It’s a welcome addition to the franchise, as learning player release points is more intuitive than ever before. This mechanic will be easier or harder based upon the spot a player shoots from, his individual tendencies, his balance, and the defense in front of him.
The goal is to end the shot command as close to the notch in the center of the meter as possible. Upon beginning a jump-shot in NBA 2K15, a small semi-circle fills up based upon the time the square button or right stick is held. This often lead to incredibly frustrating moments, as certain players ( cough cough Shawn Marion cough cough) had bizarre shot techniques that were all but impossible to predict. Previously, users essentially had to learn the specific release point of every NBA player’s shot if they had any hope of attaining high shooting percentages. Most notably, a shot meter now appears around half of the circle surrounding a given player’s feet, making it easier to accurately time shots. While NBA 2K15‘s core gameplay is essentially the same as NBA 2K14‘s, a few important tweaks have been made to add to the experience. While the newest iteration of Take Two’s outstanding basketball simulation series, NBA 2K15, doesn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel, it finds a way to make an already stellar product even more immersive.
Whereas Madden, EA’s NHL franchise, Call of Duty, and Assassin’s Creed often find themselves at the wrong end of staleness jokes, NBA 2K finds a way to make subtle, smart tweaks to its already rock-solid formula. The NBA 2K series seems to be the one annualized console franchise that avoids all of the negative criticism that comes with releasing a game every year.