Monday Tip-Off: A Long Detour for a Franchise Gamer
We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with some reflections on at long last returning to my roots as a franchise gamer, following a very long detour.
It’s been a long time coming, but I’m finally an active franchise gamer once again! Dig into the archives, and you’ll find that I was eyeing a return to franchise modes way back in October 2017. I was all set to ration my time between MyCAREER, 2K Pro-Am, MyTEAM, and MyLEAGUE. Franchise was also an option in NBA Live 18, but I wasn’t completely sold on the “streamlined” approach. In the end of course, it didn’t matter. I soured on NBA 2K18, preferred Ultimate Team in NBA Live 18, and committed to making it to the Hall of Fame in MyCAREER come NBA 2K19.
And then, I got hooked on NBA 2K14 MyCAREER! That remains in my rotation as I’m still having a blast with that career seven seasons in. However, I grew up playing old school season modes and then franchise modes, so they’ve been responsible for so many of my all-time favourite basketball gaming experiences. Indeed, this is why I’ve often considered myself a franchise gamer who has been taking a detour, but at this point, there’s no denying that I’m a career and card collecting mode gamer as well! My love of franchise gaming never truly went away though, and now that I’m back into it, I expect it’s going to be a significant part of my time on the virtual hardwood.
So, what kept me away for so long? Once again, it was mostly MyCAREER and its connected modes. This isn’t a bad thing, of course. As I said, it’s been a blast playing through a lengthy career in NBA 2K14 all these years later. My first real foray into MyCAREER in NBA 2K13 was a fresh experience that reminded me of the joy I felt when I first got into franchise gaming, and I was enamoured with both the NBA and online team play sides of the mode in NBA 2K17. Finally qualifying for the Hall of Fame in NBA 2K19 was a satisfying accomplishment. In short, I’ve played a lot of MyCAREER and its connected modes because I was genuinely enjoying doing so!
As I’ve readily admitted though, it also formed a habit that put me in a rut. Playing through the story, grinding up a player, and jumping into the online scene – eventually with randoms as the rest of NLSC THRILLHO (wisely) stepped away – became a routine. It was comfortable, even if the on-court experience wasn’t always enjoyable, which made it all too easy to stay in that rut. It wasn’t until I started playing with Dee over Parsec that I began to diversify my virtual hardwood habits once again. I still enjoy my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER and it was fun to play through NBA 2K15’s mode in order to write about it, but I just can’t keep repeating the process in newer games.
Needless to say, since I’m playing NBA 2K14 MyCAREER on 12-minute quarters, it takes up a lot of time. Because I still want to play it, it’s been tough to get properly motivated to make the time for a new franchise game. Also, while playing through an NBA season in a career mode does bear some similarities to franchise gaming, it has a different appeal. Having complete control over the entire team is definitely fun, and that’s what made me a franchise gamer all those years ago. However, it’s also fun to have that control taken away and only focus on playing your role, becoming a star, and trying to make the best of the AI’s decisions as far as coaching and team-building.
It also tends to be quicker and easier to complete a full season in MyCAREER, even while playing 12-minute quarters and not simulating any games. After all, there’s a portion of each game that I’m skipping when my player is on the bench, and I’m not spending any time making substitutions or other strategic decisions. There’s simplicity to this experience: just hit the court and hoop! I’m not suggesting that this is the best or only way to play; again, coaching, roster management, and controlling all of the players is something I’ve always enjoyed about franchise gaming. It was a change of pace to not have to worry about that, though. Online play with friends was fun, too.
What’s interesting is that even after I began breaking that habit, diversifying my basketball gaming, revisiting old favourites, and discovering some new retro kicks, I didn’t immediately return to my roots as a franchise gamer. In fact, in between my ongoing NBA 2K14 MyCAREER and playing games in order to cover them for Wayback Wednesday features, I’ve really come to enjoy exhibition games! This has often gone hand-in-hand with retro matchups, some of which have been facilitated by minimalist modding. This has obviously also allowed me to scratch an itch as far as roster making, another basketball gaming activity I’ve enjoyed for countless hours.
On top of that, I’ve also enjoyed the lack of commitment and overarching goals that are a major part of franchise and career modes alike. Normally that’s what draws me to them of course, but again, it was refreshing to just play some fun games that didn’t have to count towards anything. They were all about interesting matchups and trying to create highlights, as well as obviously vying for the victory. However, those low-stakes showdowns also ultimately prepared me to return to franchise gaming. After so many years of player-locked gameplay, exhibition games have eased me back into controlling all five players, managing substitutions, and using accurate team rosters.
I “officially” became a franchise gamer again when Dee and I began an Association game in NBA 2K9 over Parsec. Dee floated the idea of us playing a co-op season on Episode #561 of our Podcast, and I was definitely keen. Not only is it something I did with my cousin Clinton growing up, but after so many enjoyable exhibition games in a number of different titles in recent years, it only made sense to connect to play with more structure and purpose. After playing with a couple of teams in NBA 2K9 and NBA Live 09, we settled on the latter, choosing to use the Chicago Bulls featuring a rookie Derrick Rose. Unsurprisingly, that helped me immediately get invested in it!
Of course, Dee’s multiple seasons with his brothers have also inspired me. In the past, I’ve advised fellow franchise gamers to avoid beginning multiple games. One only has to look at some of the abandoned topics in the Stories section of the NLSC Forum to see how succumbing to the lure of a fresh start, and then trying to spend ample time with multiple campaigns, leads to one or more of them – and often all of them – ending prematurely! That’s always a risk, but having completed multiple seasons in franchise and career modes at this point, I’m more comfortable with the idea of having a few going in different games, and working my way through them all as the mood strikes.
In that spirit, I’ve also started a Dynasty in NBA Live 16. It’s a game that I didn’t play as much as I’d anticipated after enjoying an early hands-on preview at a community event back in 2015. After connecting to play it with Dee, I discovered that I liked it more than I remembered, and it struck me as an intriguing possibility for a return to franchise gaming. With Ben Gordon being a free agent in the game’s rosters, there’s an obvious scenario: sign him to play alongside Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, and Jimmy Butler, for one last run with the Bulls! That’s exactly what I’ve done, and I’m eager to re-write NBA history in a (relatively) more recent release.
Speaking of recent releases, the Jordan Era in MyNBA remains an interesting option, but I am discouraged by both the inaccuracies in the rosters and the gameplay of NBA 2K25 in general. I couldn’t rule out playing through the 90s in MyNBA Eras in the future, though. Even putting aside the option of historical content, the depth of NBA 2K’s modes – even going back to The Association – is what I dreamed of seeing as a young franchise gamer. NBA Live’s franchise modes never quite became what I hoped they would be, but there’s enough to them to keep me interested, as long as I’m enjoying the scenario and the gameplay. So far so good with these new franchises!
Having these two franchise games also offers different experiences. With the NBA 2K9 Bulls Association with Dee, there’s the fun of working together on the virtual hardwood, and collaborating on ideas for trades and lineup changes. With the NBA Live 16 Bulls Dynasty, there’s the challenge of doing everything solo, and indulging a specific What If scenario. NBA 2K9 is taking us back to an era in the NBA that we’re nostalgic for, with players and teams that we really enjoy. NBA Live 16 is allowing me to create some new basketball gaming memories and find enjoyment in an era that I’m not quite as fond of, but nevertheless still generally prefer to the current league.
Although these are the fresh new options, they’re not necessarily the only way that I’ll be getting my fix as a reinvigorated franchise gamer. I still have my Bulls Dynasty in NBA Live 06 PC, ready to be dusted off at any time. I played a couple of games of a MyGM in NBA 2K14 for PlayStation 4 ahead of covering it in Wayback Wednesday; something of a false start or “unofficial” return to franchise gaming, given its brevity. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over decades of basketball gaming, it’s to hold onto your save files whenever possible. Unfortunately I’ve learned that lesson the hard way, having lost far too many memorable save files for old favourites over the years.
Then again, maybe I can re-create some of those scenarios and start over fresh! Now that I’ve cleansed my basketball gaming palate and reconnected with my roots as a franchise gamer, I’m open to all possibilities, from picking up old games to starting new ones. Hopefully they’ll all be fun to rotate between, but if some don’t pan out, that’s OK. As long I’m playing out of enjoyment and not a feeling of obligation, that’s what’s important. I don’t want to fall into a gaming rut again! Since getting hooked on MyCAREER in NBA 2K13, it’s been a long detour for a franchise gamer. However, it’s a road that’s led me to a point where I can enjoy both modes. It’s good to be home!
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