Visual Concepts has also changed Triple Threat Online to something it’s calling “The 100,” but as far as I’m concerned it’s a significant step down. That means most people will probably never sniff the top tiers of Unlimited rewards, and Limited continues to be a luck fest in terms of rewards. Unlimited and Limited modes are back with basically no changes. However, the core of building up your personal brand is an adequate diversion when you want a break from the grind of an NBA season. The City is full of product placement, to the point where I could only laugh at how ridiculous it became. Later, I hooked up with Jake from State Farm for some absolutely shameless brand promotion. Early on in my playthrough, I was picking up coffee for my pal, The Game, to help kickstart my rap career. Meanwhile, Visual Concepts has put a major focus on off-the-court activities in M圜areer. It may not be “pay to win” by the strictest definition because you can grind it out, but it’s aggravatingly close. I routinely matched up with other people whose players’ overall rating was in the low 90s, and my 65 OVR small forward simply couldn’t hang. It’s nearly impossible to hop in without either spending money or going through a massive grind to raise your player’s overall level.

The second you step into multiplayer matches on the street or gym, however, they’ll begin to rear their ugly head.

If you stick to your NBA career, you probably won’t notice the monetization problems that The City is full of. And while there are still quite a few instances of weird animations that took me out of the experience, those too are lessened from previous years. That could, of course, all change as people get more familiar with 2K22, but for now, I’m happy to see Visual Concepts taking steps to iron out some of those more annoying tactics. The tweaks on the defensive side of the ball have also seemingly gotten rid of the speed-boosting that plagued 2K21. Things like bump steals aren’t gone completely, but I certainly haven’t seen them happening as much as last year.

On top of that, I’ve noticed some of the more notorious legacy issues not popping up as much. Maybe the new set of consoles on the horizon will bring a fresh start for the NBA 2K franchise, but right now I feel more pessimistic about the series’ future than ever. At the same time, it’s a shame that 2K’s focus isn’t on the fun you can have on the court, but instead the money that can be extracted from your wallet off of the court in the M圜areer and MyTeam modes, which just aren’t fun to grind through without paying. But that’s been true for several years now, and though this year’s iteration improves on a handful of things, most notably the aimed shooting mechanic, there hasn’t been much movement. When it’s clicking, NBA 2K21 has some of the best gameplay in sports video game history. Steals have also been improved with new animations based on your player’s steal rating, so trying to swipe the ball with a low-rated player is sluggish, while guys like Jimmy Butler and Matisse Thybulle will rip the ball with authority. Like the pick and roll, it can start to feel like you have too much power however, the offense is much more likely to drain open jumpers, meaning you can’t just sag off and rely on a late contest. Not only does this mean snazzy new snatch blocks and volleyball spikes, but I felt like a true rim protector when roaming the paint. These tactics are a little overpowered at times, but they’re countered by improvements on the defensive side of the ball.Īdditionally, Visual Concepts has completely redone its systems for contesting shots and blocking. Or, if you’d rather do damage as a big man in the paint, use the pick and roll to force a switch and go to work against the smaller defender. Learning how and when to use your dribble skills and speed to get past defenders off of a pick will make all the difference. The pick and roll is your best friend, especially offline. Without three hunting and rim running, you’re forced to play team basketball.

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