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NBA 2K16: Some Ideas On How to Improve the Series

NBA 2K15 was a good game. Very solid and still playable. In its first year operating with a full-year of a next-gen system, 2K delivered above expectations and provided glimmers of hope for what’s to come down the road.

That being said, it’s never too early to start looking at NBA 2K16.

When it comes to video games, of course there are those who will be left wanting more. It’s the nature of the beast. No one goes into a game’s release date thinking, "This is going to be the most perfect game ever." And if that’s true, then more power to you.

With that said, here are five things that could be done to improve the game next year and make it an all-around great experience, from both a playing and features standpoint.

Improve low-post defense

2K has tried to make this work in the past. It’s been better the last couple of years, but if you’re controlling the likes of Anthony Davis or DeAndre Jordan, more times than none you’ve been called for a foul going for a block.

There’s a large number of fouls being called on taller players who have the ability to block shots at the rim, especially on harder difficulties. It takes the fun out of having a Davis or Jordan because they could foul out in a matter of five minutes. 2K has made strides in making defense playable, but this is the next step. This isn’t to say players shouldn’t block shots every time someone attacks the rim, but there needs to be a balance.

Improve defensive rebounding

This goes hand-in-hand with the low-post defense, but it should not be so difficult to grab a defensive rebound.

For example: Last week, I witnessed a game where a friend played the Boston Celtics online against the Atlanta Hawks. There are people who would probably bet house money that Kelly Olynyk wouldn’t grab 12 offensive rebounds in a game against the likes of Paul Millsap and Al Horford, but who am I to tell you otherwise?

That did happen, and there were even moments Olynyk glitched inbetween the two and grabbed a rebound, followed with an and-1 putback. It’s unclear whether or not there’s a surefire way to fix this, but if so, it needs to be addressed.

Make MyTeam more affordable

MyTeam can be a ton of fun. But why in the world does it cost 8,000-9,000 VC to buy a pack with no guarantee of a great player?

2K did good by making an auction house, but that can get just as expensive if you don’t possess enough MT. The more packs you buy, the more likely you get a good player. But not everyone can afford to stay elite.

Make the packs go for 5,000 VC, and make it affordable for everyone. That’s how you appeal to the non-MyTeam audience and make it a more meaningful game mode.

Expand MyCareer

The story idea behind this year’s MyCareer was actually brilliant: an undrafted rookie who has to sign multiple 10-day contracts before getting a contract for the rest of the year. It was brilliant. But it can be better.

It appears Spike Lee might be having a hand in the MyCareer story in 2K16, and if that’s the case, it might be the best one yet. But there are features to be considered, like bringing back the Draft Combine or implement the NBA Summer League. There’s so much that can be done.

Chance to make presentation overhaul

With Steve Kerr now unavailable to do any color commentary ever again on 2K, this is the chance to do a complete overhaul on presentation.

It doesn’t need to be a drastic change by any means. The pregame show with Ernie Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal is fantastic. Even the pregame intros brought back the old days of NBA 2K3. But here’s a chance to implement more: Get Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith under contract and make it a TNT-based video game.

Kevin Harlan can still do the calls, or you can bring back Marv Albert from the NBA Live days. Or bring on both. And you can still have Clark Kellogg if you want. If EA Sports can go full-on ESPN with their presentation, why not up the ante and give TNT some love? They already have the best gameday coverage for the NBA out there.

This is a long shot, but it would be fantastic appeal.

And just for fun...

Fix the sliders

I mean, you can’t get everything you want. But this is still a dire need


NBA 2K16 Videos
Member Comments
# 101 CFav @ 05/14/15 09:55 AM
Change the mycareer dialogue...I'm so tired of my player sounding as if he didn't make it out of junior high. Seriously, it's annoying. Not everyone talks like that. Even the "Caucasian" voice sounds like an uneducated Mason Betha...

Also, they make your character out to be such a d-bag, for lack of a better word. I'm a relatively successful man...business owner, kids, house, etc., and I'm a pretty humble person who's cognizant and grateful for what I have. I'd like to be able to portray that in mycareer.

I'm seriously considering skipping next year because this is the only mode that I play, and the dialogue/voice hurts the experience for me. Even my wife, who's from Harlem, makes fun of it..."was Mase high and drunk when he read these lines? He sounds so ignorant...". Haha...
 
# 102 Chocolate Chip @ 05/14/15 12:30 PM
bring back export teams
why take it out in the 1st place
 
# 103 Chocolate Chip @ 05/14/15 12:32 PM
gives us an option to turn off the overlays
 
# 104 vuje85 @ 05/14/15 12:36 PM
come back association online
 
# 105 bluong757 @ 05/14/15 03:18 PM
Since Spike Lee is involved this year, I'd like to see celebrities on courtside. Certain teams have celebrity followings: Spike Lee (NY Knicks), Jack Nicholson (Lakers), BIlly Crystal (Clippers), Drake (Toronto) etc etc.
 
# 106 CX1329 @ 05/14/15 10:31 PM
Another suggestion:

Please improve the rebounding logic. It's not very good the way it is now. Too many times, I've seen one of my players BOX HIMSELF OUT by DELIBERATELY positioning himself behind his man (?!), or otherwise he just stands there and stares as the opponent gets into position to grab the rebound.
 
# 107 Caelumfang @ 05/15/15 01:38 PM
Doesn't really matter what they do, because if full-blown Crew mode isn't on the PS4 in 2k16, it'll be getting the Madden treatment (continuing to sit right on the store shelf from now on) from me.
 
# 108 Clappington @ 05/15/15 06:38 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caelumfang
Doesn't really matter what they do, because if full-blown Crew mode isn't on the PS4 in 2k16, it'll be getting the Madden treatment (continuing to sit right on the store shelf from now on) from me.
Makes no sense they try to pass everything else on us but wont give us that lol they took it away on last gen then bring it back the same exact way it left and it took 4 years for that like whatt? they only brung it to last gen to sell the game.
 
# 109 MrWrestling3 @ 05/15/15 07:39 PM
General game play wise i would suggest:

-Separate the online and offline modes as far as game play experience goes. Maybe develop an online slider set to eliminate the cheese without impacting the other modes? Custom/private lobbies to allow players to play online with their own house rules via custom slider sets.

-Reworking animations to eliminate player morphing and give us the same sense of freedom of movement the cpu demonstrates: I should be able to maneuver around the court without being hobbled by odd skipping motions on offense and the shuffle stepping on defense(that should be relegated to the Intense-D feature).
I should not be uncontrollably sucked into odd or unfavorable animations because i accidentally tapped turbo,nor should the cpu slide into me when i should have them beat.
Players not should blow makeable shots or be shafted out of run to the hoop due to being locked into a poor/improper selection the animations. Players reaching through each other to intercept or deflect the ball needs to go.

-Improved Teammate AI: The lazy defense,the lazy rebounding,etc. is very frustrating, it needs to be toned down.In my experience, it seems to be tied directly into difficulty level.

-Re-balanced Opponent AI: At times the cpu demonstrated near psychic ability
on defense and in loose ball situations, needs to be tweaked.Again it seems to be directly proportional to difficulty level.

-Rebalance badges: some seem to work a little too well causing all sorts of issues, some seem to never work, some seem to never even trigger.

-Better CPU coaching/play calling: If left on auto it seems to only call 2 or 3 different plays and is too slow to adjust to the opponent; this is really a problem when one of the plays it keeps calling is broken.

-Make player personalities matter in My Career/My League: Players noted for erratic behavior should have a chance get into confrontations on court as well as experience behaviorial issues of court, leading to ejections from games,fines,suspensions,bad press hurting the prestige of the team,etc.Players noted for being level headed teammates could offer the opposite effect.

Specifically to My Career:

-Fix the in game simulation feature: Often times it seems more interested in setting up certain situations(no matter how farcical they may be) than simulating basketball. Not to say such things shouldn't happen sometimes, just at a much lesser rate than currently.

- Better management of my minutes and team time outs: CPU often wastes time outs and plays you in a rather unrealistic rotation.

-Tweak or remove the storylines: I don't enjoy my player getting into situations beyond my control and behaving i ways i do not wish him to because "that's how the story goes". In my opinion, 2K14 was much better in this regard. Also maybe consider adding a more stripped down my career similar to that in older 2K games as an additional mode.
 
# 110 druez @ 05/15/15 07:53 PM
I would just love the ability to shorten the season to 1/4 or 1/2 the schedule per year. I would rather play less games, then play all the games in a quicker fashion.
 
# 111 CuseGirl @ 05/15/15 10:24 PM
The one thing that drives me nuts: the replaying of cutscenes with my "rival". These scenes are comical, especially after I've won a number of championships and am clearly a top player in the league. Why am I being treated to cutscenes like "you don't know what you're in for in the playoffs" and what not?

Fix the injury bugs. Players get injured in MyPlayer/Career and then keep playing at full strength. Nonsense.

Fix the endorsements glitches. It's not right that I can literally do EXACTLY what the endorsement says and not get the reward. In particular, the glitch where if you don't complete the BBQ Buzzer Beater, the endorsements underneath it don't trigger. It must be fixed.

Hopefully the shoe glitch doesn't show up in 2k16, that would be disappointing.

Fix the Knicks colors in the shoe creator. You finally put the correct shade of blue on the jerseys, but now the team colors are still wrong.

Put back the headband editing feature. In MyGm, all the computer generated guys come in and none of them have headbands. And I can't go in and add one for them if I feel so inclined. Gotta do better there.

Let players retire. LeBron and Melo play until they're 43 in MyCareer. Nonsense.
 
# 112 Jrocc23 @ 05/16/15 12:32 AM
LeBron and Melo really played until 43 lol?
 
# 113 Sandmanan @ 05/16/15 01:30 AM
My idea to improve upon 2K16 is to raise the graphics to a more atmospheric level and implement MATCHMAKING.
 
# 114 yingjjin @ 05/17/15 12:22 PM
I really wish the career mode would go the route of year to year saves like MLB The Show. Probably might stay with 2k15 a year or two because I actually want to ho through a career. Still depends on 2k16's quality and whether it's worth starting over.
 
# 115 Tarfox @ 05/17/15 01:51 PM
I'm sorry if someone has alread said this, but I would love to be able to continue "My Career" with each new game release. That would be clutch!
 
# 116 whitejacob43 @ 05/17/15 09:43 PM
Bring back the menu style from 2K12.
 
# 117 Wolfpacker67 @ 05/18/15 01:48 AM
one thing that always bugged me is how dead the crowd is...
 
# 118 gonghu @ 05/18/15 12:10 PM
I really wish the career mode would go the route of year to year saves like MLB The Show. Probably might stay with 2k15 a year or two because I actually want to ho through a career. Still depends on 2k16's quality and whether it's worth starting over.
 
# 119 STLRams @ 05/18/15 12:11 PM
OK, I'm going to touch on online quick games. This past weekend was the first time I have attempted to play some online quick games on NBA2K15, even though I've had the game since release day. Since NBA 2K11 I pretty much stay away from online quick game because of the lack of realism and cheese and win by any means necessary tactics that people would use it seems like every year with the 2K games. I try to play SIM as possible, run some plays, try to pick apart defense schemes, playing man to man defense, ect. So it seems like every one I played against online displayed the tactic of spam the steal button, or trying to draw charges at half court or near the 3 point line, or use zone defense and bump the dribbler, spam the steal button, and sprint all over the place. On offense players would mostly pick a team with good 3point shooters (mostly Golden State) sprint to the 3 point line and shoot as many 3 pointers as possible, or zig zag around and try to shoot 3's all game. Or get a superstar, like Durant or Westbrook, or Lebron sprint around and try to dunk. After playing about 5 games I reminded myself why I avoid online play over the years, people still try to exploit obvious offense and defensive flaws in the game and turn what supposed to be a SIM basketball series into NBA Jam.

I asked myself, how do people find playing 2Konline fun? I've never played the PARK yet, but I've heard it is the same way. So for NBA2K16, even though I only play online maybe 5% of the time, I would like to see some drastic online changes to the gameplay infrastructure, to start 2K really need to bring back lobbies, so people can choose who they want to play against, and see the person play history/style, ect before engaging in an online game. Have different leaderboards posted in the lobbies with rankings, top 10, ect. As far as gameplay, I just hope somehow in 2K16 can incorporate and encourage a way for people to actually the game like a real NBA basketball game instead of NBA jam. Sorry for the long post, but after finally playing online for the first time this weekend, I had to just sit back and shake my head and say wow......
 
# 120 greylo_22 @ 05/18/15 05:32 PM
Gameplay
-fix lag on pleasee ..online should run like career mode
-Smoother movement

Animations
-No more dribble packages (ex. Picking crossovers separately frm double crossovers and everything else
-No more dunk packages ..let us choose the dunks we want to do
-different running animations to choose from when running fast break

More customizations
-hairstyles(remove receding hairstyles and replace wit up to date hairstyles with better linings)
-tattoos please give us more realistic designs that we see on NBA players
-option to choose body types(but keep arm length span)
-different sock lengths(during all star weekend give us option to use colorful socks like on tv)
-More shoe designs to edit with(ex. Galaxy design from custom sneakers)

Career
-bring back draft combine
-let us be drafted as first pick again
--Summer Camp
-Let us host our own camps and participate in them
-All star weekend should be just like tv
-Remove attribute upgrades ..give us back attribute caps so C and PF cant play like guards
-implement new ratings system
-let us train to improve attributes(ex. Nba live 2009 open courts wit different drills at each court)
-Bring back cribs from nba2k5

Online
-Crew Mode
-leaderboards
-better servers
-bring back Matchmaking lobbies if park keeps failing
-IMO i miss 2k14 park with 5v5 in middle and 3v3 around it
-remove 2v2 replace with 4v4 and 1v1

Remove Myteam lol
 


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