NBA 2K22 MT Review

You hear this said about annualized sports games every year, but this year it has a lot more truth to it than normal: NBA 2K22 is more of the same. That is great in a few ways: none of the minor changes have done anything to spoil the exceptional on-court experience, which accurately emulates the drama and fashion of NBA basketball. The accession of shot-stick aiming along with a MyCareer reskin are fine improvements, but it's becoming more difficult to ignore the absence of updates to crucial game modes while the focus on monetization only intensifies.

Between the baskets, NBA 2K22 features a handful of little updates but is otherwise extremely familiar if you have played some of the recent-year iterations. My favorite improvement is the new shot-stick planning, which allows for the challenge of actually aiming shots rather than simply timing them. The best part is that it's really hard to master and also resets the learning curve for experienced players in an effective way, and hitting a green shot -- which requires nailing the target in the meter which appears if you hold down the right stick -- is tremendously satisfying.

This system also provides some much-needed nuance to offense in the paint. Hitting floaters or crafty layups depends on having the ability to successfully aim your shot, (that's much easier to do with a celebrity like LeBron James than it is with a player away from the bench) and it generates possible elsewhere on the court. I have even found it will help lighten the blow from latency issues, which continue to plague online play, due to fewer problems with time. Maybe it's because it is one of the few things that feels completely new about NBA 2K22, but it stands out as this season's greatest addition.

Shot-stick planning is one of those few things that feels entirely new about NBA 2K22. As a side benefit, the right stick now includes a full assortment of motion for dribbling, such as pressing forward for touch size-ups such as Jamal Crawford's exaggerated crossover and behind-the-back moves. Being able to focus on making space for myself with the proper rod without worrying about accidentally flinging up a shot is a significant improvement. Generally, dribbling feels much more responsive and seldom leads to the awkward, uncontrollable animations which have plagued the franchise for years. Chaining moves together, like a step back with James Harden to a Eurostep, is much more natural than it had been before. The changes are not always visually apparent, but it helps improve the already good gameplay.

One reason the lack of upgrades is really frustrating is that a handful of legacy issues stay stubbornly present. Among the most bothersome, especially when playing against a different individual offline or online, is how clumsy post-play is. On the flip side, it's far too easy to get the ball to the paint. Outside awkward plays in which the ball only strikes the back of a defender, moves almost always reach the interior without a lot of interference. Even more bothersome is that once the ball gets to the article, the startup animations is much too slow and lacks urgency. Rather than just going directly to the hoop for an easy dunk or layup, players will sluggishly move toward the basket or awkwardly hurl a shot from only a few feet away. Whenever there is open space between the player and the basket, the player should always go right to the basket. In Buy MT 2K22, that is rarely true.