Following up on the original release, Saber Interactive’s spiritual successor to the original arcade basketball phenomenon is almost here. And yes, NBA Playgrounds 2 appears to be on fire.
Boomshakalaka
As a monster fan of Jam during the 16bit era, I have no idea how I missed out on the original Playgrounds, but man does this second go-around look good. As you can see, the new game from Saber offers a lot of what made those classic (unrelated) titles so much fun. Only now, the graphics look as good as the gameplay hopefully is.
The meat and potatoes of this one come in the form of “multiple competitive solo and co-op ladders” and a single player season mode (complete with playoffs). But that’s not all, as you’ll find multiple additional modes like ” four-player online matches, co-op matches against AI, improved matchmaking with dedicated servers, the return of three-point contests, custom matches, and more!”.
As I mentioned in the headline too, there are a ton of players in this game. Saber touts the roster, and they should, since it stars some 200+ players. Included in the game, along with all new power-ups and AI that’s meant to improve on the original, are the likes of:
- Stephen Curry
- Kevin Durant
- James Harden
- Kyrie Irving
- LeBron James
- Russell Westbrook
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Anthony Davis
- DeMar DeRozan
- Damian Lillard
- Karl-Anthony Towns
- Shaquille O’Neal
- Magic Johnson
- Dr. J.
- Allen Iverson
- Larry Bird
Impressive list right there. No word on just how many of these superstars are ready to be played right from the jump, and how may are unlockable, but either way that is a power roster. Watch for it to arrive with NBA Playgrounds 2 on May 22nd.
The game will be available for the Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.