Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is a list of five roadblocks that stood in my way of returning to franchise gaming for far too long.

At long last, I’ve returned to franchise gaming on the virtual hardwood. It’s been a goal of mine since 2017, so to say that it’s overdue is a massive understatement! It feels great to be back, and while it hasn’t completely replaced career mode play in my basketball gaming rotation, I anticipate splitting my time more evenly between the two moving forward. That’s because I’ve been able to overcome the roadblocks that were the cause of my lengthy detour from franchise gaming. As soon as I was able to start those new franchise games, I was hooked, just as I was all those years ago.

Of course, that may sound melodramatic. What roadblocks can there be when those modes are readily available, and I can freely choose to play whatever I want? Well, it’s not quite that simple. From habits I’d formed to various concerns about the modes in recent titles, it’s been more difficult than I’d anticipated to return to what was once my mode of choice, and the flagship experience in sim basketball video games. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has fallen into a basketball gaming rut that has lasted for way too long. To that end, hopefully discussing the roadblocks that I encountered can help you to overcome any that stand in the way of your virtual hardwood fun.

1. Memories of Failed Franchise Games

As always, completion is what we make it when it comes to basketball video games. It’s incredibly satisfying to play through an entire season, but as long as you enjoy your time with a game, then it’s never time wasted. Moreover, it doesn’t necessarily make a franchise or career mode game a “failure” if you don’t finish a whole season. At the same time, it’s always my intention with franchise gaming to make it through at least one season and win the championship. Admittedly I haven’t done that in every single game that I’ve ever played, but obviously it’s the goal of any NBA-oriented mode, and my fondest franchise gaming memories do involve completing a campaign.

There are times when I’ve unwittingly sabotaged myself though, resulting in franchise games that went up in smoke all too quickly. Sometimes, it’s choosing a team that I wouldn’t normally use, and almost immediately being reminded why. The crazy idea that I had for overhauling a team’s roster has often made things too silly for my liking. Whatever the case, I’ve abandoned those franchises after only a few games. Again, it’s not accurate to view that as time wasted, but it’s nevertheless encouraged me to be more careful when starting a new franchise. I’ve probably overcorrected to being too cautious about having a “failed” game though, delaying my return to those modes.

2. Hooked on Career Modes

It’s not as though I wasn’t enjoying basketball gaming during my lengthy hiatus from franchise modes. After getting hooked on MyCAREER in NBA 2K13, my preference did shift towards career mode play. It was a fresh experience after several years of franchise gaming, and one that basically took up just as much time. Although the ability to control the entire roster and make all of the decisions for a team is what originally drew me to franchise gaming, it was a fun change of pace to have that control taken out of my hands. The player-locked gameplay and role-playing aspects of career modes – including getting to the Hall of Fame – were unfamiliar challenges.

Once I developed an interest in jumping into NBA 2K’s online team play modes with friends, spending enough time in MyCAREER to level up a suitably powerful avatar was a necessity with each new game. This was definitely fun for a couple of years, though the peak of my enjoyment of 2K Pro-Am was undoubtedly NBA 2K17. The catch here is that the annual ritual of grinding up a MyPLAYER was habit-forming, and I continued to do it even as I grew burned out on the mode. Then I got hooked on NBA 2K14 MyCAREER, which remains a blast as I embark on my seventh season! One way or another, career modes have kept me from returning to franchise gaming.

3. Dissatisfaction with the Modern NBA

Not to harp on a point and sound like a grumpy “old head” who can’t enjoy anything new, but I do have my issues with the modern NBA. From the lack of defensive effort to chucking and missing an ugly amount of three-pointers to a generation that I don’t find very likeable – especially when they participate in the disrespect towards the past – I’m not a fan of the current product. So many of the changes that Adam Silver has spearheaded feel like they’re intentionally alienating long-time fans and ruining an NBA that once made us declare “I love this game“. I won’t go on and on, but suffice it to say that while I do remain a basketball fan, I’m far less invested in today’s NBA.

Naturally, that carries over to the virtual hardwood, as I’m less keen to play with and against the current crop of players. Since my preferred approach to franchise gaming is to take control of a team – usually the Chicago Bulls – and then shape and develop the roster as I see fit while competing in the contemporary NBA, this is undoubtedly a roadblock. It also doesn’t help that I’m not completely satisfied with the gameplay in most of the recent NBA 2K titles. Even going back to the eighth generation, the on-court experience and the modes in certain games have left me cold. In any case, it’s been a while since the current NBA has encouraged me to don my virtual GM suit.

4. Inaccuracies in MyNBA Eras Rosters

That brings us to an alternative that the last few NBA 2K releases have provided: a historical franchise gaming experience, courtesy of MyNBA Eras. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t interested in the concept, or that I haven’t considered starting a game with the Bulls in the Jordan Era. Of course, while the rosters appeal to my nostalgia, the gameplay remains a roadblock to me returning to franchise gaming; even if I can wind back the clock to a golden era in the league. Granted, my early impressions of NBA 2K25 were actually positive, and I felt there was a possibility that I’d be able to dive into a retro MyNBA. Unfortunately, another roadblock ultimately stood in the way.

Quite simply, there are too many inaccuracies with the rosters in MyNBA Eras. Look, I realise the difficulty in providing complete retro rosters. Even if Take-Two were to take Rasheed Wallace’s advice and “CTC” – cut the cheque – obtaining the rights to every player’s likeness seems like an impossible task. With that being said, I feel that the placeholders are distractingly too prominent. The biggest issue though is the lack of accuracy with ratings, with so many players being disrespectfully underrated to the point of uselessness. Community rosters are a solution, but many have problems of their own. Throw in my distaste for NBA 2K26, and sadly this isn’t a viable option.

5. Decision Paralysis (aka So Many Games To Choose From!)

Considering my enthusiasm for retro gaming, an obvious solution would be to return to an old favourite and start a new franchise game, or continue an old one if possible. That’s definitely something I’ve considered, but that brings us to the final roadblock: decision paralysis. I have an extensive collection of basketball video games these days, and between old favourites that I’d like to dust off and discovering other games that have retroactively become favourites, there are a number of titles that I could feasibly use to get my franchise gaming fix. As such, up until recently, I haven’t been able to choose from an array of appealing frontrunners to spend more time with.

Strange as it may be seem, I wasn’t even able to commit to the idea of returning to my Chicago Bulls Dynasty in NBA Live 06! It’s one of my all-time favourite basketball gaming experiences, and as I’m three years in, there’s a fun scenario for me to pick up again whenever I choose. Nevertheless, I was stuck between the idea of dusting it off once more to continue what has been a satisfying journey, or opting for the freshness of a new game in a different title. There’s also the question of whether I should leave the memories alone, or risk spoiling it. I’ve ultimately chosen to keep it on standby while also beginning some new adventures, at long last clearing this major roadblock.

Have you ever had trouble changing your basketball gaming habits? Did career modes end up taking your time and attention away from franchise gaming? Have your say in the comments, and as always, feel free to take the discussion to the NLSC Forum! That’s all for this week, so thanks for checking in, have a great weekend, and please join me again next Friday for another Five.

The post The Friday Five: 5 Roadblocks to Returning to Franchise Gaming appeared first on NLSC.