And here's my summary!
- The goal with gameplay in NBA 2K22 was to create a fun and competitive experience on the sticks, with an emphasis on skill-based offense and a genuine skill gap.
- A "strong push" was made to implement the same quality of improvements on Current Gen and Next Gen.
- Defense was a priority during development, with a primary goal of giving gamers the tools to impact the game on the perimeter and in the paint.
- The shot contest and blocking systems have been rebuilt. There are new snatch blocks and volleyball spikes that didn't happen before.
- "Ghost contests" have been addressed. Being out of position and failing to get a hand in an opponent's face will give up easy buckets, rather than being able to impact shot success through loose proximity.
- Conversely, properly crowding shooters will force bricks and airballs.
- On-ball defensive movement was another area of focus, specifically body-up rides and bumps. Bump steals and "snatchy body ups" have been reduced, and user input matters.
- Players with low steal ratings have slower animations that punish them when they reach and gamble. There are also more dunk/layup strips in NBA 2K22, so that great defenders can counteract Slashers.
- Re-writes of the defensive AI on Next Gen have reportedly addressed long-standing legacy issues, including weaknesses with positioning logic.
- New hedge defender logic will allow for smarter reactions to the ball handler. Help defender logic has also been improved. This will reportedly cut down on the defensive lapses seen in recent games.
- The AI will also anticipate certain play actions, and better rotate to take away passing lanes. Emphasis has been placed on filling defensive gaps and playing more intelligently.
- 1-to-1 Basic Size-Ups have been replaced by 1-to-1 Signature Size-Ups. The intention here was to add more authenticity, without compromising control.
- Flicking the stick quicker will still result in faster dribbling moves, as was the case in NBA 2K21.
- There are 50 unique Signature Size-Up packages, and 32 unique dribbling sequences; Beluba refers to the latter as Signature Combos. They are performed by holding Sprint and flicking the stick up.
- Dribble movement is paced faster than last year, and aims for tighter control as you move around the court.
- There are 28 unique dribbling styles, including new styles for WNBA players.
- Smaller players no longer lag behind taller players when they have the same Speed with Ball rating.
- New back-to-basket moves have been added to enhance post play, along with new fakes and combos.
- The new Shot Meter has a "make window" that will resize dynamically according to defensive pressure, ratings, fatigue, and the quality of the shot attempt.
- Shot IQ will play a major role in shot success in NBA 2K22. Although ratings and stick skills do matter, forcing up bad shots will result in more misses.
- Defenders can feasibly contest dunks at the rim.
- Holding sprint and down on the Pro Stick will force an aggressive skill dunk when a defender is under the rim, as long as you have a strong dunker and some room to take off.
- On Next Gen, timing meters have been added to alley-oops and aggressive skill dunk attempts. Finishing lobs will require pressing the shot button with good timing.
- Dunk celebrations have been added, and function similarly to Green Release celebrations as seen in previous games.
- A player's dunk repertoire can be customised using the Dunk Style Creator. This will allow for custom dunk packages.
- Builds have been adjusted for better balance, and the amount of Badge points has been increased "significantly".
- More information about Badges is presented to the user while creating a build.
- Badge Loadouts allow the array of equipped Badges to be easily toggled, depending on your needs for an upcoming game.
- 17 new Badges have been added (details below), for a total of 80 possible Badges that can be equipped depending on your build.
- All 80 Badges are available on both Current Gen and Next Gen.
- Takeover Perks are modifiers that are exclusive to Next Gen, and can be unlocked to enhance your Takeover abilities. Beluba wants these to be a surprise.
- Fast Twitch - Ability to get off the floor quicker for standing layups and dunks
- Grace Under Pressure - Ability to convert standing layups more effectively
- Limitless Takeoff - Ability to soar from further away on driving dunk attempts
- Mouse in the House - Ability for bigs to finish over shorter players more efficiently
- Unstrippable - Ability to secure the ball better when gathering for a layup/dunk in traffic
- Chef - Ability to knock down Steph-like off-dribble deep 3’s
- Limitless Spot-up - Ability to hit logo-range 3’s off a catch and shoot
- Lucky #7 - Boosts your ability to score when shooting early in the clock
- Mismatch Expert - Ability to successfully shoot over taller defenders on a switch
- Glue Hands - Ability to make difficult catches and quicker branch out to a shot or dribble
- Hyperdrive - Boosts the speed and effectiveness of moving dribble moves
- Quick Chain - Boosts the ability to quickly chain dribble moves together
- Post Playmaker - Boosts the effectiveness of both shots and moves when playing in the post
- Triple Threat Juke - Increases the effectiveness of triple threat fakes, jabs, and go moves
- Ball Stripper - Ability to strip layup and dunk attempts more effectively
- Hustler - Ability to get to those scrappy 50/50 balls quicker than opponents
- Menace - Significantly drops the offensive ratings of opponents when you smother them
