NBA 2K21 Mamba Forever Edition - PlayStation 5 Mamba Forever Edition

PC version is just a reskin with minor updates that subjectively feel worse. Shot meter sucks in all forms. No updated moves from 2k22 that aren't canned animations aka not motion capture. I bought this on sale and still feel ripped off seeing what current gen get for the same price. THIS IS NOT NEW 2K. THIS IS 2K22 RESKINNED.

Hello, my name Andrew and I purchased both PS4 and PS5 versions because I often make idiotic financial decisions. However, I make those decisions so you don't have to. I bought the PS4 version on release date in early September mainly because I wanted the Kobe Mamba edition. As a huge Kobe Bryant fan, I was ecstatic to get this version even for the somewhat overpriced tag. I wasn't get a PS5 anytime soon anyway. Lo and behold, the PS5 version was a completely different Kobe Bryant set complete with different artwork and a different Steelbook. \

2K takes a step back

NBA2K21 for the PS5 is another attempt by 2K to grab money from loyal fans. Fans of the game will find that the only new thing in this game is the removal of the pie charts from MyCareer. The gameplay in terms of dribbling and stamina seem more realistic, however it feels as though the number of features that MyCareer have taken a major step back. It’s as if 2K decides to ignore what went well with previous games and start from scratch each time.I would avoid this game as much as possible as you will ultimately be spending money on both MyTeam and MyCareer in order to enjoy the game fully and even then both modes miss the mark like Ben Simmons attempting a 3. I got bored of it after 2-3 weeks. I’ve written some issues below that might help explain the ... MoreNBA2K21 for the PS5 is another attempt by 2K to grab money from loyal fans. Fans of the game will find that the only new thing in this game is the removal of the pie charts from MyCareer. The gameplay in terms of dribbling and stamina seem more realistic, however it feels as though the number of features that MyCareer have taken a major step back. It’s as if 2K decides to ignore what went well with previous games and start from scratch each time.I would avoid this game as much as possible as you will ultimately be spending money on both MyTeam and MyCareer in order to enjoy the game fully and even then both modes miss the mark like Ben Simmons attempting a 3. I got bored of it after 2-3 weeks. I’ve written some issues below that might help explain the reasoning.Issues:MyCareer- Need to play MyPark to get to the City to just gain access to gear (several games and time)- The attributes and badges are limited and to just get extra badges you need to grind it in MyPark for hundreds of hours- The “rival” Hendrick Cobb doesn’t add anything to the story after he gets traded (has more badges then you’ll ever get, and is better then you)- The story is lazily made and don’t add anything to the game mode- The badge point system makes no sense re: Having 20 assists gets you fewer playmaking badge points then completing 8 lobs. Also after earning all your badge points you don’t feel like your playing towards something aside from getting to 99 overall.- Need to pay $$$ to make your MyPlayer playable- College decision/choice doesn’t affect draft stock, number of fans, experience gained towards anything- The builds are broken and favour the Power Forward position, for instance using the same attributes for the PF build on say a Small forward build gives you far fewer badges.MyTeam:- Pay for Play- Matchmaking is still broken as you will have teams where they have 5 pink diamonds but the rest are all bronze. Essentially your going to lose- Rewards for earning all the cards for a certain team are small and effectively pointless- Card Evolutions are limited, this should be applied to all cards so to make the grinding more fun (similar to some cards to 2K19 and 20)- Have not added anything new to this mode and really just feels like a copy paste from previous games and generationsMyGM:- Least touched upon mode in the game- New load out screen is a nice touch as it allows people to customize their GM experience- Gameplay, training, scouting, trades, etc are the exact same as in previous years- Removed the halftime show with Earnie and the gang (imagine due to covid but could have still recored their voices)

Confusing Controls and Goofy Graphics

Was excited to play this game. It's been a while since playing 2K, and after scoring a PS5, definitely wanted to try the latest version. I'm glad I didn't wait/waste money on the Mamba Forever edition. The gameplay should be fairly straight forward, but the controls are really confusing as compared to earlier editions. Shooting is extremely tricky... regardless if you have the meter on or not. Using the release meter, and releasing when everything lines up never guarantees a basket. Passing the ball is all over the place... where the ball will be passed when that's not what the player was told to do. In those instances, you can bet that it will be passed to the other team. Player behavior and skill is completely different between Practice and real Games. Some of the ... MoreWas excited to play this game. It's been a while since playing 2K, and after scoring a PS5, definitely wanted to try the latest version. I'm glad I didn't wait/waste money on the Mamba Forever edition. The gameplay should be fairly straight forward, but the controls are really confusing as compared to earlier editions. Shooting is extremely tricky... regardless if you have the meter on or not. Using the release meter, and releasing when everything lines up never guarantees a basket. Passing the ball is all over the place... where the ball will be passed when that's not what the player was told to do. In those instances, you can bet that it will be passed to the other team. Player behavior and skill is completely different between Practice and real Games. Some of the scoring metrics are confusing as well.For this franchise to be as old as it is, I'm surprised at the bugs and oddities that exist. Definitely a frustrating game to play.

Great Baseball Game BUT complicated with little help available

I grew up listening to the World Series in School on the P.A so I have been a huge baseball fan. I used to play the baseball arcade game all the time. So, when I purchased my PS4 Pro I wanted the Baseball Game. This so so realistic in every way possible. It is easy to get started BUT after that you are lost in all the intricate details. It is driving me NUTS. I have searched online for help and it is useless. So for now I just put it away and am playing golf and pool. They need a REAL manual that will walk one through how to use it like the DUMMIES manuals. I sense that it is so complicated that only the designers really get how to use it. If you have hundreds of hours to dive into this game buy it. Otherwise forget it!

I bought both PS4 and PS5 Forever Mamba sets

Hello, my name Andrew and I purchased both PS4 and PS5 versions because I often make idiotic financial decisions. However, I make those decisions so you don't have to. I bought the PS4 version on release date in early September mainly because I wanted the Kobe Mamba edition. As a huge Kobe Bryant fan, I was ecstatic to get this version even for the somewhat overpriced tag. I wasn't get a PS5 anytime soon anyway. Lo and behold, the PS5 version was a completely different Kobe Bryant set complete with different artwork and a different Steelbook. So I bought this version as well. I guess the silver lining is that the PS5 version is a better bargain because it's the same price as the PS4 set at $100 but you get a more expensive PS5 game disc in addition to a digital ... MoreHello, my name Andrew and I purchased both PS4 and PS5 versions because I often make idiotic financial decisions. However, I make those decisions so you don't have to. I bought the PS4 version on release date in early September mainly because I wanted the Kobe Mamba edition. As a huge Kobe Bryant fan, I was ecstatic to get this version even for the somewhat overpriced tag. I wasn't get a PS5 anytime soon anyway. Lo and behold, the PS5 version was a completely different Kobe Bryant set complete with different artwork and a different Steelbook. So I bought this version as well. I guess the silver lining is that the PS5 version is a better bargain because it's the same price as the PS4 set at $100 but you get a more expensive PS5 game disc in addition to a digital version of the PS4 game which I already had in physical form. Another bit of silver lining was I was able to give the code to my brother. All in all, I'm glad 2K was able to commemorate my favorite player in two versions. I'd gladly pay any amount.

Not Impressed

Having played NBA2K21 on the PS5 for about a week an half I think I can say without a doubt…Im not impressed. I should preface in saying I've purchased every 2K game since 2K14 (except 16) and I can say this is one of, if not the worst instalments in 2K history.MyTeam looks essentially the same and as with previous instalments and is a pay-for-play, unless you find yourself being one of those who don’t mind putting in the hours.GM/Franchise mode have not been touched in years and it is essentially the same minus some aesthetic changes (menu got changed around in the mode but thats about it).Now my real gripe is with the MyCareer mode. To sum up what I’ve written below, The only change is with the Pie charts no longer existing, yet it still feels as though they ... MoreHaving played NBA2K21 on the PS5 for about a week an half I think I can say without a doubt…Im not impressed. I should preface in saying I've purchased every 2K game since 2K14 (except 16) and I can say this is one of, if not the worst instalments in 2K history.MyTeam looks essentially the same and as with previous instalments and is a pay-for-play, unless you find yourself being one of those who don’t mind putting in the hours.GM/Franchise mode have not been touched in years and it is essentially the same minus some aesthetic changes (menu got changed around in the mode but thats about it).Now my real gripe is with the MyCareer mode. To sum up what I’ve written below, The only change is with the Pie charts no longer existing, yet it still feels as though they exist and that the game has taken a step back in quality. Now for the specifics see below:- The build: I found that the amount of badges you can get this year compared to last year is greatly reduced in the initial build. For instance I built a James Harden/Kobe Bryant Shooting guard in 2k20 and had 14 finishing badges, 22 shooting, 15 playmaking and 3 defending and had pretty decent attributes/ratings. I tried to build the same player this time around and only had 8 finishing, 17 shooting, 10 playmaking and 4 defending.- The Build Again: If you want to create a decent Small forward you’ll need to actually create a PowerFoward (more badges and better attributes in the PowerForward build). Also what was strange was I built a 6’8 powerforward that had my secondary position being a center. In reality it should be a small forward since MyPlayer is about 3-4 inches shorter than most centers.- Ratings/VC: You start off again in the 60’s and more than likely you’ll need to shell out at least $60 to make your MyPlayer decent enough to play with- High School: You can’t equip gear like Arm sleeves, compression pants, knee pads, etc for some reason. Guess in real life HS players like Bronny James don’t wear arm sleeves or anything like that (wait a second…..yes he does).- City/Park: For some reason you can’t get into the city until you played multiple games in the Park (You can’t get on-court gear or anything else until you get past it, and even if you do you wont be able to equip any gear until you again get into the NBA). Depending on your skill level it will take a while to get going and even then how you perform here for some reason affects your ability in the NBA (if you have cold zones in my park congrats you have those same cold zones in the NBA).- College/University: There’s a weird relationship storyline put in that doesn’t really affect the game at all, (did I mention you cant equip gear yet?)- NBA: congrats you can now equip gear, but only if you get into the City- Jumpshots: This will make or break your ability to consistently knock down jumpers (was able to find some decent combinations online), also the shooting is a lot harder then in previous years and even more frustrating re: You’re able to hit a fade away 3 point shot thats slightly late and 58% covered, but brick 5 3 pointers in a row that are all slightly early and only 2-10% covered at most.- Badges: Be prepared to grind these out, and they matter more than you may think. I’ve played 26 games in the NBA so far and have hit 118/239 3 pointers, 84/120 FT, and have hit maybe 50/120 Mid-range shots, but only have 9 shooting badges. Now in order to hit certain shots (say 3 pointers) I’ve had to put all of my badge points towards gold corner specialist, hot zone hunter and catch and shoot just to be able to not brick my shots.- Badges again: Also in order to get 10 additional badge points for each area you’ll need to hit superstar on MyPark/City which frankly will be next to impossible to do (unless you have no other responsibilities).- Story: The story is essentially a repeat of past versions: Dad or someone important died before you made the NBA/HS, have to fill someones shoes, have some rival you meet in HS or college/university, have to choose between either a close friend or professional to become your agent, etc etc etcFrankly I could keep going but there so simple to fix that Im surprised 2K hasn’t addressed them… Wait it’s 2K Im actually not surprised at all.Should 2K ever look at this review do the following, allow more freedom with ratings, more badge points, (refer to NBA2K15 for guidance). Also not everyone wants to play in The Park and therefore should be allowed top play exclusively in the NBA and not be limited in terms of build

Ohhh boy.

I could write an essay on how poorly composed of a game this is, NBA 2k21 is the poster child for a gambling game, that has basketball side content. The company literally puts more time and effort into their monetary benefit than sound gameplay. You can see that through their pre-order bonus structure that was implemented this year's game cycle.They have in-game currency, and to them, there is no way they were going to give customers even an inch when it comes to free VC that is given in the pre-order bonus purchase, repeat purchase! The structuring is placed out so that no matter what you can't overlap and potentially get more VC without shelling out more money. You'd think if they were this money hungry the basic foundations of a game would be met, lol you'd be ... MoreI could write an essay on how poorly composed of a game this is, NBA 2k21 is the poster child for a gambling game, that has basketball side content. The company literally puts more time and effort into their monetary benefit than sound gameplay. You can see that through their pre-order bonus structure that was implemented this year's game cycle.They have in-game currency, and to them, there is no way they were going to give customers even an inch when it comes to free VC that is given in the pre-order bonus purchase, repeat purchase! The structuring is placed out so that no matter what you can't overlap and potentially get more VC without shelling out more money. You'd think if they were this money hungry the basic foundations of a game would be met, lol you'd be sadly mistaken. Their servers are still poor it's been literally a decade and there has been no improvement in their servers, and why is it we're in 2020-21 and for the last couple years NBA 2k can't manage to save my in game settings on a consistent basis lool, but I think one of the many problems with NBA 2k that needs to be spoken about is how hypocritical they are when it comes to earning VC in game, whenever the community finds a VC exploit ( which is basically farming, most rpg games have that kind of structure to gain experience) when 2k sees you earning more VC than 2K wants you to without paying them more money they are very quick to ban and terminate your player files, and the game subsequently gets a nearly instant patch to fix said exploits, but when I, for instance, play on the blacktop mode to try and "farm" VC because they make it feel like when you're playing this game you're actually supposed to be mining cryptocurrency bacause it feels like a job when its supposed to be, this'll shock you, FuN. It's almost like they're trying to twist your arm into buying VC, but they wouldn't do that. Anyways, I'd play the mode and you're suppose to earn VC per match but you end up only getting VC when the game decides it ok to give it to you, with no fixes in site.To me the proof is in the pudding because out of all the PS5 launch games and be a 2k21 is among the few that is no longer $89.99. Rightfully so though.

Xbox One - NBA 2K21

NBA 2K21 is the latest release in the world-renowned, best-selling NBA 2K series. With exciting improvements upon its best-in-class gameplay, competitive and community online features, and deep, varied game modes, NBA 2K21 offers one-of-a-kind immersion into all facets of NBA basketball and culture - where Everything is Game. In NBA 2K21, new, old, and returning ballers alike will find exciting game modes that offer a variety of basketball experiences: MyCAREER - Embark on your own personal, cinematic basketball journey to reach your ultimate destination: the National Basketball Association. Build up your custom MyPLAYER and take him to the heights of their career and stardom, and make a name for yourself in the global basketball universe. MyTEAM - Assemble your ... MoreNBA 2K21 is the latest release in the world-renowned, best-selling NBA 2K series. With exciting improvements upon its best-in-class gameplay, competitive and community online features, and deep, varied game modes, NBA 2K21 offers one-of-a-kind immersion into all facets of NBA basketball and culture - where Everything is Game. In NBA 2K21, new, old, and returning ballers alike will find exciting game modes that offer a variety of basketball experiences: MyCAREER - Embark on your own personal, cinematic basketball journey to reach your ultimate destination: the National Basketball Association. Build up your custom MyPLAYER and take him to the heights of their career and stardom, and make a name for yourself in the global basketball universe. MyTEAM - Assemble your G.O.A.T. NBA fantasy team of current players and historic legends and compete against the world. Uncover rare and highly-rated player cards by participating in many rewarding game events and daily and weekly challenges, and compare your hard-earned collection with friends and competitors. NEIGHBORHOOD - Live out your virtual, day-to-day basketball life in a neighborhood that doesn’t sleep and that always offers something to do. Jump in on 3v3 streetball runs with your crew, or play for bigger stakes in 5v5 ProAm games. Shop for the latest sneaker and apparel drops. Level up your MyPLAYER at the local training facility. In your NEIGHBORHOOD, basketball never stops, and Everything is Game. MyGM/MyLEAGUE - Sit in the boss’ chair, and make decisions that matter not only to your player or team - but to the entire franchise and league. From drafting impact rookies to trading players to relocating your team, every move, big or small, counts towards the long-term success - or failure - of your basketball franchise. PLAY NOW - Jump into a no-frills basketball game, where you can get a quick match together against a friend or AI and play 4 quarters of intense NBA 2K basketball. Pick your favorite team - or a Classic or All-Time team - and run the offense with genre-defining controls and customization. This is NBA action at its most authentic. REALER THAN EVER - With enhancements across visual presentation, player AI, game modes, and much more, NBA 2K21 continues to push the boundaries as the most authentic, realistic basketball video game experience. Feel the energy of the crowd, the intensity of NBA competition, and the entertainment of the most immersive sports product in gaming today. ELITE GAMEPLAY - Enjoy unparalleled control with the ball in your hands, using the advanced Pro Stick. Aim jump shots and layups for a new level of precision and skill, and unlock new signature dribble moves with more effective ball handling. YOUR G.O.A.T. TEAM - Build your greatest collection of latest NBA stars and legendary ballers in MyTEAM and compete against other ferocious collectors around the world. New for 2K21, limited-time Seasons offer unique rewards as you compete in new and returning MyTEAM modes. NEW MyCAREER STORY - Ascend from high school ball to one of ten officially-licensed college programs to the big leagues in a brand new, cinematic MyCAREER experience. Take your MyPLAYER to the top by making the big moves on the court and even bigger moves off of it, and make a name for yourself along this exciting, dramatic journey. NEW NEIGHBORHOOD LOCALE - Soak in the sun as you ball out in 1v1s, 3v3s, and 5v5s; the new Neighborhood in 2K21 takes your game beachside with all-new visuals and layout. Flash your skills & style in the Park, squad up in Pro-Am, and earn prizes in dynamically-updated 2K Compete Events. ALL THE LATEST DROPS AND MUSIC - From head to toe, look the part of a baller with all-new apparel and sneaker drops from your favorite clothing, accessory and shoe brands. And ball while taking in the dynamic 2K21 music experience, which features the latest big artists from around the world and breakthrough musicians waiting to be discovered. USA BASKETBALL - Relive USA Basketball’s championship legacy. Take the court with classic teams, collect MyTEAM cards featuring past stars, and show off your pride with MyPLAYER gear. This is definitely worth it for any NBA fan out there, especially now that the price is right!

You know exactly what to expect if you have played the previous versions

A really good game with lots of depth on its mechanics and many different modes to pass the time. The issue comes from it being nothing revolutionary. Yes, some things in the modes are slightly different, yes you have WNBA (which you can only use in some modes) and you have also more items to collect. The core gameplay is the same. In this edition, you are reviewing the PS4 version. The graphics on the PS4 seem grainy and the quality is not good. Also, the loading times are not good at all on the PS4 ( I am not comparing the PS5 to the PS4 version, I am just discussing the PS4 version as an individual game).