Thankfully, the NBA 2K Coins more time I spent with all the brand new shot-stick mechanic, the more NBA 2K21 started to separate itself. The new shot meter, which requires preparing shots rather than just time them, is utilized completely with the ideal analog stick. It requires a straight pull down (or upward, when pushing toward the basket) and then centering the rod inside of the sweet spot on the tube. Not only did I find this brand new shot meter vastly more challenging, it also fixed a few of other issues I have had with NBA 2K for ages.
First and foremost, I never need to worry about accidentally throwing a shot up when I'm trying to generate a dribble move. Pulling directly back on the analog stick and holding it there will result in a shot, while some flicks or alternative quicker motions will end in a dribbling move. The new shot meter opens up the right-stick to be used entirely for dribbling moves, which contains the capacity to size-up or use escape dribbles. Everything feels a lot cleaner, which is a nice change to get a series where things were starting to feel overly cluttered to restrain.
The shot-stick mechanic feels like a direct answer to problems with latency online. Even though the demo doesn't feature the capability to play online matches, it's easy to find a future where most online players will use the aimed shot meter rather than the older timed meter (that remains available via the X or square button). Rather than trying to guess how much latency there'll be with each jump shooter, it should be a good deal more efficient to pull back on the analog stick and aim the shot rather.
Still, aiming shots is certainly the more difficult of the two options as things now stand. I am eager to have a brand-new skill to master, but it's good to have both options available.
In only five matches (the max the demonstration allows), it is tough to get a sense for how much things have changed. It does seem obvious to me that the new aim-meter mechanic is going to be divisive and could potentially alter the online expertise in important ways. Some smaller issues have seen some improvement, but the majority of the legacy gameplay issues remain present. It is apparent that this is nowhere near the franchise's biggest step forward, but the shot-stick alone is enough to open the door for Buy NBA 2K21 MT tons of possibilities.
