Inspired by both NBA Jam and NBA Street
More Jam than it is Street
Two-on-two experience
Plays out very similarly to NBA Jam on both offense and defense
Can swipe at the ball to try to steal it from an opponent
You can also shove the player to knock it loose (as long as youve got some of your sprint meter left)
If you shoot while sprinting toward the hoop, your player will attempt a dunk
Over 300 dunks in the game
Crossover dribble move can be done with the right analog stick
As you sink baskets and play good defense, youll build a Lottery Pick meter
When full, youll get a random special ability for a limited time
One of these is a debuff for your opponents rather than a boost for you: their shot clock runs twice as fast, giving them only six seconds instead of the games usual 12
Another boost puts star icons in various locations on the court; if you score from those spots, a multiplier will double, triple or even quadruple your point value
Can be played by four people in the same room
Two-player head-to-head play online built in
Four-player support coming soon with an update
Will be patched in the future with content and roster updates
More than 150 NBA athletes, including current players such as LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard as well as retired legends like Karl Malone and Patrick Ewing
Progression mechanic focused on unlocking the entire roster gradually
Start with three card packs, which give you five players each
Earn a new pack each time you level up.
No microtransactions
If theres a demand for the ability to buy card packs, Saber can add that feature later
Each of the 30 NBA teams has at least three active players, plus retired athletes
Hundreds more will be added in post-release updates
Earn experience for individual players
This gradually unlocks new moves like dunk animations
Tournament modes for offline and online play, in addition to one-off exhibition game
Dunk contest and a three-point contest will be added
Saber Interactive can add almost any player, with a few exceptions such as Charles Barkley and Kobe Bryant
Saber was shocked that Saber pulled off the NBA license
Saber flew out to 2Ks headquarters to reassure the company that NBA Playgrounds wont interfere with NBA 2K