The “hostage dribble” is a transfer that gained reputation within the NBA inside the final 10 years, and if there’s a participant I consider in the case of the hostage dribble, it’s Chris Paul. It’s additionally a transfer that’s been in NBA 2K video games for years, however now doesn’t work proper on current-gen NBA 2K24.
Chris Paul isn’t the one participant who began doing the hostage dribble to place defenders in jail, however I tie it to him as a result of it went along with his complete model of stopping in entrance of defenders or working into defenders in numerous methods. A few of these ways have been downright not basketball strikes (stopping in entrance of a defender within the open court docket) and thus have been outlawed (or was offensive fouls) through the years due to it. However the hostage dribble may be very a lot nonetheless allowed, and has been picked up now by numerous guards like Booker, Luka, and Trae.
All of them use the transfer in barely alternative ways, some utilizing it to then work their approach into stepbacks, others utilizing it extra to then work their approach into floaters and layups. However the level is it’s a worthwhile transfer that has its place within the choose and roll and elsewhere. It’s additionally a transfer that was unbelievable to see in NBA 2K years again because it kind of proved why so many people thought-about NBA 2K the gold customary for authenticity and reasonable gameplay.
To place it one other approach, NBA 2K successfully implementing and utilizing the hostage dribble was simply one of many many causes we might level to for why 2K grew to become the dominant basketball simulation. The builders simply at all times went that one additional step to recreate stuff we have been seeing in actual NBA video games.
With the hostage dribble not engaged on current-gen NBA 2K24, it’s now an indication of why lots of people have kind of grown annoyed with the title at instances the final couple years (and a big a part of this technology of consoles total). I strive to not make sweeping judgments or say stuff like “that is the rationale X recreation is dangerous now,” and I’m hopefully not doing it right here both, but it surely’s price pointing at this bug as a straight ahead and stand-in purpose for why some have bored with this yr’s gameplay.
OS consumer shaqfu9 has achieved an amazing breakdown of the hostage dribble and the way it varies between generations:
The overall concern right here is that you simply both don’t get the “shielding” animations to really set off on current-gen consoles, or when you do get them to set off you may’t actually proceed your ahead progress with the shielding animations nonetheless working. Previously, you mainly simply used L2 to protect/keep at bay the defender, and its simplicity was a part of its enchantment. 2K has completely been slowed down at instances by its dribble controls/put up controls as some really feel prefer it will get into combating recreation territory at instances, however I’ve at all times argued 2K additionally offers you very primary controls to study to nonetheless survive and look superior within the course of. Placing defenders in jail, was one of many methods I might show that previously.
The dialogue for why it doesn’t work on present gen doesn’t get very far as a result of there’s no strategy to know. Is it only a bug, or did 2K assume it was too highly effective and take away it? I’m positive somebody someplace complained about it being too highly effective, however 2K has so many badges and such now that they might gate it in the event that they needed. It possibly has one thing to do with the final “transition” animations not being one of the best in 2K this yr, which is possibly a part of the rising pains of going to a seemingly new kind of animation system this yr in another areas.
Regardless of the case could also be, I’m unsure if this “bug” can be mounted this yr, however we’d like the hostage dribble again for NBA 2K25.
