NBA 2K22 – Game

The gameplay in NBA 2K22 is like fine wine: Crisp, smooth and better with age. Often, sports games will copy and paste the same mechanics and animations from the prior edition of the game, and the NBA 2K series has been guilty of this in the past. This year, however, is different. While it’s not perfect, the AI in this game simulates what real basketball players would do. It is more difficult to play isolation basketball, making ball movement and creating openings more important.

The most obvious improvement to the gameplay is in defense. Gone are the days where point guards could blow by defenders with ease. In NBA 2K22, defenders will stay in front of the ball handler and force you to get past them. In the past, trying to steal the ball on defense would result in a near-automatic reach-in foul. But this year’s game rewards players for well-timed steals. The same applies for the new shot contest and shot-blocking mechanics. It is a balanced system that eschews the absurd late closeouts that contest wide-open shots, as well as fixes the commonplace instance of a well-guarded shot being considered wide-open.

On the offensive side of the ball, the most significant change is a new shot meter. The shot meter takes a little while to get used to, but once you do, it is a welcome change. Whereas past shot meters were small icons that appeared over the shooter’s head, this one is a long arc that appears behind the shooter. The meter expands with high-quality shots from better shooters, and shrinks with low-quality shots from worse shooters. NBA 2K22 has also added new dribble moves and signature combos, creating more offensive versatility for players.