The final sprint is well and truly launched on the side of 2K in view of the release of NBA 2K24 in just over three weeks. After the notes, the first visuals and trailers, we go into a little more detail with an overview of the adjustments related to the gameplay.
The emphasis is on the desire to make the game more intuitive in attack, in particular on the range of shots and dribbles, to allow as many people as possible to have fun with the controller in hand, whatever their level.
Revisited shot timing
We start with the shooting timing which has been reviewed on the team control modes like Quick Play, MyNBA or MyTeam. This one will be more tolerant, which means that you will have less need to memorize the timing of each player to score.
The “Shot Timing Release” has thus been replaced by the “Shot Timing Visual Cue”. Rather than being solely based on button press time, timing can now be set based on other animation cues like jumping or firing, so it can remain reliable even when taking teams that we don’t know well.
The timing of lay-ups has also been redesigned, again offering more leniency for finishing close to the circle. This is particularly the case with “advanced” lay-ups (floaters, Euro-steps, reverse), which are more effective.
Regarding dunks, Next Gen consoles retain the ability to hang on the circle. The bottom of the Pro Stick will perform spectacular dunks to grab the audience’s attention. A player may also attempt a tap as soon as the rebound is captured, by pressing the button corresponding to the shot.
Finally, we can note regarding the game at the low post the importance of strength and weight to dominate your opponents but also to swallow rebounds and successfully execute your favorite moves.
The Takeover gauge more adapted to the course of a match
As for dribbling, NBA 2K will be able to rely on “ProPlay” technology to best model the specificities of each in this area and to offer a maximum of “combos”. As a reminder, to create space or a separation with his defender, the dribbles are compensated with the right stick thus maintaining the sprint trigger for a more aggressive dribble.
We end with two details less related to the gameplay but which are also notable: a new interface to facilitate the choice of game systems with the possibility of choosing up to 16 game patterns, and to set them up more quickly, and the return of the Takeover gauge to Next Gen consoles, with a small tweak.
When the gauge fills up, you can now display a menu that allows you to choose in which category you want your abilities to be increased tenfold, between finishing, shooting, creation, defense (and rebound) or physical. Depending on your choice, you will then increase all of your ratings in that specific category. Depending on the progress of the match, your choices may then vary and correspond more to the needs of your team.
