When everything is working properly, NBA 2K21 features some of the best gameplay in the history of sports video games. However, this has been the case for several years, and despite the fact that this year's iteration improves on a few things, most notably the aimed shooting mechanic, there hasn't been much of a shift. But it's unfortunate that 2K's emphasis isn't on the enjoyment you can have while playing, but rather on the money that can be extracted from your wallet while not playing in the MyCareer and MyTeam modes, which are simply not enjoyable to play through without paying. Perhaps the upcoming release of a new generation of consoles will herald a new era for the 2K22 MT, but for the time being, I am more pessimistic than ever about the series' long-term viability.- Ben Vollmer, on the 10th of September in the year 2020.
So far, NBA 2K22 hasn't been able to put me in the zone, but the improved gameplay and breadth of content in this iteration have brought me closer than I've been in the past few years. It feels like a breath of fresh air, with significant changes to how stamina impacts shooting and a City filled with diverse ways to improve your MyPlayer character.
With only one day of experience with the PlayStation 5 version under my belt, both I and the rest of the NBA 2K community are still getting to know the latest iteration of the game. I haven't put in the time to learn all of its ins and outs yet, so it's difficult to predict how well it will hold up over time at this point. However, certain aspects of developer Visual Concepts' latest installment have already caught my attention, which is exciting for me as a long-time player.
NBA 2K22 has made some significant changes to the on-court action that help it play more realistically, the most notable of which is the way it handles stamina loss while dribbling. Getting up and down the perimeter, hitting a Curry slide, and draining a three-pointer was a piece of cake in NBA 2K21. That tactic was nearly indefensible against the CPU, especially in NBA MT, where player cards were quickly made ridiculously overpowered. With 2K22, you can still use such tactics, but the stamina loss you suffer from sprinting and performing dribble moves is made much more significant in order to balance out their effectiveness.
As your player becomes more fatigued, their shot meter will decrease, making it more difficult for them to hit targets. As a result, the game appears to be slower at first glance when compared to NBA 2K21 – but if you play with more control and don't just hold down the sprint button, you'll actually have an easier time putting the ball in the basket thanks to the larger shot meter. It may not appear to be a significant change at first glance, but it results in a playstyle that feels more realistic than 2K21 ever did.
Improved gameplay isn't worth much if you don't have good places to put it to use, and fortunately, Visual Concepts appears to have provided plenty of things to do throughout its selection of modes so far. Most of my early playing time has been spent in MyTeam and MyCareer, both of which are jam-packed with features such as the new multiplayer options in MyTeam and the increased variety of off-court activities in MyCareer.
On top of that, I've noticed that some of the more problematic legacy issues aren't resurfacing as frequently as they once did. Bump steals, for example, aren't completely gone, but I haven't seen them as frequently as I did last year. While this could all change as players become more familiar with NBA 2K22, I am pleased to see Visual Concepts taking steps to eliminate some of the more irritating tactics. There are still quite a few instances of bizarre animations that took me out of the experience, but they are significantly fewer than in previous years.
