Similar to some of the championship-contending super teams of today, NBA 2K22 arrives with plenty of options for players to check out on release day. 

Friday's release of the annual instalment is the second effort from developer Visual Concepts on next-generation consoles, and it sure looks the part. Visually, the game is a stunner, and the gameplay is boosted by the move to better represent individual superstars and remove animations in favor of more player control. 

The list of extensive features starts with an upgraded MyPLAYER experience on next-generation consoles. 

Players once again create an avatar and go about leveling up through on-court means while earning attire. But new this year is an entire city to explore, equipped with malls, courts and matchmaking options. 

A developer diary expanded on the idea: 

"Step into an all-new City teeming with life, activity, and interactivity. NPCs (non-playable characters) populate the fresh City layout, while MyPLAYERs from all over the world compete in the highest level of playground basketball. An all-new Quest system for 2K22 engages MyPLAYERs with creative content while offering new ways to level up and earn rewards in this reenvisioning of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S basketball communities."

This sort of expansion on one of the most popular modes in the series goes hand-in-hand with upgrades to MyPLAYER, which promises the usual cinematic storytelling experiences. The mode also comes with some much-needed innovation, such as an expansion of off-court goals and ventures to help build a player's brand. 

Right alongside those two in the must-see department on release day is, of course, MyTeam. The collect-a-thon mode once again comes equipped with enough in the way of solo and multiplayer challenges that it could easily be its own standalone game. 

Outside of expanding on these features with the card-based mode, one of the highlight items this year is the return of a draft. Players can run through an entire draft, with new cards consistently added to the draft pool, before playing a game. It's a little thing, but there's nothing quite like smartly combining the feel of fantasy drafts with tried-and-true gameplay that lets players earn rewards toward upgrading their permanent team. 

The quickly-evolving WNBA mode is a critical point to check out early thanks to the love it continues to get. The W is one of the newest modes to the series but in MyTeam it's so deep it's almost a game within a game. 

There, players start a WNBA journey and follow similar badge-based goals over the course of a career. That includes chasing goals on and off the court and even training with current pros and legends. The W also goes online for the first time, allowing friends to team up before matchmaking against other teams. 

The effort to deepen the gameplay experience for those seeking it across various modes extends to MyNBA, too. 

There, 2K Sports has revamped how team staffs work, as noted from a developer writeup: "As such, we redesigned how your staff works from the ground up. New attributes, more than double the staff badges, and a slew of new roles. We've completely reimagined this aspect of the mode and are proud to show off the newest addition—MySTAFF."

The idea? Take the deep customization found in creating actual players, including badges and more, and apply it across a large staff that includes not just coaches, but trainers, scouting and a sports medicine department. 

Going deep on the attributes from everything to the head coach, foreign scouts and all the way down to even a sleep doctor sounds like an engrossing time that could see the team reap the benefits on the digital court. And, as always, for those who don't want to take that deep dive, it's optional, but nice to have. 

Keep in mind all of these new features have one overarching new feature adding depth to each—a new Seasons goal set. It's a revamped way to handle player progression and unlocks across different modes that refresh goals and rewards each season. 

Given the above, it's not hard to see why 2K22 might be the most-hyped release in the series to date. Friday's launch and the early returns will start to answer whether it can match.