NBA 2K18 Looks to Blur Lines of Gaming with The Neighborhood

[Gramps91]

Personally, The Neighborhood concept does nothing for me. I understand there are lot who are excited for this but I'm only speaking on my behalf. It would be my preference if NBA 2k's career mode were more akin to that of MLB The Show.

In The Show I was drafted by a team I did not choose, I am building my player up in a slow and realistic manner, I am working my butt off just to get into the Major Leagues, and if I want to change anything from my haircut to my socks all if I have to do is find it in the menus. This is how I prefer it.

There isn't a dramatic story, there's just me playing baseball and making occasional choices. Sometimes the choices matter and sometimes they don't. Sometimes things happen regardless, for example, I've already been traded once and I've had to switch my position for a series. Nothing I did lead to these happenings but it's my feeling that that's what makes it so fun. All I know to do is work my butt off and things are happening around me regardless.

I feel as if I haven't had as much fun with a career mode since NBA 2k10, and it would be my preference if we were provided an option that uses this type of approach for MyCareer.

[Rip4ever]

I can't wait until I can go out to the neighborhood club and shoot myself in the thigh with my own gun.

Authenticity!

[ryocoola31]

Quote: Originally Posted by eaterofworlds888

Personally, The Neighborhood concept does nothing for me. I understand there are lot who are excited for this but I'm only speaking on my behalf. It would be my preference if NBA 2k's career mode were more akin to that of MLB The Show. In The Show I was drafted by a team I did not choose, I am building my player up in a slow and realistic manner, I am working my butt off just to get into the Major Leagues, and if I want to change anything from my haircut to my socks all if I have to do is find it in the menus. This is how I prefer it. There isn't a dramatic story, there's just me playing baseball and making occasional choices. Sometimes the choices matter and sometimes they don't. Sometimes things happen regardless, for example, I've already been traded once and I've had to switch my position for a series. Nothing I did lead to these happenings but it's my feeling that that's what makes it so fun. All I know to do is work my butt off and things are happening around me regardless. I feel as if I haven't had as much fun with a career mode since NBA 2k10, and it would be my preference if we were provided an option that uses this type of approach for MyCareer.

Just seems like this pattern while good for hardcore gamers doesn't seem to introduce new ideas and progression. I don't really want the same game I got in 2010 with a new year, small changes, and new players. Basic can be good, but I don't think I could stand that for eight years (started collecting at 2k11). Sometimes it a bit of swing and a miss (storyline 2k16), but nice see the attempt at keeping things interesting while trying to tweak ever improving game play and graphics. But of course to each there own.

I love mypark, love playing my friends, and competing (even with some glitches and lag) I think have played too many full 82 games 12 minute quarter seasons against the AI since the 2000s. Love it is option don't get me wrong, but definitely ready for something fresh (at least for a basketball game) like the neighborhood.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[Gramps91]

Quote: Originally Posted by ryocoola31

Just seems like this pattern while good for hardcore gamers doesn't seem to introduce new ideas and progression. I don't really want the same game I got in 2010 with a new year, small changes, and new players. Basic can be good, but I don't think I could stand that for eight years (started collecting at 2k11). Sometimes it a bit of swing and a miss (storyline 2k16), but nice see the attempt at keeping things interesting while trying to tweak ever improving game play and graphics. But of course to each there own. I love mypark, love playing my friends, and competing (even with some glitches and lag) I think have played too many full 82 games 12 minute quarter seasons against the AI since the 2000s. Love it is option don't get me wrong, but definitely ready for something fresh (at least for a basketball game) like the neighborhood. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

I actually have very few friends and none of them are interested in sports, sadly.
I know it's fresh, it just isn't my thing and I don't think it ever will be. I've owned every NBA 2k since 2k2 (with the exception of 2k6, only played Live that year) maybe it's where I'm a bit more old school and I'm just grounded into that sort of thing. As you said, to each their own.

[Taer]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mike Lowe

Thanks for the replies, guys. I wanted to generate discussion w this piece as I do believe it's a heavy shift in the way we play a sports title, but wanted folks to discuss in more depth than any 1200 word write-up could hope to do. Operation Sports, we are the hardcore, and I knew better than to tell folks what to think. 2K is a fantastic studio and dev team, and it's hard to please everyone. I know most WILL be pleased with Neighborhood, generally speaking, but also felt open dialogue would be most useful to folks here at OS, so I intentionally left the piece more open-ended. Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

First, before I begin: Thank you for writing your article.

I'm one of those that think "the neighborhood" is taking wrong approach to "blur the lines." So, I'm pretty sure my feedback will be ignored in favor of pursuing the vision of Jeff Thomas.

There are a few things that I find wrong with the execution of this vision, things that go beyond reluctant acceptance of a vision I don't share to cross the line towards turning me off from the whole.

Let's begin with the press release:

Quote:

The Neighborhood brings “the most loved elements of NBA 2K — MyPARK, Pro-Am and the popular MyCAREER experience — together into a shared world for players to truly experience the life of an NBA athlete, both on the court and off,” according to the official press release.

While this quote may be true for MyPARK and Pro-Am modes, I find it totally false when it talks about MyCareer.

The popular experiences of MyCareer are actually being excised from the mode in favor of more and more experiences easily monatarized and hidden behind paywalls.

Getting a haircut at Pop's is not a "favorite" of almost every MyCareer player I know - yet this is an advertised example cited. Accessory customization while liked is not "popular" in the way that the Combine, Summer League, D-League, college games and many more things stripped away from the MyCareer experience.

Even Draft Day was done away with. But hey! I can watch other gamers "work-out" in a virtual gym - I mean I really want to watch others bench press for +1 to this stat or that attribute.

Then you have this neighborhood being billed as "truly experiencing the life of an NBA athlete ... I'm sorry but that is pure bs.

Maybe it replicates the experience of some of the street legends of the 1970's back when a few of these legends actually went from courts in the Bronx or other Burroughs - guys that I learn about through film archives and Kobe's old documentary.

But does this truly represent today's athletic experience? The guys where I grew up went through a hella lot different experience - and I'm sure those from the farms in Indiana had an experience that differs from both the inner-city fantasy/replication we have and the experiences of the guys from my home area.

Instead of immersing myself into an NBA career as I once had, I feel like I am visiting a virtual Disneyland with a replica of 1970's street ball in New York and idealized "main-street" amusement park of online basketball for increasing the revenue stream.

I think trying to force MyCareer into this vision is the downfall of the execution. I think as a vision of the Park and Playground experiences it is good and its seems attractive to those enamored by those modes but I don't see the execution and implementation of this working for MyCareer peeps.

The neighborhood truly is an attempt to evolve the e-sport aspects of the Park experience and to further increase income opportunities of sponsoring tournaments and events - things that really excite many - I get that.

Please take MyCareer and the actual NBA career experience back out of the neighborhood and back into the arenas.

[MakaveliLPC]

Quote: Originally Posted by Vinsanity115

How many Gigs is this game going to be?..I wonder how good 2K gameplay could be if they hypothetically scratched my player and Park altogether and focused solely on 5v5 NBA gameplay. Where would it be right now? Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Exactly! One can dream!

In b4 people come in here and say that different teams work on different modes so they have no effect on each other. But that's obviously wrong like we've seen w Madden they implemented a whole new garbage mode w Longshot and Franchise mode went completely untouched. My opinion but I feel like online has been the death of sports games

[OTMax]

It's all about money and will probably fail as it's technically a block, not a neighbourhood. It's small, not enough courts and will cause tremendous frustration since you'd have to wait a long time to get in a game. I don't think many will care about the sideshow here, like haircuts and other physical upgrades. It will get old fast. I like their attempt at something new, but really glad I don't care about these modes. I used to like the street mode, not sure my park has replaced that, and I think NBA Live has 2k beat on that. Basketball is what it should be about, but 2k has gotten too big for themselves. They're trying to be revolutionary, which can lead to great things like expansion in My League and classic teams. It can also lead to failure, like the story driven Spike Lee fiasco. Win some, lose some. This idea might lead to something good in the future, but right now I cannot see it.

[Thrustie]

Quote: Originally Posted by MakaveliLPC

Exactly! One can dream! In b4 people come in here and say that different teams work on different modes so they have no effect on each other. But that's obviously wrong like we've seen w Madden they implemented a whole new garbage mode w Longshot and Franchise mode went completely untouched. My opinion but I feel like online has been the death of sports games

I can see why you might think that but I really don't think 2K would have the budget for development they do now if this was strictly an offline 5 vs 5 game. If you're not innovating, you're dying in business. It's just a fact. I respect the fact that 2k is challenging the status quo and trying new things. You're not gonna compete with the CoDs and Destiny's of the world rehashing the same game year after year.