IT’S almost that time of year again. Christmas is nearly here for 2K fans worldwide with NBA 2K22 launching in just over a week. But 2K have kept quiet about what to expect in regards to gameplay. However all has been revealed in a very lengthy Courtside Report that’s just been released. This information overload was also revealed shortly after the official gameplay reveal trailer went live.
Quickly glancing over the changes, it’s easy to assume that nothing innovative has actually changed about the game. While not ground breaking, these changes should make certain elements more enjoyable than previous years. Although that’s always been the case with every annual entry. Some of the gameplay elements mentioned last year, including Dribbling, Badges and Shooting, are said to be getting changes once again. So what makes them different from last year? As mentioned, this release is information heavy so this will mainly be highlighted points. Full deets however can be found here.
There were a lot of mixed opinions about Shooting in NBA 2K21, however 2K has said to have improved it once again. And the proof is apparently in the pudding. That’s if the pudding was a focus-group of players with varied skill levels. A new shot metre has come into play with a dynamic make window that resizes depending on the situation. According to the Courtside Report, this years changes come after Shooting and the ability to take quality shots was “overshadowed by ratings and stick skills.” Which was personally felt at launch. This might be the year that new and revisiting players can comfortably settle in without feeling too challenged.
Defence and Defensive AI will also feel different in NBA 2K22. Shot Contests and Blocking have been completely rebuilt with Steals also receiving notable changes. The Steal Attribute will now affect how your players not only perform but how they look while doing so. The lower your Steal Attribute is, the more your player will appear to struggle in certain situations.
Much like Shot Contesting and Blocking, Defensive AI too was mostly rebuilt.Changes in particular include on-ball defensive positioning,general defensive positioning and defensive rotations.
Basic Size-ups have been given the boot from dribbling and instead have been replaced by Signature Size-ups. It’s a new look and feel when it comes to dribbling, giving it a more unique flavour. There’s also a plethora of new combos and chains to try out.
Lastly, all of the previous badges from last year are coming back plus many more. This year, a much more detailed builder screen will make using badges even easier. On top of that, you’ll also be able to create Badge Loadouts.
When NBA 2K22 launches, there will be 80 badges in total. The list of new badges coming include:
Fast Twitch – Ability to get off the floor quicker for standing layups and dunks
- Grace Under Pressure – Ability to convert standing layups more effectively
- Limitless Takeoff – Ability to soar from further away on driving dunk attempts
- Mouse in the House – Ability for bigs to finish over shorter players more efficiently
- Unstrippable – Ability to secure the ball better when gathering for a layup/dunk in traffic
- Chef – Ability to knock down Steph-like off-dribble deep 3’s
- Limitless Spot-up – Ability to hit logo-range 3’s off a catch and shoot
- Lucky #7 – Boosts your ability to score when shooting early in the clock
- Mismatch Expert – Ability to successfully shoot over taller defenders on a switch
- Glue Hands – Ability to make difficult catches and quicker branch out to a shot or dribble
- Hyperdrive – Boosts the speed and effectiveness of moving dribble moves
- Quick Chain – Boosts the ability to quickly chain dribble moves together
- Post Playmaker – Boosts the effectiveness of both shots and moves when playing in the post
- Triple Threat Juke – Increases the effectiveness of triple threat fakes, jabs, and go moves
- Ball Stripper – Ability to strip layup and dunk attempts more effectively
- Hustler – Ability to get to those scrappy 50/50 balls quicker than opponents
- Menace – Significantly drops the offensive ratings of opponents when you smother them
