Arcade games are few and far between these days, with most games moving towards true simulations rather than fun arcade titles, especially when it comes to sporting games. Our review of NBA 2K19 proved this point, with so many technical aspects to consider, it becomes a serious challenge, but a fun one. However, NBA Playgrounds 2 takes the complete opposite approach, and proves that good ol’ fashioned pick-up-and-play arcade fun can still be had, and what better game to choose than basketball?


Nothing but dunks

Developed by Saber Interactive, the 2-v-2 arcade basketball title does well to improve and expand on its predecessor, keeping many of the mechanics from the original title, but that’s not a bad thing. Playgrounds 2 does well to fill the gap left behind by NBA Street and NBA Jam, and while not quite able to keep up with either of these two, it forges its own unique take on the series that I really liked.

There aren’t nearly as many modes as 2K19, but there is the addition of a Season Mode this time. It's not nearly as lengthy as the traditional NBA experience - with a 14-game-match-up, best-of-3 playoffs, and then finals - but you are limited in the teams you can choose, as you will not have players from each team yet. In my first season, I was provided free players for the Chicago Bulls and, after winning the season, I was awarded a ‘Legend’ card for the Bulls. The same principle applies to every team you play with. You can also play the Season Mode cooperatively with a friend online.


Digital CCG

Unlocking new players requires opening ‘booster packs’ (ed - uurgh), which you can use real money to buy credit for (ed - who'd have thunk it?), or you can grind for the in-game currency, "Baller Bucks". Thankfully, you generate credit fairly quickly, so you will be able to open packs fairly regularly, without the need to use real money; something the first game felt like it forced you to do. However, "Swag Packs" take a different in-game currency, "Golden Bucks", which are much harder to come by. You can get this currency by opening player packs, which give you amounts between 25 – 75 coins, but these are simply vanity items. You can, if you want to, spend a lot of real-money and buy every single player card up front, but Playgrounds 2 is really enjoyable enough without them and it doesn't feel like you have to.


We got a sharpshooter over here

The animations were phenomenal, with alley-oops, massive dunks, and dazzling dribbles, all spicing up action on the court. Crossovers are exaggerated, and will vary depending on the player, but often lead to some interesting ways of passing a ball. Mechanically, the game isn’t too complex to grasp. The arcade structure allows for shoving, as well as steals, with ludicrously cool dunk shots. This gives the gameplay a quirky feel to it, further adding to the relaxed environment of Playgrounds 2. Also, once you have dunked and shot your way through the hoop, a power meter will fill, giving you a random boost. It ranges from increased running speed, to ‘bad luck’, and even surges in power and score multipliers.

Aside from collecting ‘Legend’ and ‘Epic’ cards, you can increase base stats for character cards just by playing with them. These increases allow better shot control, making the chances of missing hoops slimmer with each game played, and enhances their attributes even further. Furthermore, stats like stamina, dunking, and power on the court, are also increased so that you have a better chance of landing those slam dunks, running for longer, and being able to fend attackers off.


LeBrooooon, and those other guys

The three-point shooter mode was a great little mini-game, and a spectacular way of enhancing your own shooting skills. The shot meter pops up, as it did in the first, with an area that determines what percentage your shot is likely to fall in the hoop. Shooting in the red is an immediate miss, which may take away from that arcade feel, but it also prevents every single shot from making it in, and becoming repetitive. Landing the marker closer to centre green portion will, obviously, increase your shot percentage, with 3-pointers remaining a challenge to consistently land.

The online aspect is the "Playgrounds Championship", which will be quite the competitive lobby when it starts to fill up with players. The ranked play will pit players against each other and display their standings and statistics on a leader board, which will see some serious competition developing.


Waving after a win

On a technical note, I played this on the PS4 Pro with Supersampling enabled for a 1080p display. The game looked phenomenal and ran wonderfully, with seriously few performance problems. Obviously, there are no demanding weather systems, character physics, or high-end coding, but still, it's nice to play a game that doesn’t need a couple of patches to be fixed, especially in a ‘less-serious’ title such as Playgrounds 2.

I would have like to see some more ‘Elite’ names thrown into the mix. The omission of names such as Karl Malone, Tim Duncan, Dennis Rodman, and others, are quite noticeable. Also, even with their licensing issues, it would have been great to see Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, and Rasheed Wallace. Also, some high-end players don’t feel that great, especially when you are in control. You can definitely feel them when you are up against them, but when you are playing as them, not so much.


You never forget your first ring

Overall, NBA Playgrounds 2 is a great improvement over the first game, and the addition of the ‘Season Mode’ adds that extra layer of fun. Mechanically, the game remains a classic arcade experience, with a sprinkling of difficulty, just enough to make things interesting. The over-the-top animations and caricatures bring the game to life, and leave you wanting to find out how many ways you can possibly put a ball into a hoop. Aside from some noticeable names being missing from the list, it provides an excellent pick-up-and-play arcade basketball experience, as well as a title that allows skill building for consistent victories.