Some faces have too little detail and 2K21 MT unusually large players like Shaquille O'Neal (who is rostered on the"All-Time Lakers" squad readily available in the demo) do not have the same kind of massive presence they do in actual life.

Luckily, the longer 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 entirely with the right analog stick. It needs a straight pull downward (or upward, when pushing toward the basket) and then centering the stick inside of the sweet spot on the meter. Not only did I find this new shot meter vastly harder, it also fixed a handful of other issues I have had with NBA 2K for ages.

First and foremost, I never have to worry about accidentally hurling a shot up when I am attempting to make a dribble move. Pulling back on the analog stick and holding it there will lead to a shot, while some flicks or other faster motions will end in a dribbling move. The brand new shot meter opens up the right-stick for use entirely for dribbling moves, which contains the ability to size-up or use escape dribbles. Everything feels a lot cleaner, which is a nice change for a series where matters were starting to feel overly cluttered to control.

The shot-stick mechanic feels like a direct response to issues with latency online. Even though the demo does not feature the capability to play online matches, it's easy to see a future where most online players will use the aimed shot meter rather than the old timed meter (that is still accessible via the square or X button). Instead of attempting to figure how much latency there'll be with each jump shooter, it ought to be a lot more effective to pull back on the analog stick and aim the shot rather.

However, aiming shots is unquestionably the harder of both choices as matters currently stand. I'm eager to have a brand-new skill to learn, but it's very good to have options available.

In only five matches (the maximum the demonstration allows), it is hard 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 possibly alter the online experience in important ways. Some smaller issues have seen any improvement, but most of the heritage gameplay issues stay present. It is clear that this is far from the franchise's biggest step ahead, but the Cheap NBA 2K21 MT shot-stick alone is enough to open the doorway for tons of possibilities.