NBA Infinite Review (Android, iOS)

I know, the elephant in the room, the burning question you already have before digging deep into the article. Why play NBA Infinite when NBA 2K Mobile already exists? Well, firstly, NBA 2K Mobile has been a kind of monopoly. With solid competition out there, the hope is that the franchise will do better. Consequently, we’re crossing our fingers, hoping that NBA Infinite will be the competitive alternative that gets the NBA 2K franchise back to its former glory. 

More so, simply having an alternative out there is a good thing, even on mobile. NBA 2K, being a console game, is the better counterpart. However, it doesn’t hurt to have options, does it, to take a breather when you’re done playing NBA 2K Mobile? At the end of the day, whether NBA Infinite sticks around for a bit longer depends on how solid the gameplay is. That said, should you play NBA Infinite? Or are you better off waiting for the next NBA 2K iteration? Let’s find out in our NBA Infinite review.

Run the Court

NBA Infinite is a kind of RPG game. It lets you pick an NBA player. Note: You don’t create your own player from scratch; rather, you choose from a roster of pre-selected ones. You’ll see familiar NBA players, and since NBA Infinite is an officially licensed game, most NBA professional players make it onto the roster. At first, of course, you don’t get access to legendary Stephen Curry or LeBron James players. You have to work for them, unlocking new players the more games you win and buying them from the player market. 

Each player has individual skills and abilities that set them apart from the rest. Some are taller, while others are more proficient at specific skills. In fact, players mimic their real-life counterparts, excelling in skills you’ll find their real-life counterparts best known for. So, in the end, strategy and tactical play come in handy in winning games, especially in team games. You have three major game modes: 1v1, 3v3, and 5v5. The first two are street-style half-court games, while the last option is a full-court game complete with commentary and packed stadiums. 

The remaining modes are training and casual ones like three-pointer contests and triple threat. These help you practice and hone your skills for the high-stakes games. Overall, though, NBA Infinite is designed for a niche audience of competitive online players. Its main game modes are player-versus-player games, where you compete against real-life gamers all around the world. They’re structured to mimic the MyTEAM and MyCAREER game modes of NBA 2K Mobile. You can control one player, leveling them up to the top of a leaderboard. However, you can also control a team of players, switching to one player when the ball is passed to them.

Familiar, Not-So-Familiar Gameplay

Right off the bat, you can already see similarities to NBA 2K Mobile. After all, there isn’t much you can really change in a basketball simulation. Most of the moves and skills remain the same. The difference comes in the game modes, and only to a slight degree because, at the end of the day, you’re practicing to become a legendary basketball player or team manager. There are a few slight differences, though. 

NBA Infinite includes some much-needed tutorials to get newcomers up to speed. It explains what the skills and control buttons mean in plain text. You’ll use your phone’s touchscreen to control your chosen player. You can alter the arrangement and size of the control buttons. Most of them are easy to understand. They’re your usual basketball terminologies: defend, steal, quick chase, block, and so on. It would certainly help to have controller support, though you can use a workaround via Bluestacks.

However, some mechanics can take a while to learn. For instance, to defend, simply tapping the button will only work for a millisecond. You need to long-press to defend effectively. Also, while controls feel fluid and responsive for the most part, a few actions can be clunky and stiff. Players can feel stiff running around the court. It’s almost like an arcade feel that, oddly enough, becomes pretty fun to watch. At times, you can feel cheated through some form of attacking bias. But all in all, the matches are a blast—enough to last hours of gaming.  

Realism at Best

From the first moment you see the characters, you’re immediately taken by surprise. I guess you don’t really expect the level of surrealism and realism that NBA Infinite achieves on mobile. It feels like a console port, with such stunning visuals and meticulous attention to detail. LeBron looks and plays like LeBron. It's perhaps the best part about playing NBA Infinite. 

Furthermore, the game adds a bopping soundtrack that constantly keeps your adrenaline juices flowing. It adds in-game commentary by ESPN's Mark Jones that immerses you in the game. Additionally, you get slow-motion replays of your slickest slam dunks and impressive shots. It adds to feeling a great sense of satisfaction for pulling them off and sends you all excited to play another round, and another, and another until your afternoon closes, still duking it out online.

Oh. You also get mascots, whom you can dress up however you want. The same goes for the players whose skills and play styles you can customize, as well as their appearance. You can also customize your team to create a one-of-a-kind experience.

Break the Bank

NBA Infinite is free-to-play, so it’s no surprise the game has microtransactions. What can I say? They’re a necessary evil. The game has a player market, which acts like a shop where you can buy and sell NBA player cards. So, you can always take a breather and search for cards that could potentially strengthen your team. The prices go up and down depending on supply and demand. You use your hard-earned gold to level up your team, but you can also offload any player cards you don’t need.

Alternatively, you can unlock new players by buying them from the NBA Store. All you need to do is progress through the missions and events to gain access to new NBA players. The same goes for coaches, who can upgrade to a maximum of seven levels. As far as I can tell, you won’t need to spend actual cash to level up. You can play the game, although it takes a bit of time, and with time, you’ll be able to unlock new cards and grow your decks.

Hustle to the Top

In a way, NBA Infinite is a journey. You start from the bottom and gradually work your way to the top. It takes a bit of time to perfect your shooting and dribbling skills. You’ll practice and compete to perfect your smoothness, timing, and precision, whether performing crossovers or alley loops. Your job is to build the perfect line-up, upgrading each player’s ranking as you go and trading them to get better players. 

With each player boasting unique skills and a variety of real-life NBA players to choose from, you’ll be spoiled for choice. Can you strategize players with the most significant strengths that complement one another? Can you upgrade each player on your team and unlock their full potential with time? It takes a prime focus on each player while also managing a team to be a dominant force on the court. Just a taste of victory is enough to keep going until you remain the last team standing, so to speak.

Verdict

NBA Infinite feels like a wholesome experience. I mean, it covers all the bases, from building your team from scratch to collecting and customizing the cards of real-life NBA players. Each player has distinct skills and play styles that influence your strategy on the court. If you get tired of the competitive matches, you can jump into casual modes and further sharpen your skills. Meanwhile, the game has stunning graphical fidelity and realism that fully immerse you in the game.

Of course, a few elements can use more polish. The stiffness with which players move on the court can be jarring for some. Some bias can lead to feeling cheated in some matches. Controller support will come in handy to transition to mobile seamlessly. With Bluestacks, though, you can enjoy a wider screen and a better level of precision. NBA Infinite relies heavily on community support. It’s a multiplayer experience whose competitive spirit will be fueled by its audience’s active participation over time. Let’s wait and see.

Now, whether NBA Infinite is better than NBA 2K Mobile remains up for debate. It’s still a little early for NBA Infinite to fully realize its potential, which, I must say, is pretty promising. NBA 2K Mobile, on the other hand, has had years to perfect its craft. I will say, though, that playing NBA Infinite is a blast with friends. It offers varied game modes to keep you busy for more extended playthroughs. You gradually work your way to the top, perfecting your hoop skills and scooping bragging rights on a global scale. You can download it on iOS or Android.