NBA 2K21 Next Gen First Look

[ThaLiveKing]

I haven't seen this posted yet, what are your thoughts?

[Andrew]

Interesting situation with the release dates.

Echoing and expanding upon what I said on Twitter, at this point I'm not concerned about graphics. I think they're going to be fine, and they'll continue to tap into the power of the new consoles moving forward. I'm more concerned about them being able to avoid the mistakes of the past and familiar legacy issues as they "build from the ground up", implementing proper matchmaking, enhancing the AI and physics, and so on.

You can have all the photorealistic players you want, dripping sweat and progressively getting sweatier throughout the game. If there are still psychic steals, body steals, huge amounts of clipping, massive AI lapses, unbalanced abilities, broken and OP player builds, problems with player movement and speed, and all the other legacy gameplay issues, not to mention a toxic online scene due to a lack of matchmaking, unreliable servers, and aggressive recurrent revenue mechanics...well, that's the stuff to sweat, in my book.

[ThaLiveKing]

Interesting situation with the release dates.

Echoing and expanding upon what I said on Twitter, at this point I'm not concerned about graphics. I think they're going to be fine, and they'll continue to tap into the power of the new consoles moving forward. I'm more concerned about them being able to avoid the mistakes of the past and familiar legacy issues as they "build from the ground up", implementing proper matchmaking, enhancing the AI and physics, and so on.

You can have all the photorealistic players you want, dripping sweat and progressively getting sweatier throughout the game. If there are still psychic steals, body steals, huge amounts of clipping, massive AI lapses, unbalanced abilities, broken and OP player builds, problems with player movement and speed, and all the other legacy gameplay issues, not to mention a toxic online scene due to a lack of matchmaking, unreliable servers, and aggressive recurrent revenue mechanics...well, that's the stuff to sweat, in my book.

I'm still amazed how they got the game to play worse than last year's game. Maybe they did it on purpose. Either way I'm not getting the next gen version of this game. I have over 72 hours with it and I haven't had fun at all.

[Vlad2010]

As i understand, this is the screenshot of next-gen version? Not a big improvement and no wow effect, which it was with nba 2k14. Perhaps the ears are more rounded

[TRIIIAD]

Based on this comparison someone made (current gen 2k21 on the right), it looks like the lighting has been massively improved. But I am curious if the lighting mods we had in 2K20 could already achieve this? The face scan is identical if you look closely...

[Andrew]

I doubt they've had much of an opportunity to get anyone in to sit for new face scans for Current Gen or Next Gen, so it's not surprising. As I said though, I'm personally not concerned about that. While I'm all for fantastic graphics and utilising the power of the new consoles as much as possible from Day 1, even if everyone in the league and on the retro teams had perfect faces and the graphics in general were close to flawless, it would mean little if the other legacy issues and design flaws in gameplay and modes are still present despite being built from the ground up.

[[Q]]

Interesting situation with the release dates.

Echoing and expanding upon what I said on Twitter, at this point I'm not concerned about graphics. I think they're going to be fine, and they'll continue to tap into the power of the new consoles moving forward. I'm more concerned about them being able to avoid the mistakes of the past and familiar legacy issues as they "build from the ground up", implementing proper matchmaking, enhancing the AI and physics, and so on.

You can have all the photorealistic players you want, dripping sweat and progressively getting sweatier throughout the game. If there are still psychic steals, body steals, huge amounts of clipping, massive AI lapses, unbalanced abilities, broken and OP player builds, problems with player movement and speed, and all the other legacy gameplay issues, not to mention a toxic online scene due to a lack of matchmaking, unreliable servers, and aggressive recurrent revenue mechanics...well, that's the stuff to sweat, in my book.

I'm still amazed how they got the game to play worse than last year's game. Maybe they did it on purpose. Either way I'm not getting the next gen version of this game. I have over 72 hours with it and I haven't had fun at all.

lol they are like Apple slowing down iPhones to get people to buy the new version

[Andrew]

You do have to wonder, but I'm not completely sure it's that. I'm sure they want people hyped for Next Gen and not souring on the brand at all, so I'm not sure it's some sort of planned obsolescence. Perhaps there's a certain level of arrogance borne of their sales and recurrent revenue figures; the idea that they can put anything out, especially with no competition, and we'll all still buy the Next Gen version (or indeed, future Current Gen releases) anyway. Sadly, they probably aren't completely wrong about that.

I think it's a combination of a few things when it comes to Current Gen:

1. It's an afterthought at this point, outsourced to another studio so that the main team can focus on Next Gen.
2. The motion engine they introduced in NBA 2K18 hasn't panned out very well. At this point they're just riding it out until Next Gen.
3. Changes to the shooting and dribbling this year give the game a different feel, and new issues on top of the legacy ones. The lack of familiarity and consistency hurts the game.
4. Frustration with legacy issues has also compounded. There are things in the game that we're absolutely sick of, which accentuates them and contributes to that "even worse" feeling.
5. Tuning doesn't feel right. It seems like they're going for a new approach in their attempts to create a "skill gap", and it's not working out in the best interests of the gameplay in my opinion.
6. The pandemic has obviously made development more difficult, and forced the game to launch with 2020 season rosters. As much as anything else, it doesn't feel like we should have a new game yet.
7. There's a distinct lack of goodwill with NBA 2K right now. Pushy microtransactions, poor responses to valid and constructive criticism, and so on. A lot of us don't feel good about the brand.

Now, are they doing some of those things (tuning, questionable changes to mechanics, etc) so that Next Gen will be more mind-blowing? I suppose it's possible, but I think it's unlikely; mostly because I believe that even if Next Gen is truly built from the ground up, it's going to have a similar approach with shooting and dribbling mechanics, as well as tuning and tone. I think it's more likely that NBA 2K21 Current Gen is meant to give us a taste and prepare us for what's coming on Next Gen, rather than being watered down to make Next Gen look more impressive. I mean, I suppose it could be both, but I think it's much more likely the former.

And frankly, I think that's actually the worse scenario here. If Current Gen was dumbed down to make Next Gen look good, there's a good chance we'd at least be satisfied with Next Gen. If Current Gen is a harbinger of things to come, then that's concerning. This year is shaping up to be a bit of a flop and stumble for NBA 2K in my book. Some of it isn't their fault, but the design choices and tuning definitely are.

[ThaLiveKing]

You do have to wonder, but I'm not completely sure it's that. I'm sure they want people hyped for Next Gen and not souring on the brand at all, so I'm not sure it's some sort of planned obsolescence. Perhaps there's a certain level of arrogance borne of their sales and recurrent revenue figures; the idea that they can put anything out, especially with no competition, and we'll all still buy the Next Gen version (or indeed, future Current Gen releases) anyway. Sadly, they probably aren't completely wrong about that.

I think it's a combination of a few things when it comes to Current Gen:

1. It's an afterthought at this point, outsourced to another studio so that the main team can focus on Next Gen.
2. The motion engine they introduced in NBA 2K18 hasn't panned out very well. At this point they're just riding it out until Next Gen.
3. Changes to the shooting and dribbling this year give the game a different feel, and new issues on top of the legacy ones. The lack of familiarity and consistency hurts the game.
4. Frustration with legacy issues has also compounded. There are things in the game that we're absolutely sick of, which accentuates them and contributes to that "even worse" feeling.
5. Tuning doesn't feel right. It seems like they're going for a new approach in their attempts to create a "skill gap", and it's not working out in the best interests of the gameplay in my opinion.
6. The pandemic has obviously made development more difficult, and forced the game to launch with 2020 season rosters. As much as anything else, it doesn't feel like we should have a new game yet.
7. There's a distinct lack of goodwill with NBA 2K right now. Pushy microtransactions, poor responses to valid and constructive criticism, and so on. A lot of us don't feel good about the brand.

Now, are they doing some of those things (tuning, questionable changes to mechanics, etc) so that Next Gen will be more mind-blowing? I suppose it's possible, but I think it's unlikely; mostly because I believe that even if Next Gen is truly built from the ground up, it's going to have a similar approach with shooting and dribbling mechanics, as well as tuning and tone. I think it's more likely that NBA 2K21 Current Gen is meant to give us a taste and prepare us for what's coming on Next Gen, rather than being watered down to make Next Gen look more impressive. I mean, I suppose it could be both, but I think it's much more likely the former.

And frankly, I think that's actually the worse scenario here. If Current Gen was dumbed down to make Next Gen look good, there's a good chance we'd at least be satisfied with Next Gen. If Current Gen is a harbinger of things to come, then that's concerning. This year is shaping up to be a bit of a flop and stumble for NBA 2K in my book. Some of it isn't their fault, but the design choices and tuning definitely are.

Either way I gave 2K enough money this year, next gen could be mind blowing and I'm sure I won't care. I wish Live would have released a F2P The One mode to hold us out for another year. I guess it's more Apex, NHL and FIFA for me lol.

[Andrew]

That is the bottom line, yeah. I'm left feeling unenthusiastic about the impending Next Gen version. Mind you, getting my hands on a console at launch may not be viable, so I have my doubts I'll be able to play on Day 1 anyway.

[Lagoa]

I think its better, ok, but not OMG!!! Here, a screen of 2K20 with mods....

[ThaLiveKing]

That is the bottom line, yeah. I'm left feeling unenthusiastic about the impending Next Gen version. Mind you, getting my hands on a console at launch may not be viable, so I have my doubts I'll be able to play on Day 1 anyway.

Yeah the supply is sold out at the moment here in Canada, you can still get the S, but it's not worth it at that price in Canadian dollars. There's nothing really enticing about next gen at the moment and marketing has been sketchy, mainly on the PS side. I'm not trying to deal with anymore headaches this year.

[Andrew]

There excitement that was there in 2013 isn't there this time around. Obviously 2020 has been a miserable year in a lot of ways, but even putting that aside, it's hard to get hyped for this generation.

[copecowboy]

I think its better, ok, but not OMG!!! Here, a screen of 2K20 with mods....

[ Image ]

face doesnt look good at all. all the mods in the world cant make it like the ps5 version until the pc version catches up with the game engine or get the support consoles have. wont even begin with the hackers online