[TEST] NBA 2K25 PS5: The benchmark for virtual sports games further improved

The benchmark for sports and basketball video games returns again this year to the delight of all fans of this US sport. It is of course NBA 2K with its version NBA 2K25. As with EA SPORTS FC, I’m waiting until I’ve had a good tour of the game to be sure I’ve fully understood the gameplay. It took a little longer than normal, I told you about it in my mood post. But, that’s it, the NBA 2K25 test is here and I had the chance to test it on PS5.

I admit that I had difficulty writing this test, not because there are problems with this title, it’s just that the title is excellent with always improvements which bring it closer to the perfect title and this year, this is still the case.

NBA 2K25 retains everything that makes this title so charming with already quite important content. Starting with the excellent fashion MyTEAM. This is the ULTIMATE TEAM of 2K SPORTS where you build your dream team with seasons throughout the year of existence of the game with different objectives and new boosted player cards. Moreover, it is the return of auctions for cards after a season of absence which was regrettable last year but which was a desire of the publisher apparently to avoid excesses of speculators. There are some modifications such as reward systems which change for Domination mode but overall we find what makes the strength of this excellent mode and which I have adopted for several years. On the other hand, I find that this year, it is more difficult to level up during the seasons and that there is too much emphasis on paid passes to go faster or have more rewards…

The career mode is still there, always more complete with more places in the city which is the social place to find all the fans online of NBA 2K25 to have more varied activities, more places to train, meet and of course become at the top of your career.

There is also MG mode to manage a franchise that remains fairly faithful to what we have already seen in previous titles, we have in the My NBA mode, we find eras of great players to return and this year, we have the Stephen CURRY era with his greatest career moments to relive.

In the new modes, we also find the Bitumen mode for 1 vs 1 duels in a fully heated outdoor enclosure!

And I’m not talking about all the classic modes that are still present. Huge content as always with my big preference for MyTEAM mode.

NBA 2K25 remains in the trends of excellence of previous NBA 2K. The title offers excellent playing conditions with overheated rooms and even more public entertainment including cams during stoppages in play as well as during real matches where people are dancing, etc. On the pitch, it is of a very high level with players magnificently and faithfully represented in their builds, their faces, their movements and their gestures. The lighting effects, the parquet floors are credible, it’s impressive. The city is also very lively and very credible. During the matches, everything is done to make you believe it and it’s simply sumptuous especially since the animations are very fluid, lots of new animations have been added. New capture and animation engines have been used (ProPLAY, we want few differences with last year but there are still plenty of new animations which add realism) which also serve for the excellent gameplay. Last year, I found the 3-point shots a little too hard and the close-up shots a little risky at times, but this year, it’s a joy. This year, we even have the possibility of reproducing the signature gestures of many great players during shoots. When I say that we are getting closer to the perfection of the title and the realization of NBA 2K25?

In terms of sound ambiance, it’s always at the top with ultra realistic sound effects, commentators in VO certainly but extremely realistic and which further reinforce the immersion and realism of the TV broadcast. The rooms are animated with music from the rooms to warm up the audience who willingly participate, the speakers and different atmospheres depending on the location. And of course, the tracklist of songs used in the menus is simply top notch!

NBA 2K25as with each virtual season, continues to approach perfection in terms of sports video games: advanced realism, pleasure of playing and performing great actions, almost perfect production, supercharged soundscape.

In short, we have little to criticize about this 2025 version except perhaps a MyTEAM mode which tends to push a little more than other years towards micro-transactions to better advance in the seasons but otherwise for everything else, it’s excellent and this year again, NBA 2K25 remains the benchmark sports video game for many hours of joy with the controller in hand, whether for basketball fans or for sports fans in general.

It’s a huge FALLING FOR SOMETHING!!!

To order this title, click here on:

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DEVELOPERS/PUBLISHERS/DISTRIBUTORS:

VISUAL CONCEPTS / 2K GAMES

Tested in dematerialized version provided by the publisher on XBOX SERIES X, also available on PS4, PS5, XBOX ONE, Nintendo Switch, PC and in disc version.

CLASSIFICATION : 3+