When a basketball player enters the “zone,” people say it can feel like time slows down to crawl. They can see things before they happen, every little detail of their opponent stands out, and the advantage seems to get bigger and more compelling. NBA 2K22 still hasn’t managed to put me in the zone during my first few games so far, but the improved gameplay and breadth of content in this iteration brings it closer than it has been in recent years. From major changes to how stamina affects shooting in a city full of different ways to upgrade your My Player character, 2K22 feels like a breath of fresh air.
With just one day of the PlayStation 5 version behind us, both the community and I are still in the early stages of learning about this latest version of NBA 2K. I haven’t taken hours to learn all of its ins and outs yet, so it’s hard to say how it will hold up over time at this point. However, a few things are already highlighted in the latest installment from developer Visual Concepts that are exciting to me as a lifelong gamer.
NBA 2K22 has made some big changes to the on-field action that make it a more realistic game, most notably the way it handles stamina loss while dribbling. In 2K21, it was easy to run into a perimeter defender, hit a Curry slip, and throw a three without breaking a sweat. Against the CPU, that tactic was nearly indefensible, especially in MyTeam, where player cards quickly became ridiculously overwhelmed. With 2K22, you can still employ such tactics, but the stamina loss you take from dashing and dribbling becomes much more significant to balance out their effectiveness. In this context, you need what’s called NBA 2K22 MT. Visit nba2king to get more info.
Dealing with fatigue leads to a style of gameplay that feels closer to real life than 2K21 ever has.
As your player gets tired, his shot gauge will decrease, making it harder to hit shots. This leads to gameplay that initially feels slow compared to 2K21, but if you play with more control and don’t just hold down the shutter button, it will actually be easier to put the ball in the bucket thanks to your larger shot meter. It might not seem like a major change at first, but it does lead to a style of gameplay that feels closer to real life than 2K21 ever did.
What we said about NBA 2K21
When it clicks, NBA 2K21 offers some of the best gameplay in sports video game history. But that’s been true for several years now, and while this year’s iteration improves a few things, most notably the targeted shooting mechanic, there hasn’t been much movement. At the same time, it’s a shame that 2K’s focus isn’t on the fun you can have on the pitch, but rather the money that can be wrung out of your wallet off the pitch in MyCareer and MyTeam modes, which just don’t are ‘It’s fun to be ground without paying. Perhaps the new set of consoles on the horizon will bring a fresh start to the NBA 2K franchise, but right now I feel more pessimistic than ever about the future of the series.
Also, I’ve noticed that some of the more troublesome legacy issues haven’t occurred as much. Things like crash steals haven’t completely disappeared, but I certainly haven’t seen them happen as much as I did last year. Of course, all of that could change as players become more familiar with 2K22, but for now, I’m happy to see Visual Concepts taking steps to resolve some of those more annoying tactics. There are still a few instances of weird animations that took me out of the experience, but even those are down from years past. And for the last advice, I recommend you to buy NBA 2K22 MT if you want to enjoy the game better.
