NBA 2K is one of the most popular and widely recognized sports game series on the planet. With an annual release dating back to the late 1990s, the game has become a significant feature of the basketball community.
This year’s release, however, may be the most anticipated in a long time. Besides updated graphics, rosters, and stats, the game has made a number of enhancements to the gameplay — and all of which were revealed in a detailed list by the developers.
(via VGR):
Shooting: Every signature jump shot is going to have unique stats via the shooting attributes addition. At launch, five new shot meters will be available, and you will have the chance to unlock 15 more as the Seasons unfold over the next year.
Pro Stick Enhancements: Gamers will be delighted to know that Pro Stick will include New Gesture Combos. Additionally, you can stop worrying about unexpected skill dunks thanks to the new commands that Dunking is getting.
Skill Moves and Adrenaline Boosts: Adrenaline Boosts are brand new to the game, and will help to prevent over dribbling. After you perform an explosive sprint launch or a hard go, a “Boost” is consumed. You receive three of them during a possession. Once you run out, your speed and acceleration go down until the possession is over.
Defense: Blocks are getting an overhaul this year that will improve stops and yield more consistent results and a higher degree of realism. There are also going to be enhancements to ball security.
Badges: If you are playing on a current gen console (Xbox Series X/S or PS5), you can look forward to a new tiered badge system. In every attribute category, there will be 16 badges.
Takeovers: In Team Takeover, the whole team will now have one common meter. But there will not be any changes to primary or secondary Takeovers.
AI: As many players have requested, there are going to be significant upgrades to AI gameplay on current gen consoles. Areas where you will notice improvement include pick and roll execution, defense, ball handling and coaching.
These are the issues that 2K players care the most about. As great as a fresh new look can be, how the game actually plays is no doubt the most important part.
For the first time in years, it appears that 2K has actually listened to the fans and has taken a number of steps to use the feedback to increase the overall experience.
Let’s just hope that these changes are more than a promise and that they actually are incorporated well into the game.
