NBA 2K23 Review (Xbox One)

STAFF REVIEW of NBA 2K23 (Xbox One)

Friday, September 30, 2022.
by Heather Webster

Well, it's that time of year again my friends, the newest edition in the NBA 2K franchise, and it's pretty impressive with the new additions and content this year. NBA 2K23 starts off with Season One which features the following new content: MyCAREER, MyTEAM, and The W, now offering new Level 40 rewards including a Golf Cart and a Hoverbike, while the MyTEAM mode has new cards and game modes, better accessibility, more customization and endless lineup combinations. The Season resets every six weeks.

Some of the gameplay enhancements the team has included this year that are totally worth keeping an eye out for while playing are the new skill moves, animations and player builds designed to create a hyper-realistic experience for players to feel even more immersed in the game. New enhancements focus on shooting, the Pro Stick (Right Stick) has been enhanced to help create skilled moves, adrenaline boosts, better defense, badges, takeovers and even the AI gameplay. Last year's focus was on the defense so this year only makes sense to focus on offense.

One of the coolest upgrades this year is the addition of Pro Stick gesture combos also known as double throws. This is the action of flicking the stick in one direction, letting it return to the center, and then quickly moving it back to the first direction. Also, they have added switchbacks which is almost the same as the double throw, only instead of after returning to center you quickly move it in the opposite direction. This changes the way you both shoot and handle the ball on the court.

New commands included this year allow for the expansion of dunking controls to let you dunk exactly how you want without firing off a skill dunk you weren’t expecting. When driving to the basket with the sprint trigger held, the new Pro Stick control map for dunks is as follows:

UP = Two-Hand
RIGHT = Strong Hand
LEFT = Weak Hand
DOWN = Rim Hang
UP-UP = Flashy Two-Hand
DOWN-UP = Flashy One-Hand
UP-DOWN = Normal Skill Dunk with meter
DOWN-DOWN = Rim Hang Skill Dunk with meter

This also includes improvements to the game physics, including control over rim hangs which adds more to the entertainment value of the game. This is done with the new simple controls. Use one of the new rim-hang dunk gestures mentioned above and when you drive toward the hoop, keep the sprint trigger held and when the player gets their hands on the rim you’ll hang indefinitely as long as you keep the trigger held. Another cool thing to go with this is you can use the Left Stick to adjust the momentum of your swinging body and the Right Stick to pull yourself up on the rim. This is all done through a physical simulation, as opposed to canned animations (available on Next-Gen only), but watch out for 'techs' if you hang too long in NBA games.

This year the Jordan challenge game mode features 15 playable moments from his amazing career, allowing us to play through the legacy that started in his college career to the 1998 NBA finals game-winning shot. This mode also includes interviews with top NBA legends talking about Jordan's career-making moves. In the new MyCAREER mode, you get to experience one of the most involved storylines in the game franchise's history. Start off with the NBA Draft, challenge players to improve performance in the NBA, and navigate through the off-court career with new ventures like clothes, business, and music.

In the WNBA game mode this year that is only available on Next-Gen consoles, they have brought all new community goals, all-star games and the Commissioner's Cup. This year seems to be far more community oriented, and to complete them you need to work with other players. Each Season will have six weekly challenge goals to complete. If the community is able to reach the collective goal in four out of the six weeks in that Season, every NBA 2K23 player will receive a reward.

In the MyNBA mode, this is where you play the 'What If' game. For instance, What if Kobe and Shaq never went their separate ways? What if the Houston Rockets selected Michael Jordan with the No. 1 overall pick in 1984? This is also where you can recreate moments in NBA history and make league-shattering moves in Eras. According to the creators, an “Era” is what we call a specific point in time that you can start playing a new MyNBA save. All you need to do is pick your Era and play. You can still tweak your roster and settings as well, so long-time fans still get to do what they like in this mode. Last year's experience is now being called the “Modern Era” so that those fans can still do the online league and friend play. There are four Eras available to play: Modern, Magic v. Bird, Jordan, and Kobe.

The MyTeam experience this year lets you play Triple Threat matches online in co-op and clutch time settings, as well as more freedom due to the removal of contracts. The top highlights from NBA 2K23 is for sure the Triple Threat Online: Co-Op. This new game mode allows players to partner with friends for 3v3 online gameplay across different variations. Party Mode, Co-Op and Competitive Online. Unlimited, which allows you to play prestige tiers to unlock more rewards, every win provides a vault opening, complete with leaderboards and special icons that let others know if you are top 10, and if you have completed all tiers and prestige for the season.

Single play clutch time is a face-paced mode with a 4-point line to take your best starting 5 and compete against the AI. Starter Cards lets you choose between All-Stars Ja Morant, Jimmy Butler, or Joel Embiid to lead their collection. Players will get to play with their Starter Card choices in a Triple Threat game before finalizing their decision. After 10 games in any MyTEAM mode, you will earn a 90 OVR Amethyst Fred Jones card to jumpstart your team. There are also Exhibitions where players can send their player cards outside of their 13-player lineup on vacation around the globe, returning with a special reward from their mission. The Trophy case is also really cool where you can earn top-tier players from each franchise. There are 15 event cards for each franchise. By showcasing key moments of their history, players can earn a Pink Diamond player for each team as well.

But the coolest returning feature this year is the MyTEAM Unlimited Tournament. The $250,000 MyTEAM Unlimited Tournaments return this year for each console generation. Reach the Emerald Tier in the new Unlimited before the first GameDay on October 15 to participate. The finalists will be brought to an in-person setting to crown the $50,000 Console Champions and the $200,000 Grand Champions. So you better start playing now if you hope to get the chance.

With so many features and parts to NBA 2K23, there is always so much to talk about. This also includes the city, which brings fast travel stations, affiliation zones, new additions like the Block and Theatre, as well as a Dreamville Studio where you can attempt to get noticed by soundtrack exec for this year's game, J-cole. Do you have what it takes to impress him and get in his good books to help you take control over the city?

There is just so much to talk about, and really more worth experiencing than just reading about. Upgraded graphics with really impressive hair and skin, the ability to download the app to scan your face and put yourself into the game, and even the real contest, there's simply a massive amount of things to do. Make sure you also check out the shoe creator, which lets you design your own kicks and for your created player, give power-ups to give you that on-court advantage you have always wanted, and I absolutely love it. Definitely give NBA 2K23 a chance. Yes, the controls can be hard to learn but if you practice and work at it and do the drills, just like in real-life ball, you too can show you have what it takes to make it in the NBA.

**NBA 2K23 was provided by the publisher and reviewed on an Xbox Series S**

Overall: 9.3 / 10
Gameplay: 9.0 / 10
Visuals: 10.0 / 10
Sound: 9.0 / 10

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STAFF REVIEW of NBA 2K23 (Xbox One)

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