7 Biggest Changes in NBA 2K18’s MyCareer Mode

Goodbye School

7 Biggest Changes in NBA 2K18’s MyCareer Mode

It’s usually hard to justify buying a sports game annually as most simply introduce a few gameplay tweaks and improvements alongside a roster update. Some games, such as EA’s FIFA series, have introduced a cinematic story mode to justify consumers’ yearly purchase, though the experience feels largely the same. NBA 2K18 surprisingly bucks the trend of annual sports titles by overhauling a majority of the game’s features and game modes, knotting them together for a more seamless experience.

NBA 2K18’s single-player focused MyCareer mode also received an overhaul. The plot and progression in this year’s story mode are now different. How different is it? Let’s check some changes, starting with the story.

Say goodbye to NBA 2K’s formulaic story of playing as a rising star athlete in high school and college until your baller gets drafted by an NBA team. Based on previews for the upcoming NBA 2K18: The Prelude demo, there’s no need to perform well in the early basketball matches to land on a good NBA team, considering you can choose which one to join.

This year’s MyCareer stars you as DJ, an established baller who halted his basketball career for music.  The game starts with DJ registering for a street ball tournament in the city called the Proving Grounds. After completing the tournament, players are approached by a scout for a chance to try out for their chosen NBA team as an undrafted free agent.

Open-World

7 Biggest Changes in NBA 2K18’s MyCareer Mode

No longer are you stuck in your own basketball court in-between matches. The start of MyCareer places you in a small hub area, which has a court where you can choose your custom jumpshot and practice it on the court. After joining an NBA team, you get dropped in a huge, shared, semi-open world called The Neighborhood where players can seamlessly enjoy various activities with other online players.

The Neighborhood combines elements of MyCareer, MyPark, and Pro-Am. Here, players can interact with other players by playing pickup games, engaging in arcade mini-games, and much more. Additionally, instead of going through multiple menus to purchase clothes and a new hairstyle for your character, you’ll have to manually visit each establishment.

The introduction of a shared open-world is definitely an ambitious change for an annual sport title. The developers also said they have beefed up their servers to prepare NBA 2K18 for this new social hub.

Less Linear, More Freedom

7 Biggest Changes in NBA 2K18’s MyCareer Mode

Conflicted whether you should spend your free time in MyCareer bonding with a famous NBA player or training in the practice gym with your teammates? Suddenly got an irresistible sponsorship deal but your character’s stats are sorely lacking to ace the deal? There’s no need to rush your decisions in NBA 2K18’s MyCareer as players are given the freedom to act on opportunities whenever they want. The mundane gym workouts can also be done at any time now by visiting the local gym in The Neighborhood.

Basically, the game still has all the pizzazz and drama of NBA 2K’s MyCareer, but with more freedom.

Play Non-Stop

7 Biggest Changes in NBA 2K18’s MyCareer Mode

Tired of going back to the main hub with an agonizing, long loading wait time after every MyCareer match? NBA 2K18’s MyCareer mode rectifies this issue by allowing players to continuously play one match after another. After each match, players are given an option to exit back to The Neighborhood or proceed to the next MyCareer match.

Play Any Mode You Want

7 Biggest Changes in NBA 2K18’s MyCareer Mode

The Neighborhood not only serves as a hub for MyCareer, MyPark, and Pro-Am, it also unifies all progress and badges. This is called The Road to 99 in NBA 2K18, which is a meta-game system that allows you to increase your character’s overall rating regardless which of the three game modes you play.

There are also neat rewards that can be gained by simply leveling up. For example, reaching level 92 grants you a skateboard for use in The Neighborhood. Ultimately, The Road to 99 aims to encourage everyone to max out their character’s overall rating.

Decide the Course of Your Team

7 Biggest Changes in NBA 2K18’s MyCareer Mode

Do you usually play through multiple seasons in MyCareer? Ever got frustrated when the sole good player in your team got traded? Pre-NBA 2K16 actually allowed players to sit down with the team’s general manager and suggest trade decisions. This feature returns in NBA 2K18 via a perk unlock with the Road to 99, hence, players will need to reach an overall rating of 90 first.

Here’s the description of said perk courtesy of Troydan: “Ever wanted to sit in the GM seat for a bit? You will influence the way your NBA team operates, from plays to rotations to roster movement.”

MyPlayer Changes

7 Biggest Changes in NBA 2K18’s MyCareer Mode

One of the biggest decisions in creating a character is deciding which archetype you should pick, as your badges and stat caps are dependent on the chosen archetype. The archetype choices have increased by tenfold this year as NBA 2K18 has a total of 189 archetypes to choose from. The upcoming basketball game introduces hybrid archetypes to create a unique, signature character.

You can get a taste of all these features once NBA 2K18: The Prelude launches on September 8 for PS4 and Xbox One. The full game launches in September 19 for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, but pre-order customers can get it as early as September 15.