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Niantic's next game aims to be a slam dunk, will settle for a free throw
Why play basketball for exercise when you can play a video game instead?
Some may say Niantic is a one-trick pony. They wouldn't be wrong, as the company has been pumping out similar augmented reality games for years. Of course, Pokémon GO is the developer's largest success, though lesser games like Pikmin Bloom and Ingress have their own audiences. Well, there's a new release coming from the studio, officially licensed through the NBA, and it's called NBA All-World. While details are light, we know the game will offer Niantic's familiar real-world mechanics paired with 1-on-1 basketball action, which will offer some form of collecting, along with fashion, because why not. While Niantic has yet to deliver on its two previously announced games (Transformers: Heavy Metal and Peridot), it would appear a third title is in the works, with pre-registration available today on Niantic's website.
NBA Playgrounds comes to Android under a new name, courtesy of Sabre Interactive
But is it any good?
Saber Interactive offers a varied catalog across PC, consoles, and mobile, including the NBA Playgrounds series; even though its mobile catalog doesn't offer the best Android games, Saber is a well-respected publisher in all other matters. Well, after years of testing, it would appear that the mobile interpretation of NBA Playgrounds is finally available in the US as an early access release. It's called Basketball Playgrounds, and it has been in beta under the names NBA 2K Playgrounds (2K published the second entry in the Playgrounds series on PC and consoles) and Basketball Playgrounds: Clash of Dunks over the last three years. I'm not sure why the game has taken this long to reach early access in the US, but perhaps Embracer Group's 2020 acquisition of Saber Interactive delayed things a bit.
NBA 2K Playgrounds started as a 2K NBA series for consoles, but it would appear that the brand is coming to Android. The new NBA 2K Playgrounds listing on the Play Store recently arrived for beta testing in select regions. More or less, it would appear that 2K has given the series the free-to-play treatment for mobile play since this beta version already contains in-app purchases that range up to $99.99 per item. The game has been designed to offer fast-paced 2v2 matches for an arcade feel, and of course, you'll have to collect NBA players to pad out your roster.
It would appear that Gamevil has centered its sights on American sports, what with the release of MLB Perfect Inning 2019 earlier this year, and today's launch of NBA Now, a free-to-play professional basketball game. Gamevil has indeed secured an official NBA licensed for this release, which means all of your favorite NBA teams and players are available. So if you'd like to build a championship team from the comfort of your phone, NBA Now is here to stir up some competition in the mobile sports gaming world.
Two weeks ago 2K released the companion app MyNBA2K20 on the Google Play Store, which is a yearly ritual that usually signals the launch of the annual release for the NBA 2K series is right around the corner. We already knew that the console and PC version of NBA 2K20 would arrive on September 6th, but it looks like the mobile version is here a day ahead of its brethren.
Ever since Marty McFly put on those self-lacing trainers in Back to the Future Part II, we've been waiting for them to become a reality. Nike's first attempt at such a sneaker in 2016 was the HyperAdapt 1.0, which laced automatically when you put your feet in. The 2019 Nike Adapt BB is the next generation.
On October 3rd 2K released NBA 2K19 for iOS, and it brought with it an online match play mode that's entirely new to the mobile series. As you can imagine, online play is a big addition for a game centered around a competitive sport. Well, 2K has finally gotten around to releasing the Android version, and what do you know, it is oddly missing the new online mode that iOS users received. Past that glaring omission, you can expect the regular yearly improvements, such as simplified controls, a new soundtrack, and a couple of new gameplay modes.
The new NBA regular season gets going on October 16th, so it's a good time for ball fans to work out how they'll watch the action. Cable subscribers will already have options, but for everyone else, there are also online-only alternatives. The NBA offers its League Pass through various platforms and apps, and it's now available through YouTube TV.
Later today, the Golden State Warriors will host the Cleveland Cavaliers in game one of the NBA Finals in Oakland. It's the fourth straight year the two teams have contested the championship, and anyone who watches basketball will be eager to see if LeBron James can pull off probably his greatest achievement yet and lead his team to victory against the odds. It's also the perfect time to release a new app related to the sport, and that's exactly what the NBA has just done.
Another year, another NBA 2K release. This time around there are a few notable changes to the mobile version of NBA 2K18. You can expect a couple of additional gameplay controls, an eclectic mix of tunes from around the world, an expanded script in the career mode, and a new multi-season mode that gives you the opportunity to control a franchise’s future and become the next NBA dynasty.
Apparently smart basketballs are a thing, and the Wilson X Connected Basketball is one of them. Now you can get it for $99, half off the original price of $199.99, at both Best Buy and Amazon.
I don't know much about baskets-the-ball - sorry fans, Cameron would probably write this article if he was still around. But I have to admit that the NBA has something interesting with InPlay, its latest official mobile app. InPlay automatically detects whatever game happens to be playing on TV in the background via the microphone, no matter what teams or which channel. But that's only the first cool part of the experience.
Every year console sports fans get a new NBA-branded basketball game from mega-publisher 2K. And for the last several years running, Android has been blessed with an official companion app. Sort of. See, MyNBA2K isn't just a companion app that tells you when your buddies are ready to play, et cetera. It's also a free-to-play mobile game that, oddly, depicts computer-controlled battles between digital playing cards. Oh, and there's a big currency system behind it all, driving $100 in-app purchases. Of course.
Pretty much every media company that has so much as a pinky toe dipped into the sports pool wants a bit of that lucrative fantasy market, and since ESPN is (allegedly) nothing but sports, you can bet they're making a go of it. Previously the Disney subsidiary published dedicated fantasy apps for both football (that's the American kind with the big dudes in armor, not the other kind with the little dudes in shorts) and baseball, but now they're consolidated into a single app, and basketball and hockey can come along for the ride.
Last year EA released a companion app for the NBA Live console game that let you stick your face on a basketball player. This year, forget the gimmicks. You get a full blown NBA Live experience to play on your touchscreen.
In the Venn diagram of mobile users, the circle marked "rabid Shaq fans" and the one marked "active Waze users" must have a pretty tiny crossover section. But if you do happen to use Waze on a regular basis and you have the special extended DVD edition of both Kazaam and Steel boldly displayed on your shelf, today is your day. Waze has announced that the company is celebrating the start of the NBA Playoffs later this week by adding official Shaquille O'Neal voice narration to the map app's navigation service.
Ever spent some time talking to your friends on Facebook Messenger about basketball and looked at that nice orange emoji and wished you could just swipe it across the screen and into the hoop? Ever yearned for a little bit of friendly competition between you and your friends inside a chat to pass those boring classes or long waits? Facebook Messenger has just the answer for your woes.
For basketball fans, tonight marks the start of the most exciting time of year: the beginning of the 2015-2016 season. Just like the start of every season, there are new players to look forward to seeing, old players on new teams, new coaches, new player dynamics, and so much more. I know I'm stoked — can't wait to see what my Bulls do this year under new leadership.
As a die-hard and stubborn football fan, I know nothing about basketball except that you have to bounce the round thing on the floor at regular intervals. But I do know quite a bit about Android gaming, like the fact that a $7.99 game that includes up to twenty bucks in in-app currency purchases will be dismissed out of hand by both frugal free-to-play gamers and traditionalists who prefer to pay once for the full experience. So prolific publisher 2K Games is getting the worst of both worlds with the pricing structure of NBA 2K16.
I am many years removed from middle and high school, but in the adult world at least, it seems now is a much safer time to be a card collecting geek. But undoubtedly there are still guys who are too intimidated to spend their time playing Netrunner or Yu-Gi-Oh. Instead, they cloak their collector's impulse and stat obsession in a thin layer of NBA fandom. They get their card-battling fix from the MyNBA2K companion app 2K Games releases every twelve months.