NBA 2K19 The Prelude: 5 Ups & 3 Downs

3. A Strong Story Other Sports Games Could Learn From

NBA 2K19 The Prelude
2K Games

Also, the story is bloody good.

There's nothing revolutionary here, granted. A.I is a college stand out who fails in the NBA Draft and has to try and make a name for himself overseas. It's another of those underdog tales, the kind sports titles have come to know and love this generation. What The Prelude lacks in originality however, it more than makes up for in pacing.

In this first preview chapter, players are introduced to a young American struggling to adapt to life in Shanghai or connect with his teammates. He's jealous of old friends who have snagged themselves a contract in the big leagues, and he desperately wants to make his mark in the NBA. Everything is centred around that goal.

That's something FIFA's The Journey could learn from. The unnecessary tedium of Alex Hunter's story (training, for example) is absent, and there are generally more options for customising how the coach communicates with A.I on the court.

Advertisement
In this post: 
nba 2k19
 
Posted On: 
Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.