Next gen is just around the corner for the NBA 2K series with NBA 2K21.
Since badges as the building blocks to the game, we expect them to continue to be massively important.
And while NBA 2K20 made great strides with badges, there’s plenty that needs changed for NBA 2K21.
So let’s go over what we want to see with badges ahead of next gen, and break them down into categories: The broken, overpowered, and underpowered.
The broken
We classify broken badges as badges that warp NBA 2K gameplay and have little to no counterplay. Where-as others just need some balancing, these need to be axed entirely.
These are the badges we consider broken in their current form in NBA 2K20.
READ MORE: NBA 2K21: Will it be cross platform?
Quick Draw
Quick draw makes sense when you think of players with incredibly fast releases like Klay Thompson. But when it comes to actual in-game effect, quick draw does much more harm than good.
The badge allows for shooters to completely work around defenders with even the slightest slip up. With pick and roll being the most common playstyle in NBA 2K20 online, it doesn’t even take a well-executed play to free a shooter long enough for quick draw to work its magic.
2K Games would be better off simply axing this badge from the series, perhaps moving shot speed to a stat instead.
Pogo Stick
When it comes to defending a shot in basketball, timing is everything. Great shooters abuse defenders by getting them off their feet to time their jumpshot and draw fouls. This is especially important in the paint.
But thanks to Pogo Stick, defenders can feel free to challenge almost every shot opportunity thanks to a very short recovery time to get back into the air and block shots.
This turns paint defense into spamming a button, which is terrible fundamental game design.
Fancy Footwork
Moves like the Euro step have taken over the NBA and innovated how offenses attack the paint from positions 1 to 5. Fancy Footwork looks to capture this by enhancing player’s ability to beat the defense with similar moves.
The unfortunate in-game reality is that Fancy Footwork makes driving animations that are already too powerful even more insufferable for defenders.
While it’s important that these new moves that are so important in today’s game are captured, this badge simply isn’t the way to do it with animations in their current form.
READ MORE: NBA 2K21 Pre-Orders OPEN: Price, Editions & more
The overpowered
There are some badges in NBA 2K20 that are simply too strong to stick around in their current form. While they aren’t inherently broken like the above badges, they are overtuned in comparison to the competition.
These are the badges we feel are due for some nerfs heading into NBA 2K21.
READ MORE: NBA 2K21 Release Date
Giant Slayer
Giant Slayer is a badge that boosts layup effectiveness when mismatched against taller defenders.
This badge is one of the keys to most slashing builds that dominate NBA 2K20.
It means driving right into a bad mismatch is less punishable, and combined with the absurdly strong animations that players get when driving in the paint, it’s simply too strong for its own good.
Contact Finisher
Often combined with Giant Slayer, Contact Finisher enhances finishing in traffic by making layups more effective and giving more opportunity for contact dunks.
It makes sense that a badge like this exists in the 2K series because of how many elite finishers make plays happen through contact.
In-game however this badge makes the already overpowered driving animations even more successful, punishing defenders who guess right from the many driving options slashers have to get easy finishes.
Intimidator
While there are plenty of enforcers in the NBA that can make any offense struggle to produce, this badge needs some serious work.
This badge increases the chance that players miss shots and dunks if you’re near them, which is even stronger if you’re tightly guarding them.
While this badge being effective when tightly guarding opponents is great since it rewards defensive skill and positioning, making players miss dunks when not making any actual effort to defend is a huge problem.
READ MORE: NBA 2K21 PS4: Backwards compatibility & more
The Underpowered
Some badges in NBA 2K20 may as well not exist in their current form.
And while it might be okay that some are axed for some new ideas in NBA 2K21, these are at least due for some buffs to keep them competitive.
READ MORE: NBA 2K21 Price CONFIRMED: Editions, Pre-Order, Next Gen & more
Heart Crusher
Heart Crusher is a badge that reduces the opponent’s Takeover meter after you make a highlight defensive play against them.
At the end of the day, while Takeover abilities are certainly interesting, they aren’t massively important in NBA 2K20. That makes this badge’s role simply too narrow to justify.
This badge has great flavor, but to spend defensive points on it just isn’t reasonable.
Pass Fake Maestro
This badge comes from a good place, but is simply not effective against real players in NBA 2K20.
Pass Fake Maestro increases the effectiveness and speed of pass fakes. While pass fakes can be a way to displace defenders, this badge does nothing to make them better against real people.
By increasing the speed of an animation players already rarely bite on, you’re wasting precious playmaking points that can go to much better places.
READ MORE: NBA 2K21 Park Wishlist: Changes, Features & more
The post NBA 2K21 Badges Wishlist: Quick Draw, Pogo Stick, Fancy Footwork, Giant Slayer, Contact Finisher & more appeared first on RealSport.
Leon Joseph is just a few years into his journalist career, but has already had pieces published in many major publications including Tech Crunch and the Game Spot. In regards to academics, Leon earned a degree in business from Texas State. Leon has passion for emerging technology and covers upcoming products and breakthroughs in the gaming industry.
