I’ve been playing NBA 2K and other 2K sports titles since I was a wee lad. And in my opinion, the NFL 2K series were the best football games ever made. Mostly because Madden is hot garbage and anybody that knows anything about sports simulators has to agree. But, I digress.
Even at my most athletic I was a football player. And even more specifically, I was a lineman. The art of the blacktop was lost on the boy. I was trash in pick up games. My basketball career started and ended on the 8th grade middle school team. I was the only kid on the floor the whole game who never scored. But although I couldn’t win on the court, I could always run anybody off the sticks. It was just my calling in life.
And NBA 2k17 is dedicated to making sure I get my star ball player experience.
Two words – motion capture. Every single jumper, dribble move, passing mechanic, defensive maneuver all in the computer, animated for us. The 2K team killed it this year. There was a lot of talk about last year’s game having animation problems. Those are gone. The dribbling especially is on another level in 2K17. The days of swiping the stick left or right and getting an instant crossover animation are over. Every combo that your heart desires has to be linked up manually. This is the year that fakes will get exposed. I hope you’re practicing.
Plus, MyPlayer is better than ever.
And it has a co-star, too – Michael B. Jordan. Last year’s storyline was not the best. But it seems like 17 is a return to form. Even the player customization mechanics have been reworked for a more realistic feel. In the prelude, you choose what college to attend and play through moments in a freshman season. And now that the full game has dropped, you hop right into the draft and an NBA career. Mike is a teammate that you develop a chemistry with on and off the court. And it gives you some serious Steph Curry/Klay Thompson type dynamic duo vibes to play with.
But the celebrations are by far my favorite part.
THE MOST LIT CELEBRATIONS OF #NBA2K17 (part 1) pic.twitter.com/HElUkp4x1d
— The Splash Squad (@splashsquad24) September 9, 2016
The 2K team has always done a pretty good job of keeping the finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the NBA and ball culture in general. But this year they took it to a whole other level.
The brought in Meechi & Toosi to turn up on the motion capture.
A photo posted by Toosi (@therealyvngquan) on
And because of it, we are blessed with the most lit player celebrations in the history of basketball video games. What more could you really ask for? All in all, 2K17 is the most solid experience I’ve ever had in virtual NBA career. And I’m almost afraid of what they dare to do next. Hats off to the entire dev team. And my sympathies to all of the significant others out there missing out on goodnight texts and ignored calls due to 2k17. #BallisLife.
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