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 things that I loved about my NBA Live 2004 Dynasty.

Back in May, I reflected on five things that I loved about my MyCAREER game with the Denver Nuggets in NBA 2K13. That was a fun trip down memory lane, so today I’m doing the same for my NBA Live 2004 Dynasty with the Chicago Bulls! Like my NBA 2K13 MyCAREER, my NBA Live 2004 Dynasty remains one of my all-time favourite basketball gaming memories and experiences. I’ve reminisced about both of them for Wayback Wednesday, but I wanted to revisit some of the key reasons that they were so memorable, and indeed more successful than a few of my other games.

After all, in theory it might seem like a good idea to take cues from games that turned out so well. It’s certainly worth keeping them in mind and having an approach that you know will generally work for you, but some of the things that make a franchise or career mode game so special just can’t be replicated. From the excitement of having a brand new experience to specific scenarios and circumstances, a certain amount of uniqueness goes a long way in those games becoming treasured memories. My NBA Live 2004 Dynasty was a combination of many things that make franchise modes an exciting journey, and these five were major factors in keeping me hooked for hours.

1. The Revamp From Franchise to Dynasty

As exciting as Franchise had been in NBA Live 2000 PC, by NBA Live 2003, the mode was undoubtedly stale. There had been a couple of improvements and additions here and there, but it was largely the same. Thankfully, Dynasty in NBA Live 2004 was more than just a new name slapped on an old mode. While the concept was still the same and it retained several familiar functions and design ideas, there were also some new features that were most welcome. At long last, Draft picks could be traded. A bar indicated how interested teams were in acquiring your players. Players could be trained during the season, and other upgrades could be unlocked with Dynasty points.

And of course, Dynasty Cutscenes made the experience more immersive. Trades and signings resulted in players being welcomed by their new teammates. Retiring players were seen leaving the locker room, a teammate wistfully watching them go. Training sessions were represented by cutscenes of appropriate drills. Players received awards, and draftees walked up on stage to be greeted by David Stern. In short, the mode felt fresh and engaging, with more depth to a familiar multi-season experience. Although we’ve seen bigger and more impressive overhauls to modes in the years since then, the revamp from Franchise to Dynasty in NBA Live 2004 was exactly what was needed.

2.Starting Out Slow

This may sound odd, since losing generally isn’t a ton of fun. I’ve also had a blast in franchise and career modes whenever my teams have won an unrealistic number of games, so I’m not against such domination on the virtual hardwood! With that being said, there’s something strangely satisfying about seasons where I’ve had to overcome a bit of a struggle instead of feeling like an overpowered juggernaut. I’d compare it to my playthroughs of games like Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas. As much as I love running it back with the knowledge of where everything is and the “best” way to play, there’s something special about muddling my way through that very first playthrough.

That’s basically how it was with my NBA Live 2004 Dynasty as well. Playing with a young Chicago Bulls team with more potential than proven talent – along with an old Scottie Pippen – I wasn’t in a position to dominate. I was also still getting used to the game and tweaking the sliders to my liking. As a result, I was hovering around .500 for the first third of the season, until I made a big change (more on that momentarily). Once again though, that was fun in its own way. Being an underdog team, bouncing back from some tough losses, enduring rough patches, and getting it together after a slow start, made the eventual success more gratifying, and the experience memorable.

3. Trading for Kevin Garnett

Although I like to begin my franchise games with accurate rosters, from there I’m open to the game creating its own alternate reality. I’ve found that getting too silly with trades spoils my enjoyment and leads to me quickly losing interest, but that doesn’t mean that I completely refuse any and all unlikely scenarios. To that point, during my NBA Live 2004 Dynasty, I brought Kevin Garnett to Chicago! I was mulling over a few different trade possibilities following my slow start, including the one the Bulls actually made with the Raptors in December 2003. Instead, I sent Jalen Rose, Marcus Fizer, and Roger Mason Jr. to the Minnesota Timberwolves for KG.

Simply put, it’s the best trade that I’ve ever made in a franchise game! To this day, I’m shocked that the CPU agreed to trade a superstar for one good player, a decently-rated bust, and a benchwarmer. Indeed, in attempting to replicate the trade, I’ve never been able to get the game to accept that same offer a second time! Acquiring Kevin Garnett unsurprisingly allowed me to turn the season around, winning 64 games and capturing a seventh title for the Bulls. He was also naturally really fun to play with! However, the sheer unlikelihood of pulling off such a deal ensured that this Dynasty would be unique; a key ingredient in the creation of our favourite basketball gaming memories.

4. Experimenting With Lineups

There’s no wrong way to play a franchise mode game. There are certain choices that tend to spoil them – at least in my experience – but as always, it comes down to your personal preference. As long as you’re having fun, that’s what matters! To that end, while it’s completely fine to use the same starting five throughout the season, I love switching things up and trying out different lineups. There are usually a few players that I’ll always prefer to start if they’re available and healthy, but others are demoted and promoted depending on their performance. Also, whenever bench players come up big for me in the clutch, I like rewarding them with a starting nod in the next game.

I ended up experimenting with a variety of starting lineups in my NBA Live 2004 Dynasty, particularly before I acquired KG. I alternated between Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry in the middle, and sometimes had them starting alongside each other. I had Pippen starting at the point for a little while, before moving him back to small forward. Kirk Hinrich eventually locked down the starting point guard role after initially coming off the bench. During games, I also played around with going big and small, taking advantage of my more versatile players. Whenever I can finish a season and only a few players have started all 82 games, it’s been a fun and interesting year!

5. Achieving Completion

I’ve played and enjoyed many basketball video games over the years, but I haven’t completed a full season in all of them. That includes some titles that I’d count among my all-time favourites! That’s just the way it goes when you prefer to play 82-game seasons on 12-minute quarters, and not simulate if it’s at all avoidable. As I’ve said before of course, completion is what you make it on the virtual hardwood. If you’ve enjoyed your time with a title and feel as though you got your money’s worth, that’s what’s important. Mind you, most of us begin franchise mode games with the goal of completing at least one season, so it’s a great feeling when you can accomplish that.

Before my NBA Live 2004 Dynasty, I’d had a couple of franchise games that came up short. My NBA Live 2002 Sacramento Kings Franchise was fun, but a combination of the post-All-Star Game lull and being in my final year of high school ultimately got in the way of finishing the first season. My NBA Live 2003 Minnesota Timberwolves Franchise had its moments, but unfortunately I soured on the gameplay and ended up abandoning it. NBA Live 2004 was a huge hit with me though, and since I was out of school, working casually, and had more time to game, I was able to see it through to the end. On top of everything else, it solidified it as one of my best franchise games.

Which franchise or career mode games are among your all-time favourites? What in particular made them so special? Have your say in the comments, 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.