Last night, 2K Games released the official reveal gameplay for their upcoming NBA 2K22 basketball video game. As stated in the brief and exciting video embedded above, the footage is taken directly from the next-gen versions of the game coming to Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 respectfully. With Rap Icon Nas’ signature “Made You Look” song playing throughout, it looks as though 2K has captured the vibe of being on the court well while also displaying several of the male and female athletes in all their glory. Here is a quick list of some of the new gameplay innovations:
- Defense & Defensive AI: Completely rebuilt shot contest and blocking systems, a significant update to the fundamental defensive rotations, and much more.
- Dribbling: Players will experience a unique feel and rhythm when sizing up, significantly faster overall pace, and much tighter control in navigating the court, and a ton of other new combos, cancels, and move chains.
- Post Play: Upgrades highlight loads of new content, including new movement and a new arsenal of back-to-basket moves.
- Shooting: There’s a new shot meter that will dynamically expand when players take high-quality shots with good shooters but will shrink when heavily contested, shooting with a low-rated shooter, or fatigued. NBA 2K22 puts more emphasis on Shot IQ, meaning the teams that work for open looks and take smart shots are going to see much more success than the teams that force up bad shots.
- Finishing: Along with a focus on creating more of a skill gap for finishing at the rim, players can also completely customize their dunk repertoire with an all-new Dunk Style Creator.
- Builds, Badges & Takeover: Adjustments to create more balanced builds, and an increase of the total badge count to 80, offer many ways for players to impact the game. Additionally, NBA 2K22 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles introduce Takeover Perks*, which you can unlock to strengthen your existing Takeover abilities.
When NBA 2K21 next-gen launched last Fall on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, it felt as though 2K actually tried to make that experience feel different on these consoles as opposed to the previous generation of consoles. To this day, I would still say this is the best next-gen sports game so far. I’m very eager to see if NBA 2K22 brings more to the table or if the devs decide to play it safe and keeps things the same as last year. Luckily, we won’t have to wait too much longer now to find out all that and more. Stay tuned for more details on NBA 2K22 in the days and weeks ahead as the game’s launch is right around the corner.
NBA 2K22 launches on September 10th for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
