I am not much of a gamer anymore. I like to play sports games because I can pick up and play at random times for a single game or two and then not play again for a month. I also play games like Mario Party, Luigi's Mansion and some Nintendo/Sega Classics with my kiddos.

I noticed Best Buy had NBA 2k25 for the Nintendo Switch on sale for Black Friday. I haven't played 2K basketball in a few years, mostly because I didn't like the last version I owned (maybe 2k21). Switch games so rarely go on sale and I thought it would be neat to have the Switch version due to the portability of the system. So I purchased the game and after a week here is my assessment.

It's a perfectly fine game. I knew buying the Switch version I was trading off the high quality graphics of the PS version for portability. The graphics are not bad though. Certainly much better than any mobile basketball game you could get. In fact, since I haven't played NBA 2K in 3 or 4 years I would say the Switch graphics are pretty similar to what you would get from a PS4 2K game four or five years ago. Not amazing but good.

I thought the game was lacking some features compared to other sports games. There is a ton of unlockable online content that you have to pay extra money for that I am not at all interested in but the game had everything I needed in terms of regular play, practice, season play, create a character and career. The MyCareer mode could be much more in depth and have a better storyline similar to what the MLB and NFL games do but it is serviceable.

In terms of the overall gameplay. I was somewhat disappointed. I did not find it as annoying as the last 2K game I played but it is still a bit annoying in my opinion. I initially just picked up and played, figuring out what buttons did what along the way and couldn't do much besides throw a couple passes and shoot bricks. I do like that they give you the option to shoot via button or right stick. I am not a fan of games that force you to use the right stick for action, especially on the switch because the buttons and stick are smaller. But even despite the easier button shooting, I found the press and release to shoot timing to be annoying. If you have a great shooter it can be very forgiving but if you are playing myCareer and your character is just starting out it is very difficult to hit many shots besides layups and free throws. That takes a lot of fun out of the game. I do like the multiple passing options and some of the cool skill plays like highlight reel dunks and reverse layups you can do without much difficulty. Oddly enough a reverse layup along the baseline is easier to execute than an open mid range jumper as the reverse layup is just a speed burst and special move button from a certain position compared to a timing thing.

So overall I would give the game a 6/10. It was well worth the discounted $30 price I paid for it but if I had paid full price I would have likely been disappointed.

Final Rant: I wish sports games were less simulation based and more fun like the old days. I don't really want to spend 20 hours perfecting my shot and moves to be able to play a fun/competitive game on a medium to hard level. Make Sports Games Arcade Again!