It’s a recent trend that more RPG elements being widespread in other games. Progression or upgrades, wide stat tracking, and choices and events that can set precedence to future events.
And like any sports game nowadays, 2K’s NBA 2K17 is embracing even more RPG elements than ever for its career mode, MyCareer, that is looks to set up and even more immersive look in the world of NBA as an up and coming player.
While the series have toyed with the idea of a liner story mode, with last year’s Livin’ Da Dream directed by Spike Lee, it probably was not the right decision for the franchise. Embracing the systems that can help craft a storyline like how previous entries did as well as having some bit of story beats is now the way to go.
The career start with the Prelude, where you create your NBA player in different archetypes (think classes) that are not immediately locked into a single position. The prelude will take place during the college years. It will be available for free soon.
But the interesting part here is that the career mode will have some linear story beats as well as having systems impacting your storyline as well. The narrative beat revolves around the dynamic duo of you and Justice Young, played by Hollywood actor Michael B. Jordan. Justice has his own motivations. He’s a hardworking player that spends a lot of time training. You can decide whether to spend your off days off the court training and form a bond with him, or do other stuff like attending press conferences or do some networking.. which will steer the two of you to other paths.
There’s even a messaging system where you can decide the interactions, which will affect your standings among the many cast of characters you will meet along the way as a professional NBA player.
The sponsorships system also seems very dynamic. Depending on your playstyle, you will attract different brands, and you have the final say to select which brands you like to sign on to.
On the court itself, lots of gameplay metrics are being tracked that will affect your career. Putting in time in practice will give you upgrade slots, like grinding in normal RPGs. Coaches have always provided feedback on your play on the court during matches, but adhering to them is now something you need to consider or risk getting benched. Getting great or clutch plays against strong teams in big matches (say, being broadcasted on national TV) will bring in more exposure and opportunities as a player.
All of these sound good on paper. You can read the full blog post here for more information.
Hopefully it will live up to expectations of having a dynamic story that reflects on the player’s performance and choices. If it managed to do that, as well as provide a great basketball game on top, this should be in the radar to those who crave single player experiences, or even RPG fans that happened to take interest in sports.