Source: 2K Games / NBA 2K24 / Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant has become one of the ancestors, but that doesn’t mean that he’s not still having an impact on the NBA.
This year Bryant will appear on two separate covers of the new NBA 2K24 game. This will mark the fourth time Bryant has graced the cover of the annual basket video game franchise. But some fans aren’t happy about it.
NBA 2K is the only NBA game, and fans say that its use of Bryant’s image, again, reflects the lack of vision and innovation of the game itself. Multiple comments on the game’s Twitter and Instagram feeds noted the lack of upgrades and Bryant’s cover dominance.
Source: 2K Games / NBA 2K24
“Again, Kobe?” a gamer posted. “Stop milking him dry.”
A frustrated gamer who didn’t want to be identified by name says the new NBA 2K isn’t much different than its last iteration.
“The game isn’t progressing. Visually, it’s getting better,” he says. “But you still got this bad animation. Once you go into the animation, you know it’s a wrap. There’s overdribbling point guards, it’s so much. The cost to load up these characters is impossible without spending money.”
Most of his frustration is the difficulty of creating a player that does what a gamer wants it to do.
He added, “It progresses visually every year and they do try to change some mechanics. But they can’t figure it out because it’s no competition. They locked the characters between these guidelines so you can’t be the player you want to be, or play the way you want to play, but you want my $70 every year.”
As for the Bryant cover, this gamer says that other players deserved it more, including one who recently brought home the first championship ever for his team.
“[Nikola] Jokic needs to be on the cover. He’s just won [a championship] first of all, he was the Finals MVP They’re talking about he can’t be (the league) MVP three years in a row, even though he should have been. And my man is mad humble, he just wanted to go home to his horses,” he said.
NBA 2K has no competition, so despite the issues, this gamer will be ponying up for it again when the game drops on September 8.
“But I’m still gonna play it though,” he says.
Photo: 2K / NBA 2K24
