[ad_1]
Let's start with the good news: NBA 2K19 is not asregious with its nickel-and-diming as NBA 2K18 WAS. But that being the good news is also what makes this worst News.
Last year's entry in what's still the best basketball series (on the court at least) on the planet has been heavily criticized by fans for it just for cosmetic stuff for career progression as well.
It's still going well, of course, but the outrage was enough to convince 2K to walk back some of the more obscene parts of the game's thirst for Virtual Currency (VC) in this year's edition. in 2K19 haircuts are back to being free, players can earn more VC after games, and there are more opportunities to pick up extra currency through daily activities, all of which makes 2K19 feel like there's a Slightly smaller boot to your throat every time you hit a menu screen.
What's VC?
Virtual Currency, or VC, is the lifeblood of NBA 2K19. It's just getting into the game, from player stats to new sneakers. It can be earned in small amounts through gameplay, but 2K would really be preferable if you just paid for it with real cash.
That's nice, I guess. But the place 2K19 It's a safe place, it's a safe place, it's a place to think about it, it can be done with fans, then a boy hoo.
NBA 2K19 is Constantly begging you to spend VC. You are asked to spend your time on the road to speeding up, on shoes, on clothes. It's relentless, in your face the moment you turn the game on, and it does not leave you until the second you quit (quite literally, since GET VC is right there underneath QUIT).
The worst offender, though, is more and more important to you than ever before. MyCareer progression is tied to VC spending. You do not level up in 2K19 purely by playing, you buy your stats upgrades with VC, and because everybody else starts MyCareer is a priority.
Note: my review copy of the game was the fancy Anniversary Edition that came with 100,000 VC baked-in, so I could instantly bump my guy up to an overall rating of 75, which let me cruise through 2K19's lengthy prelude section against Chinese and G-League teams. This was also helpful because it gives me a better deal 2K19 contracts determine how much you get after every win.
If you like most players 2K19, though, get ready. Your player will be awful, your opportunities limited, and the NBA will be a hellscape of missed shots and stripped balls until you get your skills up.
It's pay-to-win, basically. In a singleplayer game mode (though of course) And 2K's solution to improve the experience, hey, you can buy the most expensive Anniversary Edition of the game, or buy a stack of VC with real cash.
Gold do things the hard way. In theory, and I know there will be very dedicated players who will argue this, you can avoid paying extra money by simply improving your player organically. VC is awarded in other ways, mostly through game performance, so it's definitely possible to start from the bottom and work your way to the world, even if it takes months.
But the higher your stats get, the more the improvement of the costs, so that it could only take a few steps to move up a point, it can later take days or even weeks. And while loads of people are willing to do this, are we really having this conversation right now? This kind of rationale is mobile game shit, the kind of odious formula that you expect Mobile Strike, a major home console title.
Yet that's exactly how 2K19 presents itself. Even after taking all the criticism of the last year, the aftermath of a very clear "apology" for a barbershop miscalculation, the foundations of this series of economics are still built atop a bedrock of utterly gross game design.
2K19 is a free-to-play mobile game, where you'll be able to get your money, even if you've already given it $ 50. To play 2K19 You are in a constant state of denial and refusal, always aware that in every aspect of the game, from the gym to the blinds to the action itself, you can not on something.
It is not fun to be around.
And all of this is before the game of advertising and marketing, which is not directly related to microtransactions, but is related to the overall feeling of "this game is gross to be around". There is advertising across all sports games, it's an unavoidable part of the experience, if only because these sports are simulating are full of ads! Goal 2K goes way beyond anything EA does not FIFA gold MaddenMyCareer experience.
I just mentioned some shit about mobile games, but at least They'd reward me for having to sit through an ad:
I just do not get it. There are plenty of other sports games on the market, some of them even outselling 2K, and they're nowhere near as abrasive or offensive with their thirst for cash. FIFA and Madden make millions on digital card sales, but have a chance to have a game that will not be seen.
And so with FIFA, despite the series' own problems, I still find myself looking forward, if the player has become more successful, if crowds have become livelier. And because it's almost entirely devoid of microtransaction panhandling, I'm really looking forward to the conclusion of FIFA's excellent singleplayer story arc this year.
But with 2KI'm going to have a lot of fun, and I'm going to have a lot of things to do.
Source link
