Every year, the NBA 2K series, like our favorite NBA teams, teases enough improvements to give us a sliver of hope; a renewed sense of faith that maybe things will be even better than last time. Although that faith was rewarded last year, that hasn’t been the case in the 10 hours I’ve spent with NBA 2K27 so far. While the on-court play does feel better thanks to smoother and more responsive defensive movements, some new features, like MyCareer Eras, are the opposite. Instead, they act like magnifiers, placing a spotlight on issues that have consistently plagued this series, like an ever-growing emphasis on microtransactions. That can turn what should be an energizing session of hoops into a tiring exercise in scrutiny.
Let’s kick things off with the good stuff: the on-court experience. Offense, although it still feels largely the same, has a few new tricks up its sleeve that make it slightly more challenging than last year. For starters, Rhythm Shooting is much less forgiving than in 2K26 since you’ll have to actually hit the green part of your shot meter to make jumpers. Full disclosure: I religiously use the square button to shoot because it’s what I’ve been doing since 2K10. With this change, I’ve become even more partial to the classic hold-and-release method since there just doesn’t seem to be an incentive to master Rhythm Shooting’s more finicky timing and down-up motion. Of course, there may come a point when I’ll need to really dig into the latter, but today is not that day.
Then there’s the new logic-based Dunk Meter, which, instead of only showing up when you perform Skill Dunks like in 2K26, now appears whenever you drive to and attempt a shot at the rim. The goal, as always, is to hit the green, but it won’t always be that simple, because this feature takes the defender’s positioning into account. That means even if you get a near-perfect release on your way to a jam, a well-timed contest from a towering, highly-rated defender like Zach Edey or Victor Wembanyama could turn it into a miss.
I’ll admit, taking the Dunk Meter into account did take some getting used to, meaning I’ve missed more than a few slams in trying to master it. But after playing several matches, I’ve come to appreciate the greater sense of realism it lends to 2K27. As much as I would want every poster dunk attempt to go in, even a strong and sure-handed player like Giannis can and should get stuffed at the rim every now and then.
That, of course, leads me to the side of the ball that flusters dribblers, causes turnovers, and wins championships. If last year’s defense was a benchwarmer who barely played any minutes, this year it’s the Most Improved Player. As soon as I hopped into a match, the change felt immediate; being near a defender and putting a hand up actually altered a shot! Gone are the dark days when every jumper, even contested ones, felt like they would go in; now that both sides of the ball are balanced, playing through an entire match, at least in the offline modes, feels better than ever.
Now it’s time to head on over to MyCareer’s neck of the woods, with its latest single-player journey, dramatically titled Fire and Concrete. Like always, this tale follows our recurring hero MP, showing his hoops growth in stages from humble high school roots all the way to a career in the pros. Unlike its predecessors, though, this one’s a doozy, spanning 11 chapters – and bigger always means better, right? Right? Oh, if only that were true.
As soon as I jumped into the thick of things, some flaws immediately stood out, beginning with the story itself. Early on, a key plot point is rushed through in an animated vignette instead of actually unfolding in a motion-captured cutscene, as if it were a commercial as opposed to a career-defining incident. It flashes by so fast that I almost missed it, and makes the start of MP’s journey, arguably the most important part, feel like an afterthought.
Then, there’s MP himself, who, so far, has been very hard to root for. It’s like all the personality has been sucked out of this version of him and given to the supporting characters instead. That said, I am still only in the first half of the story, so our protagonist could eventually experience some much-needed personal growth as the rest of it unfolds. But right now, I’d rather be playing as his funny cousin Cam, voiced and mocapped by Vince Staples, who steals the spotlight in every scene he’s in with his quick one-liners and witty comebacks.
Being the narrative nerd that I am, you’d think my biggest frustration would lie with Fire and Concrete’s lackluster story. Well, it doesn’t. Instead, what I’ve been most disappointed with so far is MyCareer Eras, a new mode that lets you drop a created player into one of the six significant time periods in the NBA. Sounds exciting, right? I mean, it does on paper. But then you realize that creating more than one custom character means having to begin with a paltry 60 overall rating each time. So, if you want to actually compete in these Eras, you’ll have to either grind out a crazy amount of matches in The City or spend real money to give your characters an immediate boost.
You might be asking, “Why don’t you just use your upgraded Fire and Concrete player in Eras?” Well, the answer is I can’t. Once you start a save file in the story mode, that player is essentially locked to the Modern Era. You also can’t switch from one era to another, which means if you want to try out all of the time periods, you’ll need to make six separate characters. Do you see my problem now? I didn’t think it was possible, but with this mode, developer Visual Concepts has somehow made microtransactions even more glaring and obnoxious than ever.
But that’s all just part of the opening tip, dear reader, and there’s still a long way to go before we get to the final buzzer. There’s still plenty I haven’t seen that I’m excited to check out between now and then, including the new mode, MyNBA Legacy, which seems like a throwback to Create a Legend from 2K12 and 13 – not to mention all the changes to The City and MyGM. Don’t worry, I won’t be gone long. Once we reach crunch time after the weekend, I’ll be back like MJ in his last game, ready with my final score.
