NBA 2K25, the basketball reference is back and we were able to try it

Yesterday was the famous NBA 2K25 Community Day and for those who don't know, it's basically a gathering of influencers and fans of the basketball game from 2K Games. Of course, the specialized press was also there and it's basically the final stretch before the game's release in a few weeks at the beginning of September.

During this day, we were able to discover a specific version with almost the final elements that we will find on the final game. When we talk about discovery, we were able to play for a good part of the day in order to get an idea of the physics of the sports game, the new modes and the new options that we will find in this 2K25 edition.

Playability, the heart of the matter

This year, we find Of course ProPlay, the physics engine of NBA 2K25 and it has been greatly improved. We are talking about 9000 new animations which are all inspired by the NBA in order to ensure the greatest possible fidelity. Among these animations, we find no less than 1500 new animations for dribbling, 1100 signature animations for shooting during the last NBA season, more than 1300 new animations on players when they do not have the ball and 150 new signature movements. Needless to say, the physics engine runs brilliantly and we had already noticed it last year, the speed in play has been somewhat reduced for more clarity in play. The camera movements are slower and more stable as well, and all this allows to put a little more the game which has become more strategic, more difficult over the years.

The engine around dribbling has been revised and is undoubtedly one of the biggest changes in recent years. Indeed, it has been 15 years since this part had not evolved and today, coupled with the new animations, we find ourselves with more fluid dribbling and closer to reality. This allows to participate in the creativity that the offensive phases now offer. Moreover, speaking of attacks, by default, we find visual cues to better understand the shots and others, this allows the beginner to better understand what is happening and especially to progress over the matches. And a bit like in football games, you can now more easily cancel a shot and follow up with other moves to better deceive your opponent. The defense is not left out and you can now instantly change direction with the right stick in order to better defend. We love it! The AI has also evolved, so much so that the game seems a little more difficult but more realistic in the choices of the AIs that we do not control.

Learn 2K, there is necessarily a beginning to everything

NBA 2K25 arrives with a brand new learning mode and if you spend a little time on it, it will allow anyone to learn both the basics and more advanced techniques. Basketball is really different from other sports and some things don't happen from one sport to another, especially in the era of ultra-realistic simulations. NBA 2K25 still offers Rhythm Shooting (use of the right analog stick to shoot and dribble) and this allows you to master hundreds of movements. Training will not be limited to tutorials and there are mini-games or other scenarios to better understand the game. NBA 2K25 wants to welcome new players and this is undoubtedly the best way.

Moreover, 2K Games has reintroduced in NBA 2K25 MyCourt, a sort of personal gym that will allow its MyPlayer character to welcome his friends, train, start personal matches, etc.

MyPlayer and MyTeam Triple Threat Park

Obviously, it's 2024 and we can no longer offer a sports game without offering the possibility of creating your own player and/or your own team who will challenge the best players and teams on the planet. Needless to say, NBA 2K25 offers a very complete player editor in order to create exactly the player you have in mind. Between Badges, Takeovers, signature animations or even customization of jumps and dunks, the player will have plenty to do to create his player and test him even on 3v3 or 5v5 matches.

Speaking of Takeovers, for those who don't know what they are, they are basically the players' specialties. There are 72 Takeovers and 14 Takeover skills. Each offers 5 levels and at the start of the match, the Takeover gauge is empty before filling up over the course of the match and the more you excel in your favorite Takeovers, the more unstoppable you will be on the field. It's a kind of "On Fire" but on specific skills.

And we end on the MyTeam Triple Threat Park which will allow the player to create his team type and to go and face other players in 3v3 or 5v5 on the more classic courts. Basically, for those in the know, it’s a remaster of the Rivet City Championship MyPark in NBA 2K16. It’s probably one of the features we loved the most since it reproduced a bit of the fact of being a simple player, arriving on a basketball court and creating your teams with the people present. Very refreshing, even if we lost all our matches!