Top 5 Wishlist for NBA 2K16

It’s that time of the year again. Teasers for NBA 2K16 have just begun to surface, and they are exciting:

The full body scans look promising. Two years ago it was player face scans, last year it was your face scan. Does it mean […] It would be nice to look like Shaq instead of Dennis Schroder stretched out to either angle.

Anyway, lets get into my wishlist for NBA 2K16.

5. Better Game Winning Shots

The most exciting moment in a basketball game is a buzzer beater that wins the game. Right now, the presentation involves the players staying in one place, down on one knee. Kevin Harlan yells a one liner, the players get up wave their arms around, alone. Then the normal end-game presentation starts. That’s that.

What needs to happen is the representation of true excitement, 2K. Turn the crowd volume way up in tune with the shot going in, and have them celebrate as long as the players do. The players need to run together and mob the player who hit the shot. Commentators need to have more excitement as well, and it should be harder to hear them through the crowd.

Some of these improvements may seem small. But together, they can make 2K16 a great addition to the series.

4. Improved Free Agency in MyLeague/MyGm

With all the offseason frenzy going on in the real NBA this past week, it makes going through free agency in 2K15 seem mundane. There is limited connection to the rest of the NBA, no notifications when a big free agent swaps cities, and the visible reactions of fans is next to none.

The “Twitter” like social media feature in 2K15 could be used for all of these. When there is a big free agent on the market, NBA Insiders should list the teams he is considering, the contract he is looking for, etc. This would require an engine that takes into account a player’s ambitions as well as a team’s needs. I don’t want to see Brook Lopez going to Minnesota when Gorgui Djeng, Jahlil Okafor, and Nikola Pekovic are already there.

In summary, there should be a noticeable shake in the league when a guy like Aldridge signs with the Spurs. Right now, you’ll just see that it happened by scrolling through the rosters after the offseason concludes.

3. Better Player Models in MyCareer

I was going to write about better player models in general, but with tons of body scan teaser coming out, it seems like one of my wishes will come true! It will be awesome to have unique body types for every player in the game, instead of just one slightly modified for height.

But one thing we don’t know is how we will be able to use this new feature in MyCareer. Will we be able to scroll through every player in the game and use his body type, like with selecting a jump shot? Or will their be a custom mold feature, like with our player’s face? Both options would be welcome, but to have both would be ideal. It’s cool to begin a MyCareer with a player who looks just like you, but to have a authentic body model would greatly increase the already high playability of the mode.

2. Sponsored Presentation and a New Commentator

Something that NBA Live has done well is the complete immersion in ESPN presentation. All the elements are there, from broadcast packages to the full halftime show. NBA 2K has always had the generic presentation, and it’s gotten a little stale. A deal with TNT or NBA TV would spruce up the realism aspect, and open up lots of opportunities to expand the presentation in general.

The commentary team of Kevin Harlan, Clark Kellog, and Steve Kerr was awesome at first, but the lines have gotten old over the years. Sometimes their sound bites are just completely untrue. A change is especially needed since Kerr is the NBA Finals-winning head coach of the Warriors, and it is a little weird to have a commentator talking about himself during the game.

A new voice would allow for some new lines to bounce off of the other two, and eliminate the hindrance of Kerr.

1. Working Servers

The inconsistency of NBA 2K’s servers got a little better in 2K15, when the addition of MyLeague offered an completely offline alternative to the ol’ Association mode.

But the online-only modes, like head-to-head, MyPark, and most importantly MyTeam, always depend on online connectivity. To have your game cost $60 a pop and only sometimes have your favorite mode available is unacceptable. If the servers have a very small amount of problems in ‘16, I think fans would be willing to overlook other smaller problems with the game.