NBA 2K22

Rating: 5/10 I picked this up on a deep sale because I wanted a basketball game to mess around with. After sinking some hours into it, I have complicated feelings. This is one of those games where you can clearly see the talent of the developers fighting against the greed of the publisher, and unfortunately, the greed wins more often than not. The Good: On-court gameplay is solid. When you're actually playing a straight-up game of basketball—no story interruptions, no VC grinding—it feels good. The new stamina system forces you to actually manage your players instead of just sprinting the whole game . The shot meter is easier to read this year, and passing actually feels crisp . MyNBA (Franchise mode) is legit. If you're the type of player who wants to manage a team, handle trades, and sim seasons, this is genuinely the best franchise mode in sports gaming. It's deep, customizable, and you can get lost in it for hours . Presentation is polished. The arena atmospheres, the commentary variety (they added different announcer crews), and the overall broadcast feel are top-tier . It looks like a real NBA game. The Bad: PC players got the short end of the stick. This is my biggest frustration. The PS5 and Xbox Series X versions got a true "next-gen" experience with the full "City" open-world mode. PC? We got the old-gen version. Same graphics engine they've been using for years. Same limited features. Our PCs are more powerful than those consoles, but we got a downgraded port . MyCareer is a grind (and not the fun kind). I just want to play basketball and build my player. Instead, I'm forced to do cringey side tasks, answer pointless interview questions, and scheme with an agent I didn't ask for. And if you don't buy VC (virtual currency), your player is stuck at 60 overall for an unreasonably long time. It's pay-to-win even in the single-player mode . Online modes are a cheater's paradise. The park and rec center are flooded with modders and cheaters on PC. 2K didn't bother implementing any real anti-cheat, so if you want to play online, just be prepared for a miserable experience . It's buggy. I've had crashes, weird player interactions under the rim, and AI teammates that play zero defense while the CPU hits everything . Quick Tips: Don't buy this at full price. Seriously. Wait for a sale. It's a "Mixed" rated game on Steam for a reason—over 16,000 negative reviews mostly complain about the PC port being a copy-paste job and the aggressive microtransactions . If you buy it, stick to MyNBA or Play Now. These modes let you actually enjoy basketball without the VC grind. Use a controller. The keyboard controls are awkward, and the game was clearly designed for a gamepad. Manual save often. I've lost progress to crashes more than once. Verdict: NBA 2K22 is a frustrating paradox. The actual basketball underneath is probably the best it's been in years. But the experience around it—the outdated PC port, the predatory microtransactions, the buggy online modes—makes it hard to recommend. If you're a hardcore basketball fan who just wants to play franchise mode or quick exhibition games, you'll get your money's worth on a sale. If you're here for MyCareer or online play, you're better off looking elsewhere or waiting for a version that actually respects your time and wallet.