannequins in thrift stores. Well yes, it would be a shame not to dress like a Konoha ninja, when we know that our avatars can run with their arms outstretched backwards. History that the district does not tire the player after 2 days, a day-night cycle has been set up, with even changes that fluctuate according to the events and the challenges offered. That said, we hope that Visual Concepts has planned the necessary updates and other additional activities for the weeks and months to come, because the neighborhood was not an open world either, we quickly go around it . Of course, we don't imagine the public buying NBA 2K19 for these kinds of treats, but who knows, in the future, maybe basketball will be played essentially in connected hubs.
Inevitably, with a friendlier neighborhood, we are able to promote activities. And that's good, Visual Concepts understood that it was essential to give cookies so that players continue to connect and socialize.
We will end this test with a quick word on VC, this virtual currency that can be accumulated in the game like any self-respecting modern game to use the terms of Rob Jones. Obviously, if you can unlock everything with these VCs, the time required to grind each element of the game takes a considerable amount of time and the developers have understood how to encourage the player to transform this virtual currency into real money. At any time, you can switch to the PlayStation Store for those who would like to increase their rating as quickly as possible. Pay-to-win, let's not be afraid of words, which has been the subject of much ink since the end of 2017, Electronic Arts being the publisher to suffer the most today due to the controversy Star Wars Battlefront 2. Despite everything, Visual Concepts seems to have calmed down on the taros, lower this year; maybe also to avoid getting tapped on the fingers. Obviously, nothing prevents us from ignoring the MonQuartier mode, NBA 2K19 overflowing with content, with always so many modes that we cannot even complete in a single season. Between the "MyTeam" mode (the FUT version of NBA 2K), "MyLigue", "MyMG", the "PlayOff", "Domination" and the great legends that we necessarily like to embody. In short, once again, there is enough to last an additional year and this satisfaction of having bought a complete game and not a kit. And that, in 2018, is as valuable as gaming experience.
