Thankfully, the longer I spent with all the new shot-stick mechanic, the greater NBA 2K21 began to distinguish itself. The new shooter meter, which requires preparing shots rather than just timing them, is used entirely with the ideal analog stick. It requires a straight pull downward (or upward, when driving toward the basket) and then centering the stick inside the sweet spot on the meter. Not only did I find this new shot meter vastly harder, it also fixed a handful of NBA 2K21 Mt other issues I have had with NBA 2K for decades.
First of all, I never have to worry about accidentally hurling up a shot when I'm attempting to make a dribble move. Pulling back on the analog stick and holding it there will result in a shot, whereas any flicks or alternative quicker moves will end in a dribbling move. The brand new shot meter opens up the right-stick for use completely for dribbling moves, which includes the ability to size-up or utilize escape transports. Everything feels a lot cleaner, which is a nice change for a series where matters were beginning to feel overly cluttered to restrain.
The shot-stick mechanic also feels like a direct answer to issues with latency online. Even though the demonstration does not feature the capability to play online matches, it's easy to find a future where many online players will be using the aimed shot meter instead of the old timed meter (which is still accessible via the square or X button). Rather than attempting to figure how much latency there will be with every jump shot, it ought to be a good deal more efficient to pull back on the analog stick and aim the shot instead.
Still, aiming shots is certainly the more difficult of the two choices as things currently stand. I am eager to have a fresh ability to master, but it's good to have both options available.
In just five matches (the max the demonstration allows), it is tough to get a feel for exactly how much things have changed. It does seem clear to me that the new aim-meter mechanic will be divisive and may possibly alter the internet experience in important ways. A few smaller issues have seen some improvement, but the majority of the heritage gameplay issues remain current. It's apparent that this is far from the franchise's largest step forward, but the shot-stick alone is enough to mt for sale 2k21 open the door for tons of possibilities.