NBA 2K25 – PS5 Review

There’s a lot I take for granted with NBA 2K25. The series has always looked authentic and kept the presentation to a high level. It’s no different here with the commentary remaining insightful, if bordering on repetitive. Arenas and players look accurate with the court-side activity remaining lively and active. It will always impress me. The action looks smooth, although bringing things in for closer angles can hit the framerate. From a standard perspective, it moves like butter.

There’s a real polish on show and it does make every occasion feel like an event. The broadcast layouts and stats feedback plenty of info and the attention to detail shines through. Of course, if you’re a regular to the series, it’s a given. Visual Concepts have always strived for a stellar presentation and this year’s effort hits the mark. I just love seeing the activity around the venue and players moving to create space. It’s lively and kinetic. There’s still times when animations obviously snap together but, for the most part, it’s fluid.

MyNBAEras deliver period-appropriate filters and overlays to portray times gone by. Player likenesses remain sound and I do admire how the history of the sport is now part of the package. There is, unfortunately not a showcase mode like the Jordan Challenge this time around. I do miss more focused historical content, although MyNBAEras looks to encompass much more than that.

There have been some complaints about the accuracy of the rosters. Likenesses haven’t matched up and, outside of the big franchises, there’s been a couple of odd outliers. It’s nothing an update won’t fix and I’m used to this kind of stuff happening in other sports games. It’s still a shame to see but not a deal breaker for me. I do feel the Eras themselves can be a little poorly defined and there’s some periods I wish they would cover. It begins with Larry Bird but I would love to see them venture earlier, perhaps going as far as touching on the league’s infancy.

Gameplay, from my casual viewpoint, remains at a high standard. I play things pretty basic and let the AI make their own moves. They seem smart and always look to give me an option within a crowded area. Defensively, they can throw in the occasional brainless move but, over the course of a match, it doesn’t stand out. Shooting has a reliable feel and there’s a nice visual flourish when you hit the sweet spot with your timing. The training drills are capable and gave me enough feedback to know what I should be doing.

MyPlayer takes a different approach with its story. Rather than hours of toil within the high school and college game, your avatar tackles a more condensed tale. Heart of a Dynasty acts more as a tutorial to ease players into the basics of scoring, assisting and defence. I prefer it, although some of the acting in involve leaves a lot to be desired. A Spanish nemesis arrives who delivers lines like he’s in a criminal line-up. On top of that, there’s the usual platitudes of basketballing to give back to the community and some minor turmoil with a best bud.

It’s still a romanticised version of sports stardom but I don’t see any sports game selling it another way. I like that it gets straight to the parts that matter. It’s the usual mix of game time, talking with the GM about objectives, meeting the press and signing endorsements. It can be fun ticking off challenges and building your player up. It can still feel like a grind for badges and stats but the basketball makes it compelling enough.

The City social space doesn’t operate at a steady framerate. I believe it’s capped at 30 but, when compared to everything else, it looks jerky. When I’m deep into a player career, I tend to skip the legwork between venues and I think the novelty of being overtaken by other players on karts can quickly wear off. You could argue it’s more impressive than navigating a menu but it feels like an obstacle in the way of what truly matters.

There is no shortage of content here. The W gives players a chance to have a career in the WNBA and it’s nice to see those modes starting to reach parity with the men’s game. As you’d expect, the presentation is solid with the home courts looking accurate. Player likenesses have good detail to them and you do get to see some tattoos. From what I can tell, they’re giving this league plenty of focus. The key thing for me is that is represents a different style of basketball rather than appearing a reskinned men’s game.

MyGM mode allows players to take a more hands on approach to managing a team. It stays largely the same as last year but remains an interesting thing to dig my teeth into. Conversing with the players and keeping their morale up isn’t particularly complex but it does have some long-term goals and everyone wants to create a dynasty.

For team building of a more monetised nature, MyTeam provides the usual pack-opening antics. Aside from the typical online showdowns, the single-player aspect takes the shape of a board game. After your team is picked you can pick a number of options that will tweak a scenario like squeaking out a win in the dying embers of the 4^th quarter. I enjoy it but it’s clear the mode still feels like a billboard. I was bombarded with pack offers and passes that I’m never going to pull the trigger on. It’s cool you can play without spending a dime but there’s an insistence to the advertising that I wish I could turn off.

When it comes down to it, NBA 2K25 is a very iterative product. Annual sports games always feel that way but I still believe Visual Concepts get a lot right. Nobody can say this game is lacking in content with an abundance of historical and contemporary stuff to tinker with. MyNBAEras might be missing the mark in terms of accuracy but the ball it plays remains deep and intriguing as ever. I’m not sure I can answer whether veterans should dive in. There’s nothing truly major here, but I do feel it’s well done and a loaded package.