NBA 2K23 for Xbox Series X|S

The best of basketball’s past, present and future

NBA 2K23, the newest iteration of 2K’s leading basketball simulation franchise, lands on the Xbox Series X promising the ultimate next-gen sports experience. Developed by Visual Concepts (NBA 2K21, NBA 2K22, WWE 2K23), the latest installment of the NBA series allows you to play exciting professional basketball matches from the comfort of your own home. With new features, gorgeous visuals and revamped game mechanics, NBA 2K23 welcomes those who are new to the series as well as those returning year after year to the basketball court. Its main attraction? Undoubtedly the return of the acclaimed Jordan Challenge, a fan favorite that has been missing from the series since NBA 2K11. However, legendary Michael Jordan is not the only one coming back to play, since 2K’s infamous microtransactions have also returned and are here to stay. Will this novel and exciting game be overshadowed by an intrusive pay-to-win scheme?

Gameplay

NBA 2K23 is as close as the franchise has ever come to emulating a real basketball game. The game offers a realistic and responsive experience, polished in every single detail. The previous installment’s sluggish movements have been replaced by smooth and natural motion thanks to its improved motion capture system. The ball physics have also been tweaked to perfection, making every bounce and dribble feel and look like the real deal. However, one of the most notable updates in 2K23’s gameplay is its reworked shot meters. While in previous iterations of the series you could easily maneuver and score, now you’ll have to perform a near-perfect release to do so. While this requires a steeper learning curve for the average player, it spices up matches by adding an extra challenge.

Another new feature is the game’s improved stamina system that now works using three different stamina bars. These will deplete when you’re sprinting or dribbling, forcing you to pass the ball to another team mate. While this feature doesn’t seem like much at first, it actually improves online gameplay a lot. Before this, multiplayer matches would normally result in a 1-player show. Since players can no longer over-dribble, they are forced to pass the ball and encourage team-play. As a whole, these changes make matches much more realistic and playing feels like you’re practicing the actual sport.

Modes and new features on Xbox Series X

NBA 2K23 offers a wide array of game modes, both classic and new ones, that will hold your interest for hundreds of hours. One of the best ones is the Jordan Challenge, an interactive timeline where we’ll be able to relive the best moments of Jordan’s meteoric career. Starting with his 1982 NCAA Championship with the University of North Carolina and ending with his last championship against the Jazz in 1998, the Jordan Challenge is a dream come true to all basketball enthusiasts. Each of these playable sections come with three different challenges based on Jordan's performance as well as retro-style filters that fit the era. Definitely a real spectacle that brings countless hours of fun, especially to His Airness fans.

It’s no surprise that the franchises’ iconic MyCareer mode is back, letting you create and customize your own player or literally copy yourself into the game with its Face Scan feature. This year’s MyCareer is a bit different than usual though. For the first time you're able to choose our own team, skipping the classic draft match and being able to get your player jersey straight away. The consequence of that is the in-game fans will hate you, since they were expecting college star (and your new rival) Shep Owens to get that same position. While this year’s career mode story isn’t very inspired, you’ll find major improvements in its hub. The City never looked better. Here you’ll find all kinds of activities, quests and a newly designed arena that could be considered a game on its own.

Next is MyNBA, an interesting mode where you’ll be able to relive and rewrite some of the most iconic moments from NBA history. The game offers 4 different eras to explore: the Magic Johnson and Larry Bird era, the Michael Jordan era, the Kobe Bryant era and the modern times. This feature is simply amazing, especially if you’re a sports history buff. You won’t just be able to play some of the best basketball matches ever, but also be able to play with legendary players as well as the rest of their team-mates. And as you can guess, all of this is as fun as it sounds.

Last but not least, NBA 2K23 includes MyTeam, the series famous card collector mode. This strategy game will let you assemble a roster of your favorite NBA players and build a dream line-up. The mode also includes a series of single and multiplayer competitive contests to test your team and, as a new feature, you’ll be able to test your starters against an AI in a Triple Threat (3v3) before making your pick.

Graphics on Xbox Series X

With gorgeous life-like visuals, NBA 2K23 is one of the best looking games of this generation. The title works great on Xbox Series X, featuring lifelike character models and extremely detailed environments that are a complete treat to the eye with a proper 4K display. Visual Concepts have rendered with extreme care every detail of the game, from the player’s realistic expressions to the cheering crowds in the stadium. However, as beautiful the graphics are, sometimes they suffer small frame rate drops or slowdowns, especially while exploring The City. Luckily these are not a big annoyance and you’ll barely notice them unless you’re specifically looking for them.

Does NBA 2K23 have microtransactions?

Yes, NBA 2K23 has microtransactions. Much to our dismay, the franchise has gained a reputation for focusing on in-game purchases and NBA 2K23 is a clear example of it. You’ll find prompts to spend your real money literally everywhere. While you can get game tokens (VCs) by grinding the different game modes, it’s almost impossible to get a decent amount without giving up first. You can literally spend several hours to get just enough in-game money to exchange for some overalls that look exactly like the ones you already have… and the number of hours you’ll have to spend grinding just skyrockets if you’re aiming to improve your stats. For that reason, while microtransactions are not mandatory, they feel completely forced on players. Which is a complete shame, since it completely destroys an otherwise excellent gaming experience.

The best next-gen basketball game (with a catch)

NBA 2K23 is a great addition to the franchise and the best basketball game ever released on the Xbox Series X. Its thrilling modes, challenging gameplay and stunning graphics are just a few of the many things to like here. However, the fun you can get through the offline modes and its multiplayer are two sides of the same coin. The intrusive microtransactions create a breach between players that aren’t willing to spend more money on their base game and those with a fat wallet that will definitely buy their way to stardom through these unfair payments. While NBA 2K23 is a very high quality and fun basketball sim, it didn’t need to fall into the pay-to-win business model.