While the original NBA Playground received mixed reviews, 2K Games has latched onto the sequel to provide NBA 2K Playgrounds 2. Much like the original, NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 will continue the 2-on-2 NBA Jam-like arcade style of basketball.
Developer Sabre Interactive has been hard at work learning about what made NBA Playgrounds tick and this year have listened to the feedback and added more legends. This year big names like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabar have been added to the game. That’s not all as Sabre Interactive has stated over 300 players will be featured at launch.
Launching on October 16, the game will also release with ten new playgrounds to play on. You’ll be able to travel around the world to places like Washington D.C., Seoul and Australia. There will be more courts available post-launch, but it is unclear if they will be DLC or free updates at this point.
NBA 2K Playground 2 will also have more signature moves than the original. Sabre Interactive says there will over 100 signature moves which include the iconic Michael Jordan free throw line dunk and Lebron’s self alley-oop.
Based on the trailer, there are some newly added modes as well. A new 3 point contest, season and championship modes are sure to freshen up the game. There is also going to be tons of customization including new jackets, shirts, pants, shorts, and shoes. While the press release doesn’t expand on these, I am not sure how they’ll be used and if they will provide bonuses or are strictly cosmetic.
NBA 2K Playgrounds 2’s soundtrack is even getting a major overhaul. The original game’s soundtrack is quite forgettable, but with the backing of 2K the sequel will be getting tracks from artists like Run The Jewels, Oddisee and DJ Premier.
How can you play this game, you may be asking. Well, NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 has a variety of modes that you’ll be able to jump into. Playgrounds Championship mode is a worldwide ranked league with competitive solo and co-op ladders. There is also a brand new solo season mode where you’ll take your team of NBA superstars through a regular season and playoffs. You can also play online with four-player online matched and co-op matches against AI.
NBA 2K Playground 2 will have dedicated servers this year which should immensely help their enhanced matchmaking as well.
NBA 2K Playground 2 sounds like it is shaping up to be great sequel to a game that wasn’t well received by the NBA community. The game will release on Playstation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC on October 16, 2018.
