Gaming

NBA 2K23 review: A certified All-Star

One of the best in recent years

Published

October 12, 2022

Rodneil Quiteles and Gab Orlina

It’s been roughly about a month since NBA 2K23 was unleashed to the world. So, how has it been so far? Is it really just the same game? Here’s our review. Quick Note: We’re reviewing the Next-Gen version of the game both on the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X.

Slightly improving the core gameplay mechanics

Gab: Like what they say, if it ain’t that broke, don’t fix it; for the most part, NBA 2K23 doesn’t do anything over the top with the core gameplay. It’s still that same NBA basketball simulator which relies on precise user timing for both offense and defense, with some minor improvements. For starters, the shot meter feels more manageable in terms of user shot timing vis-a-vis the NBA player’s release.

With enough tinkering, you can adjust how you want the shot meter to look like when taking shots in-game. To be fair, it’s a minor detail but if you were used to seeing your shot meter a certain way, this is a good change. Also, I felt that movement and dribble moves feel a bit smoother to execute.

Rodneil: I agree with Gab that the core gameplay doesn’t feel drastically different from previous years. The shot meter definitely received tweaks. And you’re gonna want to go into settings right away to figure out the release timing that best works for you.

I also felt that the overall pace of the game is more simulation and less arcade-ish. What I mean by that is that it’s not as fast as 2K22. And you also have to be more adept in running plays to find a good shot. Shot control is much more precise, blocking shots is a little more difficult, and stealing and stripping the ball away is much more challenging.

MyCareer and The W made simpler and more robust

Gab: The first thing that came to my mind before playing MyCareer was “how will they make this any different across the board?” Honestly, I’ve seen 2K Sports throw out all kinds of storylines and gimmicks that I’m not so sure what else they could do to provide a different experience. All of a sudden, I boot up MyCareer and to my surprise: no elaborate backstory, no college leagues or trying out in the G-League.

MyCareer literally throws you right into things as a promising rookie drafted by your team of choice. No more pre-draft interviews, no more stat-padding in college – you pick the team that drafts you and work your way up. All this while everyone in your management team is trying to help you manage your brand, especially when fans were initially disappointed that they picked you.

Crossing over to the other side, The W is designed in such a similar way but simpler. As this is the WNBA’s version of MyCareer (a first for NBA 2K, as well), it’s not surprising that it’s this straightforward. You build your MyWNBA Player, accomplish a few tasks, play the games, earn badges – as standard as it could get.

The now robust MyPlayer Builder

Gab: At the start of every MyCareer, you’re greeted with the MyPlayer Builder which essentially helps you create the best version of your player. Much like the last two iterations of NBA 2K, this feature comes with a full belt of attributes, badge forecast, and Takeovers to choose from. For NBA 2K23, however, they really pulled out all the stops with the whole experience.

One key adjustment was in the amount of badges you can earn depending on how you shape your attributes. Compared to NBA 2K22, my 3-Level Scorer has a significantly beefed up amount of badges for Finishing, Playmaking, and Rebounding – unlike last year where Rebounding, in particular, was one badge, at most.

Of course, the more major changes revolve around adding in Leadership Skills and Core Badges to your MyPlayer. Although you get access to these after building your MyPlayer, it gives you a great incentive to play harder and better. Now, if only they could indicate what the actual challenges are for the Core Badges on the Badges screen, that’d be pretty great.

Replica Builds

Rodneil: The biggest addition this year is the Replica Build. If you get the stats just right, including the height, weight, and jersey number, you’ll get Replica Builds of actual NBA Players. The first one to pop-up online was The Joker which is a replica of reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.

There are plenty more builds featuring Black Mamba (Kobe Bryant), Half-Man, Half-Amazing (Vince Carter), The Glove (Gary Payton), The Big Fundamental (Tim Duncan), and many more.

For the full list, as well as the stats, check out this post from Game Skinny.

Unfortunately, these Replica Builds aren’t exactly the best for Park. Sure, you can mess around with them in MyCareer but you might feel they are lacking in Park Play.

MyTeam and MyNBA Eras

Rodneil: I only really started playing MyTeam after I’ve done everything I thought I could do in MyCareer for NBA 2K22. Part of me wishes now that I didn’t enjoy this mode as much because it has now become an addiction. Collecting Player Cards and using them in the many game types in MyTeam is such a treat. What really drew me in is how it has a set of Agendas – a task list of sorts. You cross off agendas, you get rewards. And rewards come in EXP, MyTeam Points, Player Cards, Card boosts, etc. It’s super addicting, especially for someone like myself who likes crossing off lists.

My only gripe is that you’re really gonna have to spend if you want to reach Level 40 each Season. And I really have to squeeze every ounce of self-discipline and restraint to not spend too much on the game.

MyNBA Eras is a nice touch. The vintage filter is present in other game modes, but to really experience its full effect, you have to play the MyNBA mode where you take control of a franchise or two during a certain NBA era. It’s a good experience overall and you get to live what-if moments like what if Detroit drafted Carmelo Anthony instead of Darko Millicic.

Of course, it isn’t perfect. The draft classes and rosters aren’t complete. This is primarily due to licensing issues with players but 2K really needs to try harder. I’m pretty sure they earn a good amount from all the microtransactions in the game to be able to pay what some of the retired athletes are demanding.

The Jordan Challenge

Rodneil: This is everything I want and more. I have been begging 2K to bring this back and now they have. The Jordan Challenge is a great way to relive the historic career of the best to lace it up. It adds a couple of college games to the mix to keep things interesting.

So, where do we go from here? How about the Kobe Challenge next for NBA 2K24?

Turnovers

The game suffers even more with microtransactions. As some 2K Content Creators have noted, you’ll likely have to spend another $100 to max out your MyCareer player. And that’s just one player. Sure, you can grind your way through it but that takes so much longer.

Same is true for the MyTeam mode which also demands plenty of Virtual Currency from you. Sure, you can enjoy these modes on your own without shelling out much. But if you want to play competitively, you’re gonna have to drop some dough. It’s literally pay-to-win.

Definitely an All-Star

NBA 2K23 is easily one of the franchise’s better releases in recent years. There are no massive bugs at launch. Gameplay has been steady and poses an enough challenge. And there are plenty of game modes to keep you busy for possibly its entire life cycle.

NBA 2K is fantastic to play, especially if you’re into basketball and the NBA. The additions are great but not revolutionary and the microtransactions hold it back from being a true superstar. That said, it’s not bad at all. NBA 2K23 is an All-Star of a game through and through.

Related Topics:2K Sports NBA 2K NBA 2K23 Take-Two Interactive

Gaming

Nintendo’s latest toy is Super Mario Wonder’s Talking Flower

It tells the time and jokes around randomly throughout the day.

Published

January 23, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Late in 2024, Nintendo announced the Alarmo, the quirkiest alarm clock we would’ve grabbed immediately if alarm clocks were still a big thing. Today, the company has announced its next clock-like toy: the Talking Flower from Super Mario Wonder.

To me, the Talking Flower was a welcome addition to the franchise’s burgeoning cast of characters. The occasionally appearing character delivered timely quips that broke the monotony of the level’s music or provided meaningful tips.

However, there is a good number of players who find the flower irritating and mute the character altogether. If you’re part of this group, then Nintendo’s latest clock isn’t for you.

The new Talking Flower doesn’t have its own clock display. It only has a speaker, but it can announce the hour “mostly accurately,” according to Nintendo.

It’s an odd product. The brand wants the flower to be glitchy. Besides being “mostly accurate” with the time, it can also randomly blurt out alerts in one of its handful of available languages, outside of what the user set.

Further, it can comment on the weather and play music. It can also say “words of encouragement and silly quips” randomly throughout the day. The Talking Flower certainly has the spirit of the character it’s modeled after.

As for input buttons, it only has a single button. One press makes it say something outside of its scheduled prompts. Holding the button for two seconds silences the thing.

The Talking Flower will ship out on March 12. It will sell for US$ 34.99.

Gaming

You can now race as teams in Mario Kart World’s Knockout Tour

The free update is rolling out now.

Published

January 23, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Mario Kart World needs little to no improvements. The latest entry in the legendary racing franchise introduced players to the open-world format. Taking advantage of that new format, the game also has a unique new mode called the Knockout Tour. Today, Mario Kart World is getting a surprising-but-welcome update which adds a team option to the survival mode.

In stark contrast to Mario Kart’s usual gameplay, Knockout Tour introduces a battle royale element to the game. The mode strings together a series of races seamlessly leading from on to the next via the open-world format. Players are eliminated for placing at or near the bottom after every leg, eventually leading to a three-way race to finish first.

Prior to today’s announcement, players race for themselves. But now, via a free update, players can now compete in two teams of twelve, three teams of eight, or four teams of six. They must still survive individually, but points are now collated based on teams.

The number of points derives from finishing position. Finishing in P1, for example, will bag the player a total of 50 points for that leg. Meanwhile, eliminated players get only a single point. At the end of the entire tour, everyone’s points are tallied up, and the win is awarded to the team with the most points.

The new mode can be raced locally or online. If the pool lacks players to round out the teams, the game will provide AI opponents.

The update is rolling out now and is for free.

Gaming

Now playing: Final Fantasy VII Remake INTERGRADE on Switch 2

Final Fantasy VII Remake, handheld again

Published

January 23, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade | Nintendo Switch 2

There are two ways I ended up playing Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on the Switch 2: handheld, and docked. And in many ways, that split mirrors what this release is really about—flexibility, familiarity, and a little bit of re-learning.

Relearning muscle memory

Let’s get the small friction point out of the way first. Button prompts. Even after all this time, my brain still defaults to PlayStation glyphs. Triangle means something very specific to me in Final Fantasy VII Remake, and retraining that muscle memory on a Nintendo layout took a bit longer than expected. That’s not the game’s fault—it’s just the reality of revisiting something you’ve deeply internalized on another platform. And honestly, it’s something I’ll just have to get used to as more of these previously PlayStation-first titles land elsewhere.

Once that adjustment period passed, the bigger surprise came quickly—especially in handheld.

Midgar in the palm of your hand

Without even stacking it up against the PS4 or PS5 versions, the Switch 2 version already looks impressive on its own. In fact, it looks really good. There’s a moment of quiet disbelief when you realize you’re holding Midgar in your hands, running locally, and still retaining that sense of scale and atmosphere the remake is known for.

I’ve played Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on devices like the ROG Ally and Legion Go, and the feeling here is similar. Not in raw power comparisons, but in that same sense of admiration—Square Enix managing to package something this dense, cinematic, and emotionally loaded into a handheld experience without it feeling compromised at first glance. That same awe of seeing this classic reimagined is still intact, even on a smaller screen.

Living with 30fps

Performance-wise, the most noticeable limitation is the 30fps cap. It’s there, and anyone coming from a 60fps playthrough will notice it immediately. That said, it never felt like a dealbreaker to me.

Command inputs still land cleanly, combat remains responsive, and nothing about the experience felt sluggish. If you’re sensitive to frame rate shifts, this might take some adjustment. But in motion, and especially in handheld, it rarely pulls focus away from the game itself.

Streamlined progression, real relief

One feature that quietly made a big difference for me is the new Streamlined Progression option. Being able to start with maxed-out stats, unlimited resources, and reduced friction is a genuine quality-of-life win—especially for players who’ve already finished the game once and don’t necessarily want to grind their way through Midgar again.

It turns Intergrade into a smoother re-experience, letting you focus on the story beats and combat flow rather than progression systems you already know by heart.

The storage reality check

The less glamorous reality check comes with storage. At roughly 90GB, this is a heavy install, particularly if—like me—you lean heavily toward digital purchases. I had to delete three games just to make room.

If you have the option to go physical on Switch 2, that might be the more practical route, especially as more large-scale ports make their way onto the platform.

A familiar journey, made portable

Contextually, this release matters beyond just another port. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade arriving on Switch 2 is part of Square Enix’s broader push to bring the entire remake trilogy to more platforms, with the final entry already in development.

It also reinforces Intergrade as the most accessible entry point into the series—bundling the main campaign with the Yuffie-led EPISODE INTERmission, and now offering features that lower the barrier for newcomers while respecting returning players’ time.

At US$39.99, it lands at a price that feels fair. Whether you’re completely new to Final Fantasy VII Remake or just want a portable version of a game you already love, this is an easy recommendation—storage caveats aside.

Overall, this is an impressive Switch 2 port. Not perfect, not trying to outmuscle the PS5 version, but confident in what it is. Seeing Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade run this well, this comfortably, on a handheld still feels a little surreal—and that alone makes it worth playing again.

If you’re looking for deeper technical breakdowns and direct comparisons with the PS4 and PS5 versions, Digital Foundry continues to do excellent work on that front. But as a lived-in experience, this one already earns its place on the Switch 2.