{"id":10631,"date":"2025-08-29T18:43:30","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T18:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextlevelnews.co.uk\/blog\/2025\/08\/29\/nba-2k26-review-in-progress\/"},"modified":"2025-08-29T18:43:30","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T18:43:30","slug":"nba-2k26-review-in-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextlevelnews.co.uk\/blog\/2025\/08\/29\/nba-2k26-review-in-progress\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA 2K26 Review in Progress"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In many ways, Visual Concepts\u2019 long-running NBA 2K series mirrors the careers of players it works so hard to emulate. Sometimes, it\u2019s a flash of potential: a hotshot rookie catching fire after putting up duds in consecutive games. Others, it\u2019s more comparable to a wily veteran nearing retirement \u2013 we see a glimpse of talent, that peek into what it could still be. That\u2019s what keeps me, for better or worse, hoping for the best as I start playing NBA 2K26. It\u2019s both flashy and old school, like a \u201chow do you do, fellow kids\u201d teacher who wears different Jordans to class every day, it has enough cool new kicks, fits, and gimmicks to make it a much more interesting and enjoyable experience than last year\u2019s entry, even after spending only a dozen hours with it so far.<\/p>\n\n

Of course, \u201ccool\u201d probably isn\u2019t the right word to describe that teacher, let alone NBA 2K26. After all, an annual sports game is obviously not going to be a radically new game, since most of its gameplay and mechanics are fundamentally similar to last year\u2019s iteration, and the one before that, and so on. But in the context of the genre it\u2019s made a good first impression, because several minor improvements cumulatively make such a huge difference to the whole that I\u2019m willing to say it and risk being called a nerd. Yes, I am talking about the new-and-improved shot meter. As always, one of the smallest components in its vast hardwood floor of dribbling and criss-crossing parts leaves a massive influence on how just about everything else on the court plays out.<\/p>\n