NBA 2K15Â is a month and some change out and we’ve barely heard any information on the title besides its pre-order bonuses. Thankfully, the guys and gals at Visual Concepts have finally put out a trailer that at least hits the minute mark, in order to hold us over. While there’s not exactly any new information on game modes or gameplay tweaks, there does seem to be a bigger focus on the presentation.
The trailer starts out with half of the Inside the NBA crew in Ernie Johnson and four-time champ Shaquille O’Neal. Ernie announces that the NBA season is upon us and apparently they’ve moved the set of Inside the NBA to the uncanny valley because hot damn are Ernie’s eyes creepily glazed over. If you’ve been playing the 2K series for a while now, you should know to expect incredibly stiff and awkward animations when it comes to anything off-court, but that doesn’t stop it from being distracting year after year.
The rest of the trailer is a fun montage of dunks, swishes, handles, and old faces in new places. As mentioned earlier, there seems to be a focus on refining the presentation of the on-court action. You have player introductions, lively huddles, halftime cheerleaders, and moonwalking mascots. If this year’s installation can really knock the presentation out of the park, then we can expect a much more thrilling and immersive experience.
Visual Concepts also says that the game will add 5,000 new animations to last year’s already-impressive collection. It’s almost scary to think about since 2K14 was already so fluid. It’s just too bad that NBA 2K15 seems to be continuing the tradition of horrid off-court facial animations.
Check out the game’s first full trailer below and let us know what you think.
