NBA: NBA 2K19 on test: The king of basketball simulations

A few days ago, 2K Sports released NBA 2K19, the latest offshoot of the basketball simulation. Equipped with a controller in their hands, the SPOX editorial staff immediately disappeared behind the screens.

Fans still have to wait a good month for the start of the season in the NBA. Until then, game developer 2K Sports will shorten the waiting time as usual with the latest edition of its basketball simulation.

While LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dirk Nowitzki are sweating in the hall preparing for the coming season, we can lead the Los Angeles Lakers to championship with the virtual LeBron – or dare the leap into the NBA with our own alter ego.

But the new MyCareer mode impressively proves that this step is not an easy one. On draft evening, we enter the history of our player, created according to our own ideas. While Commissioner Adam Silver calls one name after the other to himself on stage, we only have to wait anxiously at the controller. Nothing’s happening.

In “The Way Back” – the name of this year’s Story Mode – we have to fight hard for our chance in the best basketball league in the world via a detour in China and the G-League. The plot is well staged and offers some decision possibilities, whose effects on the development of the story, however, are limited.

Another highlight of the story mode are the cinematics carried by famous actors. Michael Rapaport, Anthony Mackie and Ginger Gonzaga, among others, give their faces and voices to various characters.

If you want to concentrate more on the game with the orange leather, you can skip these sequences – and can look forward to successful loosenings in the form of various mini-games that are integrated into the story.

Another important component of the MyCareer mode is the neighborhood already known from the previous year and further optimized. Our new district has a new design, but the numerous employment opportunities have not changed.

We can still let off steam on streetball courts, work out in the training hall or stock up in numerous shops with new clothes or new shoes. And as usual you have the possibility to customize your virtual self in the tattoo studio or in the barbershop to your wishes – new hairstyles and beards are now free!

The virtual coins are nevertheless omnipresent. You get the virtual game currency either in exchange for real money or you earn it with the help of successful actions on the floor. You can then upgrade your own player until you reach the top of the NBA.

Besides MyCareer, NBA 2K19 offers many other game modes. The MyTeam mode known from the predecessors is extended with a 3-on-3 variant (Triple-Threat), in MyGM the story from the previous year continues.

Here you build up your own expansion team, design a new logo, jerseys, an arena – and of course assemble your team according to your own ideas. The MyGM mode is also available in the classic version without the story content.

Starting with the already grandiose 2K18, the developers have turned a few adjusting screws to make the different modes even more varied and exciting. But what about the game experience on the court, the heart of the 2K series?

As Dortmund football legend Adi Preißler used to say: “The decisive thing is on the pitch. And NBA 2K19 does not disappoint there either. Rather, the latest version of the basketball simulation convinces also in this, not completely unimportant area with meaningful innovations.

For example, the steal system has been slightly modified. Intercepting the splitting from your opponent’s pass path works much better in 2K19 than in the previous versions. Also new is the so-called unleash option, which lets our player run hot when several good actions are performed.

Further detail improvements, such as a throw indicator on the basket, further round off the gaming experience. In addition, new animations ensure a good flow of games and turn the already impressive graphics into a feast for the eyes.

But enough theory, how are the SPOX editors doing on the controller? In the past days we competed against each other in three duels. Who won the matchups?

What a drama at the last minute! After a well-balanced game, the Bucks, in the person of Khris Middleton (or colleague Wittmann), gave away a trio that would have extended the lead to four points. Instead, LeBron James sunk the game winner on the other side after a near-turnover or not? With only 2.1 seconds on the clock Giannis Antetokounmpo got the ball and actually pocketed the midrange jumper. Victory for the Bucks!

In the second duel, the two German stars Dirk Nowitzki and Dennis Schröder, who was even catapulted into the Starting Five on the Thunder side, met directly. OKC got off to a better start, but no team could really stand out. Dallas only seemed to be able to gain a slight advantage towards the end of the third section, but shortly before the end the Thunder were on four points again. A miss by Paul George from a distance finally decided the game, the Mavs put the lid on it from the free-throw line.

After the first two duels still had some tension to offer, colleague Jakob experienced a single debacle with the All-Time-Bulls – a certain Michael Jordan did not help there any more. From the beginning, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal’s All-Time-Lakers were in a good mood and played their way through the holey Bulls-Defense with ease. Chicago could not at any time become dangerous to the West Coast team. Whether Jakob will ever touch a controller again after this embarrassment is not yet known.

Quarter: 4 minutes, Difficulty: All-Star