I was recently invited to LA by 2K to get hands-on experience playing the latest entry into NBA 2K at the Intuit Dome home of the LA Clippers. After spending a few hours playing various game modes, I can confidently say that NBA 2K27 is a worthy entry into the series. We were given access to four game modes: MyCareer eras with a little bit of the character creator, Quick Play NBA, Quick Play WNBA, and 3v3 at Ruckers park.
I decided to spend most of my time trying out the MyCareer Eras mode of gameplay. Finally being able to take your personally created character into history and playing against all time great teams like Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls is very fun. Eras mode also changes the presentation so the locker room looks more old fashioned based on what Era you choose. It also uses legacy Score Bugs and logos to push more of that authenticity. They also add CRT filters to the very old school Eras, which to be honest can be a bit heavy handed. When playing in 1984 in the Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird era the filter is so fuzzy that the ball can be hard to find. I give them credit for committing to the idea but I hope in the final version of the game they have a slider where you can set the aggressiveness of the filters.
Intro to the Jordan Era game
Character creation was limited in this build with no real cosmetic options. However, I was able to play around with the build editor, changing height and wing span to make my dream 3-point shooter, which is always satisfying. The new Badge system was also on display and it was fun playing around with badges to customize your build. Another new feature is the dribbling editor. In previous games, dribbling was put into packs with multiple animations in one pack, but the new system has broken all types of dribbling apart, letting you pick the exact style of escapes and handling that you want.
The Quick NBA and WNBA modes were fun as always. I am not the best player and defense was always my worst gameplay, so the upgraded defense made a difference on the court in my opinion. Regardless, I was able to hold off the offense more consistently and was able to hold my own for most of the game. I did still lose but that's more on my skill at the game than any fault I can lay at 2K27. The team rosters were full and some of the changed player ratings made the other attendee’s take notice.
The final mode I spent time with was the 3v3 Mode at Rucker Park. In it you can choose 6 players from any team and play a 3v3 pick-up game with them. The park itself is beautifully detailed and looks fantastic. In the demo, we could choose the time of day, either day time or night. This leads to areas feeling drastically different, where day time is like playing an exhibition game with crowds reacting to your play while night seems more intimate.
Overall I had a blast playing the early build, taking a custom MyPlayer and being able to go and play with Michael Jordan was everything I hoped it would be. I can’t wait to see how everyone else finds the new changes; the game launches for early adopters on August 26th.
