While the introduction of microtransactions is hardly surprising considering the history of its new publisher, they don’t hit NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 as hard as might expect. It will take you a while to grind out every player (unless you just buy them all from the off), but it helps that the core arcade gameplay remains as fun and enjoyable as ever. It doesn’t quite capture the blissful mayhem of NBA Jam, but if the main NBA 2K series has always felt a little too realistic for you, this larger-than-life spin-off offers a bright and empowering way to defy gravity like Air Jordan himself.

If you liked NBA Playgrounds then this game will surely be a solid improvement you enjoy. If the first game was too buggy, or there were too many issues, then Playgrounds 2 fixes many problems. There are still reasons to be cautious with things like roster unlocks and limitations in the game modes, but it is overall a solid package.

NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 improves on a quite a few aspects of the original game like game modes and gameplay mechanics. But its microtransaction model leaves a sour taste in the player's mouth. Unlocking great players takes a very long time and the game wants to get you to buy in-game credits. But if you're patient, or spending more money isn't a problem for you, you can have a lot of fun with NBA 2K Playgrounds 2.

NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 is a reasonably fun revisitation of the first game, carrying over the strong improvements its predecessor gained from patches, including a better shooting system. However, there’s not much in the way of deeply engaging content to keep you playing more than a couple of pickup games with your friends.

The game is not up to its predecessor. It's still a great arcade title for NBA fans, and there is a clear graphic improvement but there are bad gameplay design decisions, such as forcing you to play for hours with each player until you get their attributes.

Overall, Playgrounds 2 is lacklustre and feels too much like a mobile game franchise. It takes advantage of its audience and never offers enough satisfaction in return for the money, or the grind sessions. Ultimately, NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 is a bad game, and certainly no spiritual successor. Stick with NBA 2K19 or NBA Jam itself.