Despite the 7-year monopoly, it is still making progress. PS4 version NBA2K17 review

September is a month that all game fans look forward to. No matter it is the football games FIFA and PES, or the basketball game 2K, they will all be released in September. Compared with the choice difficulty of football game fans, basketball game fans are naturally happy, because they don’t have to watch the annual battle between FIFA and PES, and they don’t have to worry about which game to choose. But this happiness sometimes brings some troubles, because the NBA2K series has monopolized the market for seven years, so whether we like it or not, we can only play NBA2K every year. Apart from this, there is no other serious and reliable basketball game that is officially authorized by the NBA. NBAlive has long become a hopeless case, and there is no need to talk about it anymore.

Of all things in the world, the most feared are monopoly, being alone and invincible, and having no rivals and no enemies. This is especially true for tertiary industries such as games, culture, and film and television. No matter how great or prosperous they are, once they lose their competitors and become the best in the world, their service quality will inevitably decline, and they will certainly not be willing to serve consumers as well as they did in the beginning.

Then I will lead you to test the PS4 version of NBA2K17 to see if the quality of this game will decline.

Unexpected surprise

To be fair, players should not have too many expectations for NBA2k17, because since video games entered the so-called next generation, from 2K14, to 2K15, to 2K16, and finally to this year's 2K17, there has been no essential innovation from picture quality to action to game mode. It is nothing more than modifying the character modeling and textures, and adding and subtracting the player rosters of real NBA teams, changing the interface UI, and going further is just to give the MC mode a facelift, change the script, and change a few voice actors. In the final analysis, it is nothing more than the dream of the bottom-level losers to become famous with one ball.

However, this year's NBA2K17, as the fourth game of the four-game series, has brought unexpected surprises to players. Regardless of the platform, whether it is PS4, PC or even XboxOne, after 2K14 entered the next-generation graphics, the graphics from 2K14 to 2K16 have limited improvement, and it can even be said that there is no improvement. However, this time, the PS4 version of 2K17 has a visible improvement in graphics, the facial models of the characters are more detailed and realistic, the figures of the characters are more diverse, and the skin and jersey materials have also been significantly improved. The anti-aliasing effect has also improved. I still saw obvious jagged edges when I turned on 8x anti-aliasing in 2K16, but I can hardly see jagged edges when I turned on 8x anti-aliasing in 17. The graphics of the entire game have truly been qualitatively improved, becoming the best basketball game of the next generation.

And in terms of music, it can be perfectly seen that the production team has indeed put in a lot of effort. The sound effects basically perfectly restore the atmosphere of the stadium, the commentary dubbing is also very pleasant to listen to, and the selection of BGM has always been a selling point of the 2K series, and every song is a masterpiece.

Best gameplay ever

NBA2K17 is probably the epitome of all the basketball skills and tactics in the 2K series. It has the best operability in the series. We can combine the direction keys and shooting keys to create all kinds of shooting postures and shooting angles. Shooting, layups, and pull-ups are all full of personality and no longer stereotyped. The operability of the actions has also become stronger. Curry's behind-the-back dribbling, Parker's gyroscope spinning, Ginobili's ghost cut, Olajuwon's dream footwork, we can all perform them one by one through the handle, and they are not random, not completed with one button, but completed through the combination of direction keys and joysticks.

We can really play one-on-one and post-up, which is a pleasure that other basketball games cannot bring us. We can even run some high-end tactics like NBA teams, such as the Spurs' classic pick-and-roll, the Warriors' off-ball cuts, and even high-post assists and Princeton, which can all be played out, which is really no different from playing a basketball game.

In addition to the offense, what is even more gratifying in 2K17 is that the defense in this version is finally no longer a decoration. The steals in the previous games basically either resulted in fouls or directly grabbed the ball, which were unreasonable. The steal system in 2k17 is quite advanced. It is no longer easy to commit fouls or steal the ball directly. Instead, it will make the ball handler lose the ball and the two sides will compete for the ball again. The operability and viewing experience have been greatly improved.

At the same time, the PS4 version of 2K17 has also made great progress in the game AI. Teammates are more active in running, and tactical execution is stronger. This is linked to the difficulty. Under high difficulty, your teammates will become smarter and run more actively. However, it must be said that the game script is still annoying. The fixed routine will always mysteriously reduce your hit rate and mysteriously increase the computer's hit rate in a specific time period. This is a routine that has not changed. Of course, if you feel unhappy, you can reduce the difficulty. After all, players have been playing for so long. If the difficulty is not increased in disguise, it will quickly lose its playability.

Slightly improved Career and Dynasty modes

It has to be said that both football and basketball games seem to be very keen on "becoming famous with one ball". The game production team has put extra effort into the PS4 platform and made some adjustments to the career mode and dynasty mode. Let's talk about MC first. This time, because of the participation of Michael B. Jordan, in the game, a player named Justis Young is played, and he and the protagonist form a group called Orange Juice. The two can gain tacit understanding by assisting each other. When the tacit understanding is full, the Orange Juice mode can be activated, and then the player can control two people at the same time to complete more cooperation. Even if you apply for a trade, you can request to be traded with Justis Young this time.

In addition to the Orange Juice team, a large number of events and training have been added this time, and you can interact with various players by phone, which is very good and has a more RPG feel. The biggest change in the dynasty mode this time is in the summer operation. On the one hand, the league can be expanded to expand the NBA to 36 teams. On the other hand, the league meeting mode has been added, and the existing rules can be changed by voting. For example, the file I am playing now has canceled the luxury tax rule, which makes players extremely happy.

Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages. In the career mode trial of NBA 2K17, most of the plots cannot be skipped on both PS4 and PC platforms, and you can only watch them through. If you want to play multiple positions, you have to waste your precious time on useless plots over and over again. However, there are rumors that 2K17 can skip a small part of the plot on PS4.

Although, at first glance, NBA2K17 does not look like a new game; but when we really try it, we can still feel that it has been transformed. This generation of 2K expands many of the gameplay of the previous game, strengthens the balance and details, and the ability values ​​of many ancient superstars have broken through historical highs.

Some gameplay modes are more user-friendly and more friendly to novices. Although the image quality has not been enhanced, the hair system is definitely a pleasant surprise. Although the breakthrough of the 2K series every four years is as difficult as squeezing toothpaste, the synchronization with real data is its greatest charm. In short, NBA2K17 is definitely a qualified 3A masterpiece, which is both good and cheap, and can be played for a year. The all-round progress makes NBA2K17 more and more like a real NBA.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.