NBA 2K22’s first gameplay features, mode details and screenshots revealed

When the new generation of consoles started last November, 2K Sports was there with a version of NBA 2K21 which was designed for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X – a separate product from the NBA 2K21 which debuted in September on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Windows PC and Xbox One. 2K Sports continues this tradition this year with NBA 2K22: If you want all the bells and whistles – all the latest gameplay upgrades, expanded game modes, the WNBA career mode that debuted last year, and more – you’ll need to purchase the new version. game generation.

“We have created two new games again,” Erick Boenisch, executive producer of NBA developer 2K Visual Concepts, said during a Zoom press briefing on Friday ahead of the studio’s first edition. NBA 2K22 feature revealed on Tuesday.

Again, 2K Sports has priced accordingly: NBA 2K22 costs $ 69.99 on PS5 and Xbox Series X, $ 10 more than on older platforms. If you want to be able to go back and forth between PS4 and PS5, or Xbox One and Xbox Series X, it’ll set you back an extra $ 10 – that’s $ 79.99 for what the publisher calls the Cross-Gen Digital Bundle.

During the briefing, a few NBA 2K22 the producers presented a high-level preview of the game. Fans probably expect most of this year’s new stuff to be limited to the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions, and while that’s not wrong, Boenisch has sought to allay concerns that last-gen gamers were being left behind.

“We haven’t ignored the new generation and we haven’t ignored our current generation users; we gave 110% to both, ”said Boenisch. “I didn’t want anyone to feel like they had a lesser experience.”

For example, Gameplay Director Mike Wang said Visual Concepts has done its best to deliver this year’s major gameplay improvements, which aim to give players more control on both sides of the ball, making it dependent on the gameplay. action in the field more of the skills of the user than of animation. systems or dice rolls – to all versions of NBA 2K22.

“We have completely revamped our blocking and interception system, our fitness system and our shooting competition system,” said Wang. He said Visual Concepts also revised the fatigue system for NBA 2K22 in a way that encourages players to use their full bench, not just play their starters for 48 straight minutes. In other words, Wang said, it is now “much more realistic than there is in the real NBA.”

At this time, it is unclear to what extent these changes will apply to the next-gen version of the game.

Image: Visual Concepts / 2K Sports

One thing that won’t is The City, the expansion of The Neighborhood’s online game hub. The city first appeared in the PS5 and Xbox Series X version of NBA 2K21, although it was more of a first step than a full-fledged multiplayer experience; Boenisch acknowledged that the environment was “dead in many ways”. This time around, The City will be populated with non-player characters and a quest system to make it feel like it “is full of life, activity, interactivity,” he said.

The City will also host the MyCareer mode in NBA 2K22. Your MyPlayer character will live there – starting in a modest apartment and hopefully ending in a penthouse suite – and meet with NPCs as their agent and Nike representatives to discuss off-field opportunities like deals. sponsorship.

Visual Concepts heard feedback from players who wanted the ability to quickly enter and exit The City while continuing to progress in MyCareer. To this end, NBA 2K22 offer matchmaking options that are not based on Got Next; you will be able to enter certain buildings for a quick one-on-one battle.

“I want MyCareer to be more than it’s ever been,” Boenisch said, adding that he believed the traditional structure of the mode – the cinematic setup that has been standard since the franchise’s beginnings on PS4 and Xbox One eight years ago – “really needed a refresh.

Instead of The City, the latest generation version of NBA 2K22 will still feature The Neighborhood as a MyCareer hub, although it will be a floating base instead of an urban playground. This year, The Neighborhood takes place on a cruise ship that sails to faraway destinations like Iceland and Egypt. In limited-time events during the season, the boat will land on an island and allow players to participate in seaside activities.

Image: Visual Concepts / 2K Sports

Boenisch noted that the setup is “a bit more traditional” on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One in that The Neighborhood is not mixed in with MyCareer. After the opening cutscene of the mode, you will have the option of continuing the story or going straight to the liner.

All of this will be more closely linked to MyTeam through “Seasons”, which “will extend to the whole game” in NBA 2K22, said producer Jon Smith. Visual Concepts plans to provide MyTeam features, content, and rewards for free with a new season every six weeks or so. It will be available in MyTeam as well as MyCareer and the WNBA career mode, The W, giving you new ways to level up. Owners of the Cross-Gen Digital Bundle will be able to carry forward their progress and card collection within the PlayStation and Xbox families.

If you suspect that microtransactions are even more prevalent than they already are in NBA 2K, it can set off alarm bells in your head. But MyTeam Seasons is optional – “you can do MyCareer and pretend the seasons don’t exist,” Boenisch said.

As for The W and the revised franchise mode, MyNBA / MyWNBA, they will once again be available exclusively on PS5 and Xbox Series X. (MyGM remains franchise mode in the last generation version.) Boenisch & co. did not say much about what is different from these modes in NBA 2K22, with the exception of a new staffing system where individual coaches and coaches will have an effect on your team’s play. Hopefully there is a lot more to come on this front, given that 2K Sports is offering a special edition of the game to mark the 25th anniversary of the WNBA, with Candace Parker as the first female cover athlete in NBA history. 2K.

We’ll have to wait for Visual Concepts to reveal more about NBA 2K22 ahead of its release, which is slated for September 10 on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.