Shaq Fronts NBA 2K7
The headline says it all, man, 2K Sports has their roundball cover athlete.
Published: August 15, 2006
A new year means a new cover athlete for the myriad sports titles out there, and with basketball season quickly approaching, it was time 2K Sports settled on their cover man for NBA 2K7. As it turns out, the decision wasn't terribly difficult. See, one of the areas that developer Visual Concepts has worked on this year is what happens when players are in the paint. Given a certain Miami Heat center's dominance as a post man, it made sense to go with Shaquille O'Neal to illustrate both the beefed up post moves and, well, go with a face everyone knows.
Specifically, a player's style while posting up will be reflected in the animations. More powerful players will be much more likely to throw that weight around during dunks and rebounds, while more nimble players will dart in an out and pull of baby hooks and fadeaways when confronted with a defender. Since Shaq tends to favor the former approach -- oh, who are we kidding, the guy is like 20 feet tall and just reaches up to drop the ball in the basket. As much as we hate the guy around here, there's no denying that he's the perfect person to illustrate VC's addition to the gameplay.
“Shaquille O’Neal remains one of the most dominant, exciting, and charismatic athletes in the NBA,” gushed Erik Whiteford, VP of marketing for 2K Sports. “Shaq is well-known for his fun-loving nature, great work ethic, and incredible athletic skills. His dominating game and winning attitude make him the central figure on every team he is a part of, including 2K Sports. We’re very pleased to be working with Shaq again with NBA 2K7.”
“You only get to represent the best by playing with the best,” droned a monotone Shaq. “NBA 2K7 is the game for champions and I’m proud to be a part of the best basketball game anywhere.”
As eloquent as always. Look for plenty more on the game as we get closer to the release of the PS2 version next month, and the PS3 version at the system's launch.
Specifically, a player's style while posting up will be reflected in the animations. More powerful players will be much more likely to throw that weight around during dunks and rebounds, while more nimble players will dart in an out and pull of baby hooks and fadeaways when confronted with a defender. Since Shaq tends to favor the former approach -- oh, who are we kidding, the guy is like 20 feet tall and just reaches up to drop the ball in the basket. As much as we hate the guy around here, there's no denying that he's the perfect person to illustrate VC's addition to the gameplay.
“Shaquille O’Neal remains one of the most dominant, exciting, and charismatic athletes in the NBA,” gushed Erik Whiteford, VP of marketing for 2K Sports. “Shaq is well-known for his fun-loving nature, great work ethic, and incredible athletic skills. His dominating game and winning attitude make him the central figure on every team he is a part of, including 2K Sports. We’re very pleased to be working with Shaq again with NBA 2K7.”
“You only get to represent the best by playing with the best,” droned a monotone Shaq. “NBA 2K7 is the game for champions and I’m proud to be a part of the best basketball game anywhere.”
As eloquent as always. Look for plenty more on the game as we get closer to the release of the PS2 version next month, and the PS3 version at the system's launch.