A new ones NBA 2K game is on the horizon, courtesy of 2K Games and Visual Concepts. And while the series’ penchant for generating outrageous revenue will continue, several new features and improvements are worth describing. Let’s take a look at 16 things you need to know before you pick up NBA 2K23out September 9 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
Cover Athletes
This year’s iteration features not one, not two, but four cover athletes. Six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan graces the Championship Edition along with his own Michael Jordan Edition. The Standard Edition and Digital Deluxe Editions feature NBA All-Star Devin Booker three times. Finally, there’s the WNBA edition featuring Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird, although it’s only exclusive to GameStop in the US and Canada.
Jordan Challenges returns
With the return of Michael Jordan as cover athlete, The Jordan Challenges from NBA 2K11 yield. All 10 original challenges, reminiscent of legendary moments from his days in college, Team USA and the NBA, have been rebuilt and five new challenges have been added. More details are yet to come, but various teammates and rivals will also comment and appear in special vignettes to reflect on Jordan’s career.
MyCareer – The Return of the City and the Cruise
Another mode that requires more detail is MyCareer. Long story short, The City returns for Xbox Series X/S and PS5 versions, offering a brand new city to explore with new arenas and courses. You can also choose a team and compete against MyPlayers for supremacy. Previous-gen versions (and unfortunately PC) will once again host The Cruise, compete in the courts of a cruise ship, and reap rewards while also embarking on shore excursions. It’s been described as a “reckless basketball journey” involving pirates, but it’s better to wait for more information before getting hoped.
New Pro Stick Combos
For as much controversy as the NBA 2K series for its microtransactions, the gameplay was mostly very solid. This year seems to be a major refresh, starting with new Pro Stick combos. Swinging the stick allows for double throws and switchbacks, along with new commands for dosed skill dunks. Current-generation players also benefit from physics-based rim-hangs, allowing you to control when and how long a player hangs on the rim after a dunk.
Adrenaline boosts
Another new feature is Adrenaline Boost, shown as three bars below a player’s stamina meter. When you go for an explosive sprint, a boost is consumed and a player’s speed and acceleration decrease when they’ve all been used. There are only three boosts available to each player per possession, so it’s important to know the right time to use them.
Recording properties
Along with double the number of animations shot from previous games, NBA 2K23 also adds new recording properties. These include Shot Speed (how quickly a shot reaches the point of release), Release Height (the height of a shot when released), Defensive Immunity (how well a shot performs in matches against defenders), and Timing Impact (where the shot windows be adjusted, giving a bigger penalty for poorly timed shots, but bigger rewards for good timing). Each signature jump has unique shooting stats, adding more strategy to shooting situations.
New shot meters
Last year’s revamped Shot Meter received mixed reactions from fans. As result, NBA 2K23 offers five Shot Meters with 15 more to unlock in seasons after launch in the coming year. Visual Concepts notes, “Each meter fills to the end, which is your ideal unloading point, then deflates at the late end. 2K17–2K20.Shot arcs are also used to indicate when a player is too early, late, or at the right time with his timing. There’s also Shot Feedback which, when enabled, will delay the “timing/coverage overlay and green release animations from appearing until the ball hits the basket,” according to the developer, which is intended to help play through of possessions.
AI improvements
The AI has also improved this year, from better understanding defender positions to mixing up drive attempts. There’s also a new signature AI attack system where each star has a pack of four signature attack combinations, be it four sets with one move or two sets of combos. As if that weren’t enough, AI coaches are smarter too, now tracking efficiency across many metrics, doing pre-game match-up evaluations, and more. They can even take out a top scorer who isn’t doing very well and bring in other options.
Renewed team takeover
Team Takeovers have been revised and now function as a collaboration between all team members. When each player performs well, they contribute to the Team Takeover meter, which is automatically activated for everyone when it is filled. Primary and secondary takeovers remain unchanged, but team takeovers now feel more like a team effort rather than randomly filling each takeover meter.
Attacking and Defensive Improvements
Overall, there are plenty of new options for both offensive and defensive moves, whether it’s new quick scoop layups for slashers and contact layups for the bigger players or the new defensive shading mechanics that add an indicator. provides for surveillance. By accurately predicting which zone the ball guide is attacking, you can now cut them off or cause a fumble.
My team
A staple of many past titles, MyTeam returns in NBA 2K23 and features a larger set of customization tools to build your ideal team. This time, one can recruit in any era and add some legendary players to the roster (including Devin Booker and Michael Jordan of course).
Improvements in Player Builder
This year’s Player Builder is touted as “complete control” for someone to create every type of player and make sure every player is “fun and balanced” (with current-generation players no longer limited to the pie chart system). In addition to a 5v5 environment for testing builds, you can now opt for a 3v3 environment. A welcome change is that the purchased animations now apply to your entire account instead of a save file. So if a build meets the requirements, they can equip that animation with no problem.
New badge system
Current generation players can also use an overhauled Badge system. Each attribute category now has 16 badges with Tier 1 with eight and Tiers 2 and 3 with four each. Higher level badges cost more badge points, but have much more impact; conversely, Tier 1 badges are the least strong, but also very cheap. Each attribute category also receives a Core Badge that does not count towards the Badge Point total. You must meet the challenge requirements for each badge, but if successful, it can be used in the Core Badge slot. Badges have also undergone several changes from Slithery, now making it easier to avoid collisions and collect in traffic, to the removal of some like Limitless Spot-Up, Hook Specialist, and more.
4K/60 FPS and HDR on Current-Gen
According to the official Xbox page, NBA 2K23 supports 4K Ultra HD resolution and 60 frames per second on the Xbox Series X along with HDR. You can expect the same settings on the PS5 as well. The resolution and framerate for the Xbox One and PS4 versions are unknown, but they shouldn’t differ too much from last year’s edition.
PC Requirements
PC players require an Intel Core i3-2100 @ 3.10 GHz or an AMD FX-4100 @ 3.60 GHz or better, 4 GB RAM and a minimum of a GeForce 1 GB Radeon HD 7770 1 GB or better. Recommended requirements include a Core i5-4430 @ 3 GHz or an AMD FX-8370 @ 3.4 GHz or better, 8 GB of RAM, and either a GTX 770 2 GB or Radeon R9 270 2 GB or better. So in both cases the requirements are pretty forgiving – it even supports Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 64-bit. However, a whopping 110 GB of space is required for installation and rest assured that that size will increase with future updates.
Championship Edition and Michael Jordan Edition Details
Of course, all gameplay improvements are all about the MyTeam points, virtual currency and whatever. The Michael Jordan edition costs $99.99 and includes the game along with 100,000 virtual currency, 10,000 MyTeam points, 10 MyTeam tokens, MyTeam cards for a Sapphire Devin Booker and Ruby Michael Jordan, and 23 MyTeam promo packs containing 10 available at launch, along with an Amethyst topper pack and two distributed each week for six weeks. You also get a Free Agent Option MyTeam Pack, a Ruby Coach Card MyTeam Pack, a Diamond Jordan Shoe MyTeam Card, a bunch of MyPlayer cosmetics, 10 Boosts for each Skill Boost type in MyCareer, and a two-hour double XP coin .
The Digital Championship Edition costs a whopping $149.99 and offers many of the same benefits as the Michael Jordan Edition. However, it also includes a 12-month subscription to NBA League Pass, a Michael Jordan-themed go-kart, and a 10 percent boost to XP earned in MyTeam and MyCareer.
0 Comments