Is NBA2K23 a cop or drop?

September 9th marks the newest installment of the 2k franchise, NBA2k23. 2k has a record of not being so good with their past few games. However, this new game seems to have the potential to revive the franchise. 

“It’s really fun to play … They added more realism to it and how the game plays itself [is interesting],” says 2k veteran, Junior Bobby Riefke.

With the end of 2k22, fans were outraged that 2k did not include End Game cards (best possible versions) of some players to MyTeam. Some of these players included Stephen Curry, Jason Tatum, Jimmy Butler, etc. 

To compensate, at least for Jimmy Butler’s missing End Game card, they decided to have his card be one of three possible chosen starters. At the beginning of your MyTeam journey, you are given a starter pack containing three cards. Once opened, you choose which player you want most. The starters in 2k23 are 88 overall Ja Morant, Jimmy Butler, and Joel Embiid. Once you pick your starter, then you start the grind using them as your anchor.

Some noticeable changes to MyTeam are the introduction of single player Clutch time and the new look on player cards.

One additional feature, that I am fond of, is the introduction to galaxy opal and dark matter cards this early on. In 2k22, the players had to wait months before the first dark matter came out. However, for 2k23 it’s only been a week. 

One way to get these new dark matter cards is through the trophy case. Collecting 15 ‘trophies’ can allow you to obtain galaxy opal cards. But be careful, you can only get five for season one. Once you get a combination of galaxy opal cards it allows you to get certain dark matters such as Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Tim Duncan, along with other big names. 

While huge changes are coming to MyTeam, not too much is happening on the MyCareer side. 

“Its fun to play … Its fun cruising around the city and doing quests,” says Riefke.

However, Riefke explains that there are still the same problems in MyCareer that have been around ever since it was released.

“MyCareer has always been a pay to win type of game so it’s really hard to make a good player and it’ll definitely take a lot longer,” says Riefke. “The point of the game is not to spend money, its to spend time and have fun with your friends.”

Riefke continues to explain that this problem has been consistent over the past years and believes that it should be the first problem to fix. 

One reason players start to be sucked into the black hole of MyCareer is that in almost all game bundles there are ‘free rewards’ that help you advance in both MyTeam and MyCareer. Riefke has fallen victim to this and says that he purchased the Michael Jordan edition of 2k23. With the purchase of around $100, he receives a lot of free rewards going towards MyTeam and MyCareer. While it might not seem to be worth the pricey cost, Riefke says he does not regret buying the Michael Jordan edition.

Who doesn’t love it when a game adds a new gamemode. The new 2k23 gamemode is known as MyNBA Eras. 

A really interesting feature for this is the new filter that they added. The new filter over the game is as if you are watching that basketball game in that year. For instance, if you are playing in the Magic v Bird era, the screen and arena graphics will look like it would be in a basketball game recorded in the 80’s. Although this was an unexpected feature it didn’t disappoint.

Next to MyNBA eras are the Michael Jordan challenges, first introduced in 2k11. Focusing on the top ten games of Michael Jordan’s career, fans, including myself, are happy to unfold the story of Jordan once again. 

Even Riefke, who isn’t known to be a Jordan fan, is eager to play this returning gammode. “It’s cool going through [Jordan’s] career and his time as a player … I don’t like Michael Jordan but I think the mode is pretty cool,” says Riefke.

Now those of you who get the game to just play with friends on PlayNow might get a little surprise. 2k has decided to give us 15, yes 15, whole new shot meters. Riefke, who doesn’t usually play with a shot meter, sees this as a threat to the gameplay. “There are too many [shot meters]. I just don’t think they should have added them.”

In addition to the 15 new shot meters, the new player ratings for 2k23 have been altered and, so far, controversial in the community. “I don’t agree with them. I think some players like [Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry] … should be rated higher,” says Riefke.

With the past few 2k games not being as amazing as the ones in the past, this new game sure does look to be living up to the hype. I would definitely recommend playing NBA2k23.