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With college football season just a few days away and the recent launch of Madden NFL 15 (don't miss our review), sports fever is likely at its peak for gamers. Although it may be the time of year when football gets the most attention, 2K Sports intends to steal some of that spotlight with the upcoming latest installment in its basketball series, NBA 2K15.

With games like Madden and NHL 15 putting a big emphasis on bringing character models and other graphic aesthetics into the new-gen era with this year's annual releases, 2K made sure not to leave NBA 2K15 out of the party. The game received some serious visual improvements and although the gameplay trailer doesn't make them look quite as impressive as those seen in NHL 15, it is definitely still a step in the right direction for the franchise.

The trailer, which is the first we've really seen of the game since the 10-second clip shared by this year's cover star Kevin Durant, kicks off with an introduction from Ernie Johnson and Shaquille O'Neal. The pair of NBA on TNT announcers appear to have a significant presence in the upcoming game, which will likely be tied to an upgraded half-time show experience.

NBA 2K15 Kevin Durant Cover Athlete

Although the inclusion of real-world announcers is a plus for NBA enthusiasts out there, the trailer quickly moves on to showcase some of the more universally appealing environmental additions like mascots, cheerleaders, and a smart crowd. The cheerleaders and mascots help set the stage for an improved interactive NBA experience and the cheering crowd, which actually shouts timely and relevant cheers or jeers, brings another level of realism to the game.

As far as the actual gameplay goes, the trailer highlights dunk after dunk in a parade of enhanced character models. NBA fans have the chance to geek out over Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Pau Gasol, and (of course) LeBron James sporting the sacred number 23 jersey for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Although 2K would love to capitalize on the potential for new players with its first new-gen installment, the trailer plays it safe and sticks to footage that will excite current fans, without really taking any steps to draw in potential newcomers. If you aren't a big NBA fan already, it's unlikely that this trailer is going to win you over.

Are you looking forward to NBA 2k15 or does this year's installment look like more of the same to you? Let us know in the comments.

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NBA 2K15 releases October 7, 2014 for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Follow Denny on Twitter @The_DFC.