We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with an out-of-the-box suggestion for the NBA side of MyCAREER: online team play.
When MyCAREER in NBA 2K17 brought us Orange Juice – both the story and dual player controls – I figured that the mode would continue to innovate in its mechanics. The ability to control two players and switch between your MyPLAYER and Justice Young was a novel concept, and underscored the theme of becoming the next great duo in NBA history. However, the NBA side of MyCAREER neither repeated nor built on this creative idea. Instead, the focus has been on mechanics such as Takeover and the online meta. It’s about finding the most powerful builds for online team play.
On one hand, this is understandable. The online scene is extremely popular, while NBA MyCAREER is beginning to gain a reputation similar to franchise modes, i.e. “that’s something for old heads”. That’s not to say that younger gamers don’t play the NBA side of MyCAREER, but gamers young and old are more frequently using it to level up their player for online team play. I believe there’s a missed opportunity here, for both gamers who prefer the online scene, and those who enjoy NBA MyCAREER. What if the two could be merged? No, I’m not talking about 2K Pro-Am, The Rec, or The Playground. I’m talking about an online multiplayer element to an NBA career.