NBA 2K21 is officially out today, but Nba 2k21 Mt I just got my whole review copy yesterday morning, so this review in advancement will spill into next week (following the Labor Day weekend). However, I managed to put in a good number of hours yesterday, and at that time NBA 2K21 has made it clear that it's maintained that the franchise's record of stellar on-court gameplay. The majority of the updates are relatively small, like loose rebounds feeling and looking a lot more realistic, but they also help add to an already solid base. The best aspect of NBA 2K21 so much is that the control tweaks, such as the new goal meter, make for an all-new learning curve. Unfortunately, upgrades to the surrounding game modes appear pretty barebones.

The aim-meter mechanic is really difficult to master, but has led to some really satisfying one-on-one isolation victories. It's nice having the ability to use the right stick exclusively as a sculpting tool until I'm ready to pull back to get a shot. The capability to size-up, which can be tied to special dribbling animations for lots of the best players in the league, and isolate is better than ever.

I spent a couple of hours experimenting with various playstyles, like facilitating the pick-and-roll with Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. It is tremendously rewarding to use Doncic's dimensions and footwork to make space - something I could not replicate with other guards on the group, such as Seth Curry. While it's not entirely new, NBA 2K21's capability to entertain gamers' playstyles is outstanding this year.

Nevertheless, there are a few frustrating gameplay problems I've come across, also. Fastbreaks seem marginally improved, but player spacing is still noticeably off. For instance, even my best three-point shooters will track inside the three-point line on fast breaks when they'd be better off finding space in the corner. Generally, it seems like NBA 2K21 hasn't fully adapted to the accent modern NBA basketball has set on the three-point line. Quick catch-and-shoots are not as prevalent as they should be, and closing out remains far too simple on protection.

Similarly frustrating is the CPU's capacity to create difficulties for itself. In my brief time with NBA 2K21, I have seen two backcourt violations on wide-open inbounds passes. It served as buy nba 2k21 mt coins a jarring reminder I was not, in actuality, experiencing a real game of NBA basketball.