NBA 2K18 The Prelude launches Sept. 8 on PS4 and Xbox One , and the free demo offers a sneak peek at some of the full game’s mechanical adjustments and new features. While 2K hasn’t officially detailed what the small slice will contain, we have a few tiny details courtesy of Game Informer and YouTube’s iPodKingCarter.
Before getting to finer details like modes, however, GI provides a brief overview of the story surrounding the experience. Players begin their journey as a DJ and former blue-chip baller who’s turned his attention toward music. After a brief break from that established career, he hops back into the street scene through an amatuer tournament called The Proving Ground. Performing well enough under pressure will earn you a spot as an undrafted free agent.
Considering The Prelude’s origins are in the streets, it makes sense that the start of your MyCareer can focus on the redesigned MyPark alternative called The Playground. The Playground’s signature change is that, unlike last year’s method of splitting athletes into squads of Ballers, Rough Riders or Flyers, everyone is part of the same communal court. This is all tied to The Neighborhood: a multiplayer social hub meant to bring the NBA 2K18 community closer together.
Even though that’s the ambition when the full game launches Sept. 19, players won’t be able to experience the full effect in The Prelude. Instead of competing against other MyPlayers around the world, the demo will focus primarily on CPU opponents. In other words, those who download the demo will be able to experiment with the game’s various archetypes and stat arrangements, without the added pressure of having to confront real-world foes.
Once the Prelude is over and everything goes online, the hope is that NBA 2K18 won’t suffer the same chronic server problems as its predecessors. To ensure that doesn’t happen, the team at Visual Concepts has reportedly rebuilt the series’ netcode from the ground up to support this big social endeavor. It doesn’t look like players will see much of it in the Prelude, so release day promises to be a major stress test to see just how much the networking has improved.
For those who missed the announcements earlier this week, NBA 2K18 features an all-encompassing MyCareer mode called The Neighborhood. It unifies MyPark and Pro-Am alongside mini-games, customization features and limited events that contribute equally to your MyPlayer’s overall rating. The emphasis here is letting players take the journey they wish. That story might involve being drafted to an NBA team, or it might not. Skills are yours to customize and change through a multitude of training rituals. In short, The Neighborhood tells your NBA 2K18 story.
NBA 2K18 comes to PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Switch and PC Sept. 19. The Prelude releases on PS4 and Xbox One Sept. 8.
What are your thoughts on The Prelude so far? Are you going to download the demo? Tell us in the comments section!
- Great basketball mechanics
- Easy for new players to learn
- MyGM's story content is a great starting point for the future.
- The Neighborhood social hub feels empty and pointless
- Microtransactions ruin what would otherwise be a fun experience
- MyCareer story is a bit dull
