NBA All-World hands-on: Taking basketball video games back to the streets

Niantic has created some of the most popular augmented reality games such as: Ingress When Pokémon GO. But this week, the company NBA All World This may be the best application of location-based technology to date.

If you’ve played Niantic’s past games, NBA All World It has a very familiar formula. After installing the free app (available for Android and iOS), a starter player appears and from there you can use the in-game map to navigate to real-world locations to collect items, earn cash, and more. You can fight with other players.Big twist on NBA All World This means that instead of visiting random points of interest and battling others, you’ll have to visit a real basketball court and earn your place on the local leaderboard.・You can also collect a roster of famous ballers like George.

This may not sound like a big change, but it makes a very noticeable difference in how the game is played. First, rather than hanging out on random street corners as is common during raids, Pokémon GObecause it is necessary to go to the district court, NBA All World Feeling more grounded in reality. This is important because Niantic says there’s really little overlap between people playing other titles and traditional sports gamers (only 10%, according to Niantic Senior Producer Marcus Matthews). And after years of playing basketball game series like NBA2K (or my personal favorite) nba street) At home, Niantic sees All-World as one of the first games to encourage players to get off the couch and get back outside.

Because it is necessary to physically go to the real court, NBA All World I feel more connected to the basketball community at large. I didn’t get to try this out myself before launch, but it’s a real pick-me-up. . Then sub-out and catch your breath while returning to challenging leaderboards or playing mini-games at NBA All-World on your phone.

As for the game itself, Niantic has also worked to integrate basketball culture into every aspect of the app. This includes partnerships with companies like Adidas and Puma (not Nike yet), so you can buy virtual clothing and shoes that match what star athletes wear in real life. In-game players are also modeled after real players, so centers like Domantas Sabonis are good at blocking, while smaller guards are faster and better at stealing the ball. Niantic holds many elements, NBA All World‘s gameplay is very simplistic (defense is mostly automatic), and the ability to move in different directions to juke, take a step back to land a jumper, or drive into the basket makes for a surprising amount of fun. You get depth.

Also, since Niantic already has a lot of input from users of other AR games, NBA All World There are many in-game locations and hotspots, from courts to places like banks and shops where you can get items, energy, and more. This week he said gameplay won’t be limited to just the US when the game launches on January 24th. NBA All World is a good example of the international nature of the sport.

However, while we believe this is the best use of Niantic’s location-based gaming technology to date, building a new community and player base of gamers is a challenge for any developer. It is important to mention that the This includes some of the company’s previous stumbles. The Catan spin-off, which is set to end later this month or was canceled in 2021 before we see an official release. NBA All World It looks like the best blend of real life and AR integration ever.