Recent reviews by Jaeko

good game
good dev
good time

To preface, I've played 2K on PC since 2K13, have every game but 22 and 24, but my most recent is 23 so most comparisons will be 23 vs 25. I've only played a game in MyCareer but I've played a few in MyNBA/League, which is my most played mode across all 2Ks. Will potentially update review as time goes on.

So far this has been a love/hate relationship. I'd say I probably recommend the game 55/45 to those who want to buy a new 2K title. If you're content with the current title you own, wait on sale to purchase 25.

I am loving that PC finally gets Next Gen, the mechanics/movement feels like I have more control over my individual player than previous titles. The floaty feeling you get when controlling your player feels more momentum based this year. The animations look more clean/fluid and less like a programmed animation. Dribbling has more of a learning curve than in previous titles, at least in my opinion, but that's mostly the "new" player movement and different Pro Stick configuration than in 23. Timing your shot has more of an effect, feels less RNG, and make the visual gameplay look more immersive. Having access to Next Gen also brings the new animations that PC never had access to, making the game feel more like an actual NBA game. More detailed signature moves from dribbling to shooting.
I am also loving the added customization options to players. More body types and physical trait editing (neck length, "trunk" length lol), the option to now add tattoos to created players, makes the rosters feel more accurate to life with less bland/generic 2K created players that are just bald/close cut with no tattoos.

Now for the undesirable/hate part. The HUD is not visually pleasing to me. It's a bit too "busy" while trying to stay minimalistic. Everything is crammed into one location (shot feedback, score, time, and stats) are on one banner/ticker at the bottom of the screen that isn't very big. The in-game play calling menu (plays, sets, freelance, etc. menu) is difficult to get used to. In previous titles, it was a bigger menu with good contrast to the floor so it's noticeable. In 25 it's smaller with a transparent background, making it a bit of an eyesore to use. There are simultaneously more and less options as well. Some options that were in previous games, like "Set Screen" are no longer a default option, so you have to add it in the coaching menu, but you can now call specific plays for said player in the same menu section instead of having two separate menus for actions. My biggest issue with it is that there is no in-game menu on defense, so you have to pause the game to adjust the defense "on the fly". The only options on D now are full/half court sets and individual player settings (who to guard, defensive pressure).
The menu HUD in MyNBA is not great. Visually it is a bit different since it's one small menu that pops up and isn't an entire screen of it's own. The main issue though is the moving between options. It'd be easier to use if you could maneuver through the option with directional input, but you can only progress or backtrack with A/X and B/O. Furthermore, if you enter a menu option and back out, you have to re-enter the menu again from the start. It will remember your last option, and automatically highlight the last option entered, but it's just a small QOL change if you could move through the menu more fluidly.
VC is horrible, but that's to be expected in 2K. I made a save file to see how bad the VC rates are this year, and to my non-surprise, it's grindy as all get out. Still the standard 1k~ VC for a game played in MyNBA, but only gives you one or two upgrades in MyC. Took me 550-ish VC to upgrade my 60 OVR player from a 55 3pt to a 56.
Lastly, and my biggest gripe, is the graphics/performance. I don't have the beefiest PC (RTX 3060, Ryzen 5 3600X, 32 GB RAM) but from some digging it seems even beefy PCs struggle. High vs Medium setting didn't make much of a difference besides making the game look visually worse. Menus I get 120-144 FPS, cutscenes are 30, and in game I average around 58-70 FPS. My frames are never stable so the game looks a bit janky at times. VSYNC doesn't help because it actually syncs with your monitor (like it should, crazy 2K got this right) instead of the basic 60 FPS most devs program. Fluctuating frames and no way to stabilize them makes the game hard to play at times, whether it be making my motion sickness act up or just getting the timing down for movements. Close up the details really pop and look good, but all together the game looks like an earlier PS4 title. There's no solid anti-aliasing, which can definitely be seen when you're viewing more than just half-court.

If they fix the FPS/performance issues, I'd rate the game a solid 7.8/10, but until then I'll have to give it a 6.5/10. A real improvement over previous titles that unfortunately has it's own issues still. If you can wait until a sale to purchase, I would, but I'd also say this is a 2K definitely worth getting on PC if you have the desire.

Edit: Set all the setting to high, but most optional. Went into NVidia Control Panel to set the anti-aliasing on, capped FPS to 60, maxed performance. Helped the visual performance a lot. Arena's, at least for MyNBA, have been consistently at around 35-40% capacity for the first 3 and a half quarters, only filling up to 60-80% at the last half of the 4th if the game is close.

Edit: Seems like they fixed the arena capacity issue. Most games are now the appropriate attendance level.

Played through the tutorial and one life so far. I think the tutorial could be compressed a bit so you don't need to click through a dozen different menus, but it isn't horrible. Controls are simple enough, and the graphics are a bit lacking but doesn't hinder the gameplay experience at all. Biggest issue I found so far in 20ish minutes is the camera zooms in too far when choosing a new weapon. I wasn't sure if it was supposed to zoom in on the lit up center piece of your characters armor/clothes, or supposed to show you showing off your new item, but I assume it's the latter. The skill tree is somewhat simple because of size but interesting enough.

Fun game so far, going to be interested in seeing the full release.

Another reason why Steam needs a middle of the lane option instead of recommending or not. Game isn't horrible, nothing special though. Like every other review says, it's a mix between Warframe and Destiny 2. I don't have a ton of experience in Warframe, and D2 I play casually, but both of those games are better as of right now, which is to be expected.

The combat is bland and not engaging. Some skill synergy, but it isn't amazing. You can train the enemies around like it's CoD Zombies. The story is basic, the characters are decent but nothing special. The in game shop is overpriced, but that's also to be expected. The biggest positive in this game for me is the movement with the grappling hook. It's pretty fun, especially in combat, but the fact that the best thing about this game so far is a grappling hook should be a bit concerning.

It's free, so it won't be an entire waste of time if you play, especially if you need a break from similar titles but don't want to jump in to a whole new genre. Just don't spend any serious money on the game.

Better than PkmnLA. Really fun and addicting game, and one of the more polished games upon release that I've played in years.

Been playing since a month or two after launch way back when, and this is the only mobile game I've stuck with this long. Out of all the gacha games I've tried out, SW is by far seemingly the easiest to play F2P albeit having extremely gacha level summon rates. The counter to that though is that the majority of 3-4* mons are viable through the end game and you can craft essential mons for early-mid game players.

It's easy to pay and become a whale, it's also easy (yet time consuming) to be completely F2P. You can play at your own pace and how you see fit.

Fun if you want a casual FPS to play. Requires an EGS account and the servers are very hit and miss because of that.

Really entertaining and fun game. Combat is just complex enough to be challenging but still somewhat easy to figure out (all the LMB spammers have ligma). The only real downside is that the community tends to be missing some chromosomes, this game has an objective and isn't just an all out TDM like 80% of them believe.

Another title that I wished there was a neutral rating option. At it's current state, I cannot recommend it unless you intend on playing it with friends. This game really shines when you play it "friends vs friends", and the concept is pretty unique/fun, but the online PVP is where the game takes a massive downfall. The servers are mediocre at best, and anyone who doesn't have a solid connection either benefits greatly from it or takes a minor disadvantage. The game really benefits those with horrible netcode/lag, allowing them to basically noclip through the map while they're perfectly fine on their screen, making them extremely difficult to not only kill but to hit. Also, the game being extremely play-to-win, your deck could be great or it could be the base deck with a few upgraded cards (upgrades that don't really boost the efficacy of the card). While you can hold your own with the base deck, you are at a noticeable disadvantage if you have unlocked new cards.

At it's current state, I'd give the game a 6/10 overall, 8/10 if you play only private matches with friends.

Possibly my favorite FPS title. It's a lot slower, more tactical/milsim than BF or CoD titles yet not as hardcore/role-play oriented as Arma; it's a nice blend of arcade and milsim. The gameplay is very teamwork and communication oriented, if you do not have a mic or you are too shy to talk, it will affect you and your squad's gameplay and strategy. Playing as a squad is the most important aspect of this game, hence the title of the game.
This is not an FPS game where you just run and gun, give up as soon as you die so you can keep shooting; and honestly if you play like that you are ruining the game not only for your immediate squad but for the team/faction you play on. The game is ticket based, meaning every team starts out with X amount of tickets, and every life or vehicle/FOB lost results in a loss of tickets until one team runs out. Kills don't mean as much in this game compared to CoD or more mainstream FPS titles, just because you can frag doesn't mean you impacted your team in a positive way. Except in certain circumstances, if you reach 10, 15+ deaths you've negatively impacted your team; there are bandages and medics for a reason. If you want an FPS where you just hunt kills and do your own thing, this game is not for you.
The tutorial is pretty bare-bones and not flushed out, so if you plan on playing this game at all, do your research. It won't take longer than 5-10 minutes and it will help you a lot during your play. In all honesty, you probably won't have a firm grasp on the entire game and it's mechanics until 25, 50, 100 hours in. Also, the game is not very well optimized, 40-70 FPS for most rigs, higher end can reach 100-200+ FPS but that is not always the case. The min req for this game is not where the bar is set, I'd try and reach the recommended req for your hardware unless you're fine with very low settings.

If you are like me and want a slower-paced, more teamwork oriented FPS game than your typical CoD/hero shooter, Squad is the game for you. I just hope to god Tencent doesn't ruin the game like everything else they touch.