Check out Pharrell Williams in NBA 2K15

[VDusen04]

Re: Check out Pharrell Williams in NBA 2K15

I still can't see how we're making a bad thing out of a quick scene where you meet a celebrity sitting courtside in the game. The only legit issue to take with this scene is that the voice acting is terrible. But I don't expect great voice over work in an NBA basketball game. It's amazing that we're even getting this considering every other career mode ever in sports gaming outside of The Life consists of the same home screen over and over with nothing but games and a practice mode.

That's about it. It's not the worst thing to ever happen to NBA 2K. It's small in the scheme of things. But it is what it is. Regardless of how big or small, it doesn't really mean folks must have nothing but a positive feeling about it. The idea is nice, but the implementation leaves a lot to be desired, in my opinion. Bad voice acting, worse script, and a subsequent departure from immersion when it's my likeness partaking on my own behalf.

There's been constructive criticism here in this thread and I think that's healthy. Ideas for improving this aspect and making it more realistic, including realistic pans of famous people like Pharrell during the broadcast, seeing your MyPlayer and Pharrell briefly interacting from a distance, or numerous other approaches, have been sprinkled and re-iterated throughout.

It's kind of like, if 2K11 had their famous Michael Jordan "Are You Ready" intro but instead of the "Are You Ready" line, Michael said, "Let's get it crackin', cause this joint gonna be hot!" Would the intro still be a great idea? Surely. Might some folks have objected to such execution? Likely so.

I think it's safe to say a lot of people like the general idea, just not when it comes out sounding like this.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NP5VaH-01gw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[bigeastbumrush]

Re: Check out Pharrell Williams in NBA 2K15

Meh.

I'd rather see them use all of this added memory and data to incorporate real basketball scenarios like in practices, player development, offseason workouts and summer league games into the Association.

Association would be so much more robust rather than watching some undrafted free agent talk to guys on celebrity row.

Why stop with Pharell? Maybe sell more copies if you scan Rihanna and drum up a story of MyPlayer bagging her after a game.

[La Verite]

Too bad we couldn't have voice choices like New York Def JAM Fight Night had. PS2 technology at that. Myplayer should be fun but I'm afraid it will be scripted again. Nice to see Pharell but still.

[JA Money14]

Re: Check out Pharrell Williams in NBA 2K15

It's kind of like, if 2K11 had their famous Michael Jordan "Are You Ready" intro but instead of the "Are You Ready" line, Michael said, "Let's get it crackin', cause this joint gonna be hot!" Would the intro still be a great idea?

For the record, I would pay full retail price just to see that.

[Sinner]

Re: Check out Pharrell Williams in NBA 2K15

Not to pile on, though I suppose it's all generally the same issue, but I think I struggle with the idea of MyPlayer being forced into a personality and exaggerated speech patterns that bear absolutely no resemblance to me.

I think there's room for a little bit of rope (I could handle being given the choice of answering press conference questions in a manner that most resembled who I am and/or who I wanted to be) but I do not particularly like having myself (and with the addition of facial scanning, using oneself seems to be the point) being forced to act as if the important things in my life are Twittering a lot, meeting with stars and over-dramatically berating my lame agent with awful dialogue. What if I want to be David Robinson, a guy who just wants to modestly do his job and keep his distance from all the extra-curricular?

I know, the answer is, "If that's what you want, then this mode's not for you." But I just wish the variability still existed to allow that. Much of the immersion from the original MyPlayer was the ability to go on my own journey. I thought it was most satisfying to mirror my real life self, a guy who'd just try to hang on and get the job done via hard work. And then, if my brother wanted to create a young and brash virtual Jalen Rose for his MyPlayer, he could do that too (and he did). Choices are neat.

Totally agree with what you've said and the bold is what I really have an issue with when it comes to this mode. Let me start out by saying I know 2k put a lot of work into this mode and I understand many people will love what it has become, I will play it and have fun but I won't get the enjoyment that I've gotten is past 2k Myplayer modes before they started with the linear story line.

I've said it before that Myplayer as it is now is more like 2ksplayer and we're just using it. My team is the Celtics and I also cheer for the home team in Charlotte, liked making a sg for one team and a center for the other, one more laid back the other a little more cocky. I played the game and made my own story lines...it truly felt like Myplayer.

Now I only make one character cause I can barely stand going through these story lines once much less twice. I assume it would be difficult especially with the voice overs but if at least we were able to make choices that actually led down a path that was different it would be so much better.

What I mean is we've seen Ronny and Smoove both with the Rockets meeting with Harden and saying the same thing. I would have liked if we had a choice.

"Do you want to interact with Harden and brag about your game?"
"Do you want to interact with Harden and ask his opinion on how you did?"
"Would you like to talk to Harden about the win or lost" Which ever you did.

That would at least IMO make it seem more like Myplayer cause I would be making choices and driving his off the court life more than just following a path laid out by 2k.

[da ThRONe]

Re: Check out Pharrell Williams in NBA 2K15

Totally agree with what you've said and the bold is what I really have an issue with when it comes to this mode. Let me start out by saying I know 2k put a lot of work into this mode and I understand many people will love what it has become, I will play it and have fun but I won't get the enjoyment that I've gotten is past 2k Myplayer modes before they started with the linear story line.

I've said it before that Myplayer as it is now is more like 2ksplayer and we're just using it. My team is the Celtics and I also cheer for the home team in Charlotte, liked making a sg for one team and a center for the other, one more laid back the other a little more cocky. I played the game and made my own story lines...it truly felt like Myplayer.

Now I only make one character cause I can barely stand going through these story lines once much less twice. I assume it would be difficult especially with the voice overs but if at least we were able to make choices that actually led down a path that was different it would be so much better.

What I mean is we've seen Ronny and Smoove both with the Rockets meeting with Harden and saying the same thing. I would have liked if we had a choice.

"Do you want to interact with Harden and brag about your game?"
"Do you want to interact with Harden and ask his opinion on how you did?"
"Would you like to talk to Harden about the win or lost" Which ever you did.

That would at least IMO make it seem more like Myplayer cause I would be making choices and driving his off the court life more than just following a path laid out by 2k.

I think you hit the nail on the head about one of the major problems whether you like this linear story line or not. There really no reason to play it more than once. For me where MyPlayer made the biggest mistake was getting to good entire too fast so once I started to dominate I would start over. Can't imagine ever starting over when the story line is exactly the same.

[Mgbleu1986]

Yup Pharrell, that is how dumb you really look in that hat!

[Sundown]

Check out Pharrell Williams in NBA 2K15

What if some players 'wish fulfillment' is the fame aspect of being an NBA superstar? What if chopping it up with stars before games, having interations with stars etc is an important part of the experience for them?

Of course it is. And it's great of 2K to provide that. In fact, it's pretty amazing. However, it's not "having interactions with the stars" if you're not given some freedom and your onscreen representation isn't at least as unobtrusively not-you as possible.

My point is all the immersion breaking intrusions make such great additions less impactful. As is a linear story rather than interactions coming and going situationally and conditionally throughout your career as things to discover-- where they are part of your career in every sense, rather than your career being a set up to a predictable script.

As far as your question...the main focus of the mode for me will be doing well on the court and building my character...not if his mannerisms or attitude sync up with mine....if I took thay attitude with video games I wouldnt play half the video games ive played....not every game is mass effect where I can control every aspect of my characters personality...and with the main focus being the basketball court, it'll bother me even less...
.

That's fine it doesn't bother you. It reason it bothers some of us is because it seems to diverge from the solid foundation that used to exist for a less authentic one, when some of the additions are jarring and of shaky quality, and when it could be something better than both what we had then and what we have now.

Some of us don't offer critiques for their own sake, but because we love the franchise and want to improve. We offer input when things seem to I a bit sideways. Sometimes, it even works (like it did for the guys who got us MyLeague).

[Sundown]

Check out Pharrell Williams in NBA 2K15

It's kind of like, if 2K11 had their famous Michael Jordan "Are You Ready" intro but instead of the "Are You Ready" line, Michael said, "Let's get it crackin', cause this joint gonna be hot!" Would the intro still be a great idea? Surely. Might some folks have objected to such execution? Likely so.

2K11 did just about everything with style and class. Like it or not, it also had the closest thing to a realistic draft process and being in the peripheral leagues.

Because at the time, 2K's directive was simply, this is the NBA. Go. They had no illusions then of trying to be anything more than the most basketball it could be. Authentic presentation. AMAZING, understated but mind blowing intro. You're Jordan. That is all. It was a love letter to basketball by and for basketball fans. Even Crew was just basketball in the most straightforwardly engaging way they could think of.

Then this odd element started to emerge around 2k13 with the jarring Jay-Z presentation, the VC severely undermining game and mode balance, the stready whitewashing of MyCareer-- right about when 2K switched to more social network driven marketing rather than just laying out basketball for basketball fans.

In place of Crew, we got the Park-- a tech demo designed to be watched more than played, and seeming to be set up mainly to encourage VC sales in player gear. Not to mention the "Crew is Back" brouhaha, that was just a slightly dressed up Blacktop intentionally meant to be half court 3 on 3. Only for Crew to be "Back" again the year after-- this time unfortunately too late, as it seems many have lost interest or moved on to next gen.

That's why I've felt 2K has seemed schizophrenic the last few years with many of the core elements continuing and exceeding 2K11's direction-- but with this What the? element seeming to find refuge in one mode, feature, or another. Now that it's been excised from the interface, it's made it's home in MyCareer. Fortunately it seems 2K has really ramped it up in the other areas, so I'm not too worried about its future, but there's just an element that's "off" there and I do have to wonder what shape it'll take place in 2K16 with morbid curiosity.

[ImaFreeThinker]

Re: Check out Pharrell Williams in NBA 2K15

Quick question I hope that somebody can answer. Does the inbound pass after a bucket still take 4 secs (which allows the defense a better position to pressure the passer and steal the ball, or otherwise slow down the offense from burning them)?