NBA 2K14: Analyzing Best Aspects of Hit Video Game's Next-Gen Trailer
Since NBA 2K14's release for XBox 360 and PlayStation 3 back on Oct. 1, it has received favorable reviews, to say the least. The game's developers somehow figure out a way to outdo themselves from one year to the next, but even the fantastic current product pales in comparison to what will hit the market next month.
The NBA 2K14 release for PlayStation 4 is set for Nov. 15, and it will come out for Xbox One a week later. There is already a ton of hype surrounding the next-gen consoles, but NBA 2K14 has helped in that regard thanks to the new next-gen hype trailer.
While it's only about a minute and a half long, basketball fans and gamers alike have to be salivating at the thought of playing this game on PS4 or Xbox One. Here is a breakdown of the most impressive things seen in the new trailer.
Player Models
One thing that NBA 2K14 has long prided itself on is accurately depicting players in the game. Basketball players are more visible than athletes in any other sport due to the lack of helmets and hats, so making the players look like their real-life counterparts is an absolute must when it comes to creating a great basketball video game.
NBA 2K14 was able to pull that off on current-gen consoles, but things have been taken to another level on the next-gen consoles. Many of the NBA's biggest stars are shown up close and personal in the trailer, including LeBron James of the Miami Heat, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and James Harden of the Houston Rockets.
All of them look immaculate, especially Harden. Few players in the league have a more distinctive look than Harden thanks to his busy beard and wild hair, but he is captured perfectly on the next-gen consoles. Many gamers wondered what more could be done to improve upon the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 graphics, but one look at Harden answers those questions.
Movement
The player models may look amazing, but NBA 2K14 for the next-gen consoles needs to have substance in addition to style. Nobody can be sure how the gameplay will be until the game is released, but the trailer suggests that the next-gen consoles will help bring gameplay to new heights. There is a great deal of emphasis on dunking in the trailer, and dunks have never looked better in a video game.
James, Bryant, Andre Iguodala, Anthony Davis and others move with a great deal of grace and fluidity toward the rack before jamming the ball home. Nothing can compare to the real thing, but movement in NBA 2K14 for the next-gen consoles is unquestionably more accurate than anything gamers have ever seen in the past.
Even the jump-shooting looks great, as Durant and Harden display perfect form. Hardcore gamers want to have the ability to control a game that is nearly equivalent to real life, and while that type of technology may still be on the horizon, the next-gen trailer suggests that NBA 2K14 has gotten extremely close to making that a reality.
Little Details
If the devil is truly in the details, as the old adage suggests, NBA 2K14 is downright demonic on the next-gen consoles. NBA 2K14 has done the little things better than essentially any sports game out there for the past several years, but that is even truer on PS4 and Xbox One. The trailer does a great job of illustrating that, as basically everything is more realistic than ever.
The trailer's defining image is unquestionably that of Harden at the free-throw line. Harden warms his hands as he readies to shoot a pair of freebies, and the detail is simply stunning. His uniform moves naturally as he does, sweat drips down his arms and face and his beard hair even bristles as he moves his head as well.
It is most definitely the closest you can possibly get to the real thing, which is ultimately the goal of the next-gen consoles. Nobody could have possibly imagined that video games would advance to this point 15 years ago, but NBA 2K14 is a fantastic representation of how far technology has come.
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