Every year, the NBA 2K series, like our favorite NBA teams, teases enough improvements to give us a sliver of hope; a renewed sense of faith that maybe things will be even better than last time. Although that faith was rewarded last year, that hasn’t been the case in the 10 hours I’ve spent with NBA 2K27 so far. While the on-court play does feel better thanks to smoother and more responsive defensive movements, some new features, like MyCareer Eras, are the opposite. Instead, they act like magnifiers, placing a spotlight on issues that have consistently plagued this series, like an ever-growing emphasis on microtransactions. That can turn what should be an energizing session of hoops into a tiring exercise in scrutiny.

Let’s kick things off with the good stuff: the on-court experience. Offense, although it still feels largely the same, has a few new tricks up its sleeve that make it slightly more challenging than last year. For starters, Rhythm Shooting is much less forgiving than in 2K26 since you’ll have to actually hit the green part of your shot meter to make jumpers. Full disclosure: I religiously use the square button to shoot because it’s what I’ve been doing since 2K10. With this change, I've become even more partial to the classic hold-and-release method since there just doesn’t seem to be an incentive to master Rhythm Shooting’s more finicky timing and down-up motion. Of course, there may come a point when I’ll need to really dig into the latter, but today is not that day.

Belief and disappointment go hand in hand; just ask any sports fan. The crushing blow of losing lingers, but is eventually replaced by a newfound fervor – a flicker of hope that maybe this time things will be different. With the NBA 2K series, it’s mostly been frustrating in recent years because we so often end up being disappointed. Thankfully, NBA 2K26 bucks that trend with a MyCareer mode (for my money the star and core of each annual game) is the best it’s been in years thanks to its amazing prelude storyline. And like a group of reliable role players, a handful of tweaks, most notably the updated shot meter and player movement, tie everything together nicely so that the gameplay in each mode is less stressful and more rewarding. Of course, these excellent improvements make the imperfections stand out, with MyGM continuing to stick out like disgruntled benchwarmers. Overall, NBA 2K26 is the equivalent of a team that’s a few pieces away from contending, making this year’s catchphrase, “Ball Over Everything,” pretty fitting if you don’t count the endless microtransactions in all the online modes. Because when you’ve got the core performing this well, and all eyes are on the on-court action, it becomes easier to ignore those imperfections. – Nicoe Vergara, September 13, 2024

Score: 8

Read the full NBA 2K26 review.

Then there’s the new logic-based Dunk Meter, which, instead of only showing up when you perform Skill Dunks like in 2K26, now appears whenever you drive to and attempt a shot at the rim. The goal, as always, is to hit the green, but it won’t always be that simple, because this feature takes the defender’s positioning into account. That means even if you get a near-perfect release on your way to a jam, a well-timed contest from a towering, highly-rated defender like Zach Edey or Victor Wembanyama could turn it into a miss.

I’ll admit, taking the Dunk Meter into account did take some getting used to, meaning I’ve missed more than a few slams in trying to master it. But after playing several matches, I’ve come to appreciate the greater sense of realism it lends to 2K27. As much as I would want every poster dunk attempt to go in, even a strong and sure-handed player like Giannis can and should get stuffed at the rim every now and then.

That, of course, leads me to the side of the ball that flusters dribblers, causes turnovers, and wins championships. If last year’s defense was a benchwarmer who barely played any minutes, this year it’s the Most Improved Player. As soon as I hopped into a match, the change felt immediate; being near a defender and putting a hand up actually altered a shot! Gone are the dark days when every jumper, even contested ones, felt like they would go in; now that both sides of the ball are balanced, playing through an entire match, at least in the offline modes, feels better than ever.

Now it’s time to head on over to MyCareer’s neck of the woods, with its latest single-player journey, dramatically titled Fire and Concrete. Like always, this tale follows our recurring hero MP, showing his hoops growth in stages from humble high school roots all the way to a career in the pros. Unlike its predecessors, though, this one’s a doozy, spanning 11 chapters – and bigger always means better, right? Right? Oh, if only that were true.

As soon as I jumped into the thick of things, some flaws immediately stood out, beginning with the story itself. Early on, a key plot point is rushed through in an animated vignette instead of actually unfolding in a motion-captured cutscene, as if it were a commercial as opposed to a career-defining incident. It flashes by so fast that I almost missed it, and makes the start of MP’s journey, arguably the most important part, feel like an afterthought.

Then, there’s MP himself, who, so far, has been very hard to root for. It’s like all the personality has been sucked out of this version of him and given to the supporting characters instead. That said, I am still only in the first half of the story, so our protagonist could eventually experience some much-needed personal growth as the rest of it unfolds. But right now, I’d rather be playing as his funny cousin Cam, voiced and mocapped by Vince Staples, who steals the spotlight in every scene he’s in with his quick one-liners and witty comebacks.

Being the narrative nerd that I am, you’d think my biggest frustration would lie with Fire and Concrete’s lackluster story. Well, it doesn't. Instead, what I’ve been most disappointed with so far is MyCareer Eras, a new mode that lets you drop a created player into one of the six significant time periods in the NBA. Sounds exciting, right? I mean, it does on paper. But then you realize that creating more than one custom character means having to begin with a paltry 60 overall rating each time. So, if you want to actually compete in these Eras, you’ll have to either grind out a crazy amount of matches in The City or spend real money to give your characters an immediate boost.

You might be asking, “Why don’t you just use your upgraded Fire and Concrete player in Eras?” Well, the answer is I can’t. Once you start a save file in the story mode, that player is essentially locked to the Modern Era. You also can’t switch from one era to another, which means if you want to try out all of the time periods, you’ll need to make six separate characters. Do you see my problem now? I didn’t think it was possible, but with this mode, developer Visual Concepts has somehow made microtransactions even more glaring and obnoxious than ever.

But that’s all just part of the opening tip, dear reader, and there’s still a long way to go before we get to the final buzzer. There’s still plenty I haven’t seen that I’m excited to check out between now and then, including the new mode, MyNBA Legacy, which seems like a throwback to Create a Legend from 2K12 and 13 – not to mention all the changes to The City and MyGM. Don’t worry, I won’t be gone long. Once we reach crunch time after the weekend, I’ll be back like MJ in his last game, ready with my final score.

The big Grand Theft Auto 6 extended look (mostly) went off without a hitch, and apparently, it was Rockstar Games' idea to bring it to Netflix in the first place, not the other way around.

Amidst the unprecedented amount of hype for GTA 6, there was a fair amount of confusion from fans, who questioned Rockstar's decision to make its gameplay debut a Netflix exclusive for six hours after its premiere yesterday. This first real look at Jason and Lucia's story definitely managed to wow viewers, but even after 27 minutes of Vice City, the question remained: Why Netflix?

Many assumed it to be a high-value deal cooked up by the streaming giant to pull eyes its way, but apparently, that's not the case. A Rockstar PR representative told Kinda Funny Games ahead of the big reveal that it was actually the GTA 6 developer's idea to stream the extended look on Netflix. The quote is: "We wanted to go to Netflix."

It's a response that may generate more questions than answers. Rockstar first raised eyebrows when it confirmed plans to bring GTA 6: Extended Look exclusively to Netflix earlier this month, promising what eventually turned out to be a lengthy version of a long-awaited third trailer – but only for subscribers. Even with the knowledge that the full presentation would eventually drop on YouTube just a few hours later, fans who have been waiting 13 years for the next Grand Theft Auto were annoyed to hear they'd have to wait even longer if they didn't want to fork over the cash.

"This is unbelievably scummy," said one fan on X at the time. "Everyone is excited for the extended look of GTA 6, but it's premiering on Netflix first, which will influence people to get a subscription. This needs to be called out, because if any other studio, such as Bethesda, did this, they would be crucified."

Still, some were willing to be patient and see if there might be something more to Rockstar's grand plan. At least some of the hesitation then turned to excitement after Strauss Zelnick, CEO of parent company Take-Two Interactive, promised that the extended look would be worth the price for early admission.

He went as far as to say that the plan was "an example of Rockstar trying new things" as marketing for GTA 6 truly kicked off. He also told Bloomberg, "I think when the title is launched on Netflix, if you watch it, you'll understand more."

"If you're not a Netflix subscriber, you definitely should be one," he told IGN at the time. "And as for the trailer itself, it's coming soon enough that I'll let you arrive at your own conclusion."

Well, the trailer is here, and while it certainly managed to impress, it's still not clear why Rockstar felt the need to bring GTA 6: Extended Look to Netflix, specifically. That said, there are still months to go before launch arrives. Nothing about the developer's future marketing plans has been revealed yet, so it's possible we could see other entries or even episodes added to Extended Look in the future.

For now, though, all we know is that Rockstar has its reasons. IGN got an early peak at all things GTA 6 ahead of yesterday's gameplay reveal and walked away just about as impressed as everyone else. You can check out our thoughts in our preview, and then be sure to see what we had to ask the developer in our interview. You can also check out 69 details we learned while visiting Rockstar HQ, the GTA Online character who's making a comeback, and the Red Dead Redemption 2 Easter Egg hidden in the extended look.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

It’s been a huge week for trailers, specifically for games (though the entertainment front hardly took the week off). Of course, the big headline from this week is GTA 6. (Did your Netflix break when you tried to log on to watch the Extended Look right when it dropped?) But gamescom has also been busy shelling out one trailer after another since Tuesday’s Opening Night Live. What’s included here is merely a tiny smattering of the biggest hits; you can peruse all of them — there are currently 187 — at your leisure on IGN’s YouTube channel.

Here are the trailers you should watch from this week (and here’s what you missed last week).

In the trailer event to end all trailer events, Rockstar finally dropped a long 27-minute look at the most anticipated game of the decade after enduring a series of brutal leaks (that seems like it might also have been a crypto scheme). What else is there to say that my esteemed colleagues have not already? Obviously, it looks insane.

GTA 6 is coming out on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on November 19.

There’s tons of new footage from Fable that you can check out from gamescom — plus, read our preview — but I was particularly drawn to these 18 minutes of quest gameplay that takes the Hero through the massive and gorgeous Bowerstone (130 homes and 30 businesses and you can go in all of them???), highlights some character interactions (I also would have thrown the beer at Humphry), and shows off a tiny bit of combat (I scrubbed back on shooting that one thug in the knee with an arrow like three times, very good).

Fable releases on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on February 23, 2027.

The Witcher 3 got a twofer out of gamescom 2026: a remaster trailer (which will be free for players who already own the game) and the Songs of the Past DLC. Any excuse to hang out with Geralt another time is cool in my book. The Remaster, of course, looks super slick, but Songs of the Past especially has me intrigued with the freakiness of Letten.

The Witcher 3 Remaster is available September 29; the Songs of the Past DLC does not currently have a release window.

The Weapons! Are! Here! The FFVII Revelation look out of gamescom — the first since SGF — was fairly short, focusing mostly on those giant monsters, but it did show off more of the aerial and submarine combat that’s coming in the trilogy-ending FFVII remake. Hell yeah, brother.

Final Fantasy VII Revelation comes out in spring 2027.

No Law was a fun gamescom reveal — it’s an FPS where you play as the field-tested, now peace-seeking Grey Harker. I don’t know much else about what it’s actually about, but I do know that this tongue-in-cheek, cyber-noir, gadget-driven stealth game that also lets you blow some heads off seems pretty dang fun.

No Law releases on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC in 2027.

First teaser for Aardman's stop-motion POKÉMON’ series ‘THE MISADVENTURES OF SIRFEITCH'D & PICHU’.

Releasing in 2027. pic.twitter.com/6Wx7pGDb9J

Legendary animation studio Aardman (the folks behind Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Chicken Run, and more) revealed the first teaser for the upcoming stop-motion Sirfetch’d and Pichu teamup series at PokémonXP and holy crap, does it look super cute.

The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d and Pichu releases in 2027 on Disney+.

Did we really need the return of Ali G in 2026? I dunno, probably not. Would I have preferred a Borat 3? I mean, yeah. Either way, Sacha Baron Cohen has another Ali G movie coming out this fall.

Ali G: Who Iz I? releases in theaters October 23.

POSSIBLE LOVE, a new film from Lee Chang-dong, acclaimed director of Burning and Secret Sunshine, is South Korea's Official Selection for International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards®.

Two married couples cross paths to film a documentary that causes them to face their… pic.twitter.com/IKxrLsTtKW

Lee Chang-dong hasn’t made a film since 2018’s Burning. His latest, which Lee has said is 10 years in the making, has already been selected as South Korea’s Oscars entry for Best International Feature. Just from the trailer (and an excellent directorial track record; I mean, have you seen Secret Sunshine?), it’s not hard to see why Lee’s film was selected. If I feel devastated after two minutes, imagine what the power of two hours holds!

Possible Love releases in select theaters October 23 before it comes to Netflix on November 6.

This year’s Palme d’Or winner is finally crossing over to the states (and is already among extremely early whispers about Oscar nominations). The subject matter in Cristian Mungiu’s film is unpleasant: Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve’s family, with their five young children, is on the verge of being torn apart from allegations of physical abuse. Still, I’m eager to watch; Reinsve and Stan are both incredible performers.

Fjord releases in theaters October 9.

Learn to love again. John Wilson’s THE HISTORY OF CONCRETE is in theaters starting September 18. #TheHistoryofConcrete pic.twitter.com/Qp2lDBm8d4

Were you a fan of the HBO show How To With John Wilson a couple years back? Were you sad when it ended? If you, like me, fall into this category, you’ll be delighted to know that Wilson has made a feature-length documentary called The History of Concrete that premiered at Sundance and is apparently very good. It finally got a trailer this week and it looks perfectly John Wilson-y.

The History of Concrete gets a limited release in theaters September 18.

First trailer for the ‘GET JIRO’ animated series.

The series follows a sushi chef in a dystopian version of LA where customers resort to murder to secure a table at major restaurants.

Releasing October 3 on Adult Swim. pic.twitter.com/V0Pc2LTVCK

This one’s a fun surprise: Based on the 2012 graphic novel from Joel Rose and the late Anthony Bourdain (whose biopic Tony you should see), Get Jiro is a violent animated series from DC Studios about a sushi chef who chops the head off of a customer who uses soy sauce when he explicitly said not to and grates the face off another chef (they probably also deserved it).

Get Jiro premieres on Adult Swim October 3 and streams on HBO Max the following day.

To understand the hunt, you have to understand the mind.

Inspired by true events, UNABOMBER stars Russell Crowe, Jacob Tremblay, Annabelle Wallis, and Shailene Woodley. September 25. pic.twitter.com/iJTumS10Tx

This upcoming Netflix movie — starring Jacob Tremblay as Ted Kaczynski, plus Shailene Woodley and Russell Crowe — gives off big "just-OK limited series" vibes, so I’m somewhat skeptical that this'll be any good. But I’m also dumb enough to give it a try.

Unabomber releases September 25 on Netflix.

Leanne Butkovic (she/they) is an Editorial Programming Manager at IGN, where they've also written about TV, movies, and games.