Searching for Perfection in MyPlayer

I love the NBA 2K series. I’ve played MyPlayer, 2K’s game mode in which you get drafted and play a career with that player, racking up accomplishments until it’s time to (hopefully) make that Hall of Fame speech since its inception a few years ago. There’s nothing better than lacing up my fictional Nike Zoom Lebron VI’s, and going to war with the best in the league (well, other than doing it for real). 

For the most part, it’s pretty darn good. But there are obvious issues preventing it from being a perfect game mode. But don’t worry 2K Sports! I’m here to save the day, and give you ways to make the best mode from 2K Sports even better.

The first is to be able to use your own likeness in games. This actually is something that EA Sports has touted in the last few years. If you go onto the EA Sports website you can, with a few pictures and the help of a new 3D engine, create your own likeness on the site to be used in various games such as FIFA 14 and NCAA 14. Pretty cool stuff. Having something like that for 2K would be an awesome way to make the user feel like he/she is part of the game experience, especially as the series moves to the impressive looking PS4 and Xbox One.

The comprehensive Create-a-Player mode is okay, but often times I create players that look nothing like me, and then I just give up and just create random people from my imagination. It never turns out well.

The second thing is actually the worst part of the 2K experience for me: Unrealistic trades and free agent signings.  I would play the season out as an untested rookie, only to see that teams are constantly trading with each other, way more than the normal rate. And it’s not even logical ones like a Rudy Gay move to a team like Cleveland. Instead I saw CP3 go to the Pistons, and JR Smith go to the Suns. Teams would also trade for players they didn’t even need. For example, the Timberwolves trading Ricky Rubio for Pau Gasol while Kevin Love was still on the roster.

That’s why they need an “untradeable list”. The GMs of every team could have a bunch of guys deemed untradeable, making it unlikely that a star gets shipped out to a team that makes no sense for the player and the team. Also, I’d like to see more teams realistically tank, since that’s obviously the most fun part of the NBA season.

With the touted ‘14 class coming in, I would love to see a way in which gamers can just import a draft class to compete against in MyPlayer. This third idea would definitely give the game some additional shelf life, since most people barely get through a year of playing without getting bored. I want to see how I stack up against a fictional Andrew Wiggins, or a Julius Randle.

Speaking about rookies adjusting to the Association: Everybody fondly remembers NBA: The Life series that lasted for a few years in the mid-aughts. It was a game that exemplified the NBA lifestyle: The clothes, the houses, etc. And even though the execution was certainly lacking, it was a glorious idea. Bring that to MyPlayer! Another thing that can be done is improving on the social aspect of the NBA lifestyle. Let’s say for example, you’re a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, traveling to New York on the off day to take on the Knicks.

What do you do? Would you rather go out late with celebs, increasing your “Q” score and popularity on 2K’s social media platform, but making you more tired during game time or work out at a gym, but see your chances at popularity plummet? On a side note, I would also like to comment on some of those fictional pricks that complain through the 2K Social Media when I finish a game with only two rebounds in a game as a point guard, but still win the game by 25.

Which brings me to my final point, the in-game expectations. It’s slightly annoying when I’m in the heat of battle, deep in the third quarter and all of a sudden I see: “Score 10 or more points for your team.” I am a defensive minded rookie who just started in the league. How in the heck am I going to get Carmelo Anthony to get me the ball on multiple possessions, without demanding the ball and seeing my team chemistry score suffer as a result, as well as a death glare from a fictional 6’8” superstar? I think that’s something that needs to be adjusted for each player type.

Again, there are lots of things the people at 2K Sports do right, but these changes will give you the perfect MyPlayer mode. 2K Sports, you can thank me later. Or send a check in the mail, whichever you prefer.

The views expressed in this article explicitly belong to the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of, nor should be attributed to, GameSided as an organization.