.jpg?q=50&fit=contain&w=1140&h=570&dpr=1.5)
Ahead of its launch on September 10, the team at Visual Concepts is offering fans a closer look at the reworked systems of NBA 2K22. Beyond fancy graphical enhancements, this year also brings a completely redesigned blocking system, as well as improvements to fundamentals such as dribbling and shooting.
Specifically, the shot contest and blocking systems should feel radically different from past NBA 2K installments. Erick Boenisch, executive producer at Visual Concepts, said both were "completely rebuilt" for NBA 2K22 and should give players more control over how they play.
"The shot contest and blocking systems were completely rebuilt, leading to several new snatch blocks and volleyball spikes that never happened before," Boenisch said. "The shot contest rewrite removed the “ghost contests” that many complained about, and this year, being out of position or not getting a hand in the shooter’s face will lead to some easy buckets for the offense. On the other hand, properly crowding shooters with good contests will result in plenty of bricks and airballs, as they should."
If you're more interested in offense, you'll be glad to hear both dribbling and shooting will feel and look more natural – and shooting will strongly favor players who manage to create space and take an open shot:
"Shooting has undergone many changes for NBA 2K22," Boenisch explained. "There’s a new shot meter with a dynamically resizing make window. This window will expand when you’re taking high-quality shots with good shooters, but will shrink when heavily contested, shooting with a low-rated shooter, or fatigued. The major emphasis for shooting success this year is Shot IQ.
"The teams that work for open looks and take smart shots are going to see much more success than the teams that force up bad shots. We’ve heavily focus-group tested the new shooting mechanics with players of all skill levels and believe this is the best that shooting has ever felt in NBA 2K."
You'll also find a new player builder along with an increased amount of badge points available for use. There's a lot of new content to dive into, so make sure you give Boenisch's latest reveal a look and prepare for NBA 2K22 on September 10.