Where were we? To the triumph in the Finals of Kawhi Leonard and his Toronto Raptors. To the farewells of two legends that have marked the recent history of this sport, Nowitzki and D-Wade. To one of the busiest summer markets, which has upset the future equilibrium of NBA. But above all, we remained at a world championship FIBA which, despite a good figure for the Azzurri, left a bad taste in the mouth of many of us. In short, the conditions for a great basketball season are all there and this is why we couldn't wait to get our hands on NBA 2K20 and eat basketball for the few weeks remaining before the real tap-off. Are you ready to find out if this new chapter of Visual concepts will it be able to improve those few uncertainties that the already extraordinary 2K19 edition had? Well, kick-off!
gameplay
The hunger for basketball is great and for this we start immediately from the impact we had with the gameplay on the parquet. Initially the impression was that the game speed had been very slow, but it took a few penetrations inside the area to realize the extraordinary work that has been done on the movements of the players and on them physical presence in defense. In fact, these two aspects had been the subject of criticism in the previous chapter where players who combined great speed and physique were almost unstoppable. Now, however, we are faced with a simulation that is much more real and credible, where to go straight to the basket after a crossover with the Donovan Mitchell on duty, no longer guarantees us the almost total safety of the 2 points or the foul suffered.
This is also thanks to an obvious improved AI in the defensive phase, which is much more effective in climbing the scoring and covering any "holes" left by other teammates. To be clear, those annoying scenes in which the Isiah Thomas-like player went off on the counterattack in the open field and your defense chased him, so to speak, with the tallest and slowest player in the team, are no longer there. to me! ed.).
The experience in the game continues, and raising the level of difficulty appears more and more evident as in this edition of 2k Sports we wanted to give more weight to the skill with the pad of the player. In fact, this year our skills become even more important thanks to new dribbling system, to put it a little in football jargon. We will find ourselves having to think and carry out every movement in the basketball player's dribble, as we will almost no longer be able to rely on predefined combinations of movements. Indeed, for those approaching the world of virtual basketball for the first time, mastering the player's movement early on can be a real challenge. I therefore recommend investing some time on 2KU to better learn how this new mechanism works. I assure you that the satisfaction you will then have in beating the opponent from the dribble will be great.
From the point of view of playability, NBA 2K20 has therefore taken some important steps forward compared to its predecessor, seasoned with a series of graphic improvements that bring the in-game experience even closer to the real-television one of the American league. Faces and aspects of the players that touch perfection, increasingly truthful television interludes, accurate infographics, informative girths and a truly enviable technical commentary of the match, albeit in English. These are all elements that can be overshadowed because by now 2K has accustomed us to really high standards, but it should be emphasized that every year they still manage to raise the bar from this point of view. Finally, the icing on the cake comes with the addition of the WNBA, made up of 12 teams and 140 players, some of whom are very busy developing the game's animations. NBA 2K20 finally reaches the other sports titles that have a "female sector", but falls behind on the possibilities of use of the same, as it is limited only to exhibition matches or to the season. Probably in the future we will also have the opportunity to play the career with a female protagonist - as in FIFA for example - but for now, however, we turn up our noses a little.
My Career
The time has come to try your hand at the game modes offered by NBA 2K20. Of all my favorite is without a doubt My Career, to be faced with your own player created in our image and likeness (afro hair included of course). Let's start with the immediate affirmation that we are facing the best story / career ever seen on a sports video game, as well as the flagship of the 2020 edition. The news starts immediately with a new editor for creating your own player that could quietly make you spend 2 good hours in the design of your future NBA Star.
The vastness of options and combinations available is truly immense: we can manage the maximum potential and the choice of which aspects of our game to privilege, thus having absolute control over the evolution of one's creature. Like every year, I am inspired by the exploits of Steve Nash and I start with a Playmaker who creates games for his teammates, but I assure you that you will want to experiment with any type of player! The progression system seemed to respond positively compared to previous years where My Career was the subject of countless criticisms on the issue of microtransactions and pay to win. Problem that seems to have been partially corrected at the single player level, but certainly not eliminated and still very present in online modes.
Entering the heart, you immediately realize how the winning card this year is the partnership with Springhill Entertainment, a film producer founded by King James, engaged among other things on Space Jam 2. It is hard to explain the qualitative leap it has made history thanks to this change, it really feels like playing inside a movie. Our protagonist is called That and the climb to success begins as captain of the small Bay City team. Right from the start, in addition to a stellar cast boasting names of the caliber of Idris Elba and Rosario Dawson, the hand of Lebron and Maverick Carter, his partner and friend from high school. The issues are those of today not only being a talented athlete, but a reference figure who embodies the values of sport and can make a difference both on a sporting and political level with his voice. In this, NBA 2K20 mirrors and faithfully reproduces what the American league represents today and what it wants to be in the future, opening up to important reflections through an exciting and credible story.
Moving along the street we find the "Neighborhood”, Which returns in a completely resized version as the hub of the online part of the mode. To be honest, I have never felt the real need to take a tour of the neighborhood, being unwilling to customize clothing and so on, but from what I could see the relationship between single player and online with this change has been balanced great. Fortunately, it will no longer be necessary to invest time in workouts or in the gym to compensate for a too slow rating growth, as we will only be able to get temporary bonuses. Furthermore, the games in the playgrounds were more accessible with the changes made to the physicality in the gameplay and especially because thanks to the new build of the player, it will be rarer to encounter opponents with superpowers created in the laboratory (it was time! Ed.).
My Team and My League / My Gm
The exploration of the 2K world continues with the other modes: My Team and the pairing My League / My GM. The 2020 version of the Ultimate Team basketball emulation does not bring with it major changes, and it still remains the mode that most struggles to "capture" the players. The feeling, in fact, is that there is the potential to do much better, not limiting ourselves only to the pleasant addition of a Daily Prize that rewards those who play and slightly fills the gap with those who buy. After having recorded some other small news in terms of team composition in 3vs3, I move on to the other two modes: My League and My GM. Now, guys, I would like to say “Warning, if you are an avid fan of My Gm, continue at your own risk”, because nothing is as you remembered it anymore. In fact, the adventure as a general manager has undergone drastic changes and is now based on the Action Point mechanics necessary to make our moves in society. So it happens that you talk to the president or manager of the team and receive assignments, such as rejuvenating the roster by getting rid of waning veterans with a heavy contract, or rekindling the enthusiasm of the public through special promotions and victories. To reach the goal we will use the weekly Action Points we have and the success or failure of our maneuvers will be reported in a general ranking of GMs. I found the progression system interesting and gaining experience in levels that allows you to unlock unique skills for our career, but it should be noted that the novelties introduced at the moment prevent any type of customization of the mode, a fundamental reason that has prompted many gamers to spend hours on My Gm in the past. The only questionable choice therefore remains to revolutionize the My GM mode, which is already infuriating part of the community. Some things will definitely need to be revised, but I don't mind this mini revolution. I emphasize the concept of the only wrong choice because, although the title still suffers from the "problem" of microtransactions and probably the series itself will always suffer from it, this year the step backwards taken by 2K is important and allows us to play without having the constant feeling not to be level if you don't want to open your wallet. Thankfully, the sister My League remains devoid of drastic updates and essentially unchanged compared to 2K19, confirming once again the best possible experience of an NBA championship on consoles.
