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Anthony Davis Featured In NBA 2K16 Trailer

By Owen Sanborn

Apr 25, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) shoots over Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the first quarter in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 25, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) shoots over Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the first quarter in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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I am an avid NBA 2K player. After a long struggle of both loving and now hating the Madden franchise, it is the sports game I look forward to the most each and every year. The MLB: The Show series is a close second, but I seem to be in the minority with that game as most if not all of my friends own an Xbox One. (I apparently missed the meeting where my group of friends elected the Xbox One as the system of choice.)

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Besides FIFA — which I am just OK at — it is the only universally renowned game that I take part in mostly because I have struggled with grasping the gameplay of first person shooters. You know the person you play with that can’t aim their gun and is constantly running into walls? Yeah, that’s me.

Anyway, throughout the summer, different leaks and trailers have been released about NBA 2k16 and last week I stumbled upon a new one titled “Rise” which is centered around partial cover boy Anthony Davis‘ journey into the NBA.

We get some glimpses into what the gameplay is going to look like. As always, the trailer tends to embellish on the fluidity of the player movement, masking the somewhat cheesy gameplay that can be easily instituted by more casual gamers. Don’t get me wrong, the game still looks sick. The crowd montage around the 1:05 mark looks nearly identical to an actual Pelicans game, only the arena is sold out. (Oops.)

The idea of traveling through a player’s journey (or living through your own make-believe version) to the league creates a neat dynamic for the gamer. The trailer showcases the so-called “rise” of Davis well as we see him evolve from his early days as a teenager, to a post-growth spurt gangly-armed phenomenon with a unique prowess for dunking on helpless high schoolers, to dominating fools at Kentucky and finally beginning to take the reins in the league.

Additionally, Spike Lee pushes the euphoric nature of the clip as only he can with his recognizable, serious tone of voice. There is just a feeling of tremendous quality oozing from everything 2K does at this point.

As for Davis’ skills within the game, I am going to assume that most casual gamers out there neglect to use his talents properly. In my experience, opposing players tend to play better with primary ball handlers that they can just take and sprint down the court with until they find an opening to drive and dunk the ball. This style of play is excruciating to play against and also very frowned upon within the confines of my dorm room.

Since Davis is far from a primary ball handler (at least for now … God help us all if he ever obtains that talent) casual gamers will most likely never throw the ball his way because he simply is not needed to score. Instead, he will be relegated to feeding off of the offensive glass and put backs.

Realistic gamers will make good use of Davis as a help defending menace of defense and a pick and pop guru on offense. You could even make him the hub of your half court offense if you wish to get fancy, but playing with people who have a playing style other than constant fast break is rare.

Well, that is enough 2K trailer talk for now. Is it October yet? I am itching for some quality time with my League Pass Broadband subscription.

Next: NBA: Complete Offseason Grades For All 30 Teams

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