Menu

The Friday Five: 5 Reasons NBA 2K14 MyCAREER Is Still A Blast

The Friday Five: 5 Reasons NBA 2K14 MyCAREER Is Still A Blast

Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is a list of five reasons that playing NBA 2K14 MyCAREER remains a blast, and a retro gaming experience to consider.

Between my articles and commentary on the NLSC Podcast, it should be extremely obvious that I’ve developed quite a passion for MyCAREER in NBA 2K14! Not only has it been a blast to play, but it’s also been great to get positive feedback from the community when I’ve discussed it. Whether it’s been a comment on the articles or the podcast, or replies on Twitter, I love hearing that my fellow gamers have enjoyed my recaps and tidbits. It only encourages me to continue sharing stories about such a fun experience on the virtual hardwood.

This is the internet of course, which means that negativity is bound to seep in at some point; especially if someone is committing an atrocity such as enjoying something that you aren’t! To that point, there will be a few stray comments sneeringly asking why I or anyone else would still be playing NBA 2K14, MyCAREER or otherwise. Such a question is never asked in good faith, and I know I shouldn’t focus on such remarks. Nevertheless, whether you’re trying to downplay retro gaming, genuinely intrigued by someone playing an older game, or a retro gamer looking for a suggestion, this week’s Five is for you! NBA 2K14 MyCAREER is still a blast; here are five reasons why.

1. Heavy Focus on the NBA

League News & Social Media Overview

There are times when I’ve wondered if a majority of NBA 2K gamers these days are actually big fans of basketball and the NBA. That may come across as gatekeeping, and I don’t mean it to be. Basketball video games should be for anyone who wants to check them out, and I’m all for anything being an entry into developing a passion for what I believe is the best sport in the world. However, the number of people making comments on social media disparaging the NBA side of the game, while expressing a fondness for Park play, is somewhat bewildering. It feels like the sport is somehow secondary to the idea of online competition, bragging rights, and cosmetic items.

Sadly, more recent iterations of NBA 2K have catered to that stance, as evident by the official social media accounts focusing on clothing. There’s even a fashion show in NBA 2K22, as you try to build your off-court brand. There’s none of that in NBA 2K14 MyCAREER, and I love that! It’s all about being an NBA player, and guiding your avatar to the Hall of Fame. Sure, the NBA side of MyCAREER still has that goal, but NBA 2K14 doesn’t have any of the extracurricular nonsense. The servers are offline, so there’s no meta or toxic online scene to be concerned with. It’s also the last straightforward MyCAREER without a lengthy pre-NBA story. Speaking of which…

2. The Story Isn’t As Intrusive As I Once Believed

Flu Scene in NBA 2K14 MyCAREER

Over the years, I’ve mocked a line that was uttered during the introduction of NBA 2K14 MyCAREER: “Ain’t gonna let nobody write it, but me”. Granted, there’s some irony in the line given that aspects of the mode are on rails thanks to the addition of a story, but once I finally gave it a chance, I realised that it’s not as intrusive as it first appeared. Yes, you’ll always ride the bench for the first two games, leading to a scene where your player expresses his disappointment. Your debut will always come in the fourth quarter of a game where a teammate who plays the same position gets injured, opening up the opportunity to impress your coach. There are some fixed story beats.

In between them however, the experience is basically the same one that I fell in love with in NBA 2K13. It’s still about earning minutes with your play, and levelling up so that you can keep playing better. Thanks to the aforementioned focus on the NBA, all of the role-playing opportunities are related to being a rookie finding his place in the league, and earning the respect of his coach, teammates, and the GM. Sure, it doesn’t fit when a fellow rookie acts like a wise old veteran giving up his starting spot to you, among other scenes that will feel contrived or rather poorly-cast. There’s still a lot of freedom though, and from Year 2 onwards, it’s gameplay that’s driving the narrative.

3. VC Earnings Facilitate Steady Improvement

NBA 2K14 MyCAREER Earnings

It takes a while to max out your player in MyCAREER – unless you pay for shortcuts, of course – and that’s the way it should be. It’d be a very boring mode if you could be maxed out and subsequently overpowered not even halfway through your first season. However, as NBA 2K has steadily increased the pressure in their recurrent revenue mechanics, the journey in MyCAREER has suffered by design. While NBA 2K14 did have microtransactions, MyCAREER wasn’t nearly as pushy about them. Back in the day, you could still buy VC if you were impatient, or wanted to beef up your player for the freshly-debuted Park. Even if you chose not to, it remained a fun journey.

What sets NBA 2K14 MyCAREER apart from other iterations of the mode is that it remains a fun journey, even now that the NBA side of the mode is completely offline. Whereas other games in the series replace Virtual Currency with Skill Points once online support ends, NBA 2K14 still uses VC in an offline MyCAREER save. You can’t purchase it, but its payouts are far more generous than the SP you earn in other games, so you wouldn’t want to anyway. In that respect, an offline save functions very similarly to a connected file when that was possible, apart from not allowing you to buy clothes/accessories. It’s a preferable trade-off for an enjoyable rate of progression.

4. Depth Without Unnecessary Padding

NBA 2K15 PS4 Cover Endorsement

These days, gamers spend hours upon hours in MyCAREER. It’s a point of pride for 2K, as they often tout engagement numbers along with the number of units sold. It’s slightly less impressive when you think about how much time gamers spend jogging, cycling, skateboarding, or flying by jetpack around an attempt at an open world. We now have to literally visit shops with our avatar to purchase items, travel to specific locations to play in The Rec or with our Pro-Am team, and work out in the gym to maximise our athletic ratings. Throw in quests and off-court activities, and you may wonder if NBA 2K is a basketball game anymore. That’s not an issue in NBA 2K14.

Of course, NBA 2K14 MyCAREER is missing some features that were added in the years since. I’ve mentioned before how I miss MyCOURT, and the ability to just hang out and shoot around with my player. Later games allowed us to unlock the ability to select different jerseys before games, as well as influence rotations and roster moves. There was full access to records screens, though I believe we were supposed to have that and the menus are just buggy (they’re there in MyGM). Those are all examples of good depth that NBA 2K14 MyCAREER unfortunately lacks. It’s still deep in its own right however, without the unnecessary padding found in later versions of the mode.

5. NBA 2K14’s Gameplay Holds Up Superbly

Taking on Derrick Rose in NBA 2K14 MyCAREER

With all that being said, the main reason that I’ve been on such an extended retro kick with NBA 2K14 MyCAREER is the gameplay. Sure, I love the focus on the NBA, the overall presentation and vibe of the mode, and achieving goals/racking up stats as I play through multiple seasons. I wouldn’t enjoy it nearly as much – indeed, I wouldn’t keep playing the game at all – if the experience on the sticks was subpar. I’ve talked about why I basically snubbed NBA 2K14 on PlayStation 4 when it was new, having been initially unimpressed with the game and never truly giving it a second chance. When I finally revisited it properly at long last, I soon changed my mind about it!

If you didn’t dislike the gameplay in NBA 2K21 and NBA 2K22 as I did, or you’re into the online scene, going back to NBA 2K14 MyCAREER may not hold much appeal. I understand that, and also acknowledge that I’m somewhat predisposed to being a retro gamer. On the other hand, if you’ve also grown weary of recent titles and want an NBA-focused career mode, or you have an old NBA 2K14 save file that you can still access, I’d suggest giving the game another look. MyGM is also still playable, and is just as fun on the sticks. I’m having a blast with NBA 2K14 MyCAREER, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone seeking a fun retro basketball gaming experience.

Are you a retro basketball gamer? Have you given NBA 2K14 MyCAREER another look, or is there another game that you’ve stuck with or like to return to periodically? Have your say in the comments below, and as always, feel free to take the discussion to the NLSC Forum! That’s all for this week, so thanks for checking in, have a great weekend, and please join me again next Friday for another Five.

Support The NLSC on Patreon!
Become a patron at Patreon!
Subscribe
Notify of

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments