It’s one thing for a game to be difficult, it’s another thing for it to be downright corrupted. Lately, playing 2K MyCareer has felt like playing the slots at some sleazy casino and hoping that I at least make my own money back. I’m cheated left and right. Any way that I can look bad, I will. Any way that I can be penalized, I will. Whether it be getting a block or steal and not getting back fast enough and getting a “bad transition offense” penalty or playing help defense on a player who’s clearly hot and having no one else on my team step up and help while “my man” drains a 3. It's honestly gotten to the point where playing feels like I'm trying to beat the AI 20% and the 80% is me trying to beat the game itself.
I’m sick of it. I really am. I’m sick of my teammates not being able to block shots and only goaltend. I’m sick of not being able to make a clean, inside pass but the opposing team can throw the ball and have it slither to the intended recipient. I’m sick of seeing players going through each other and the ball as well. It’s 2015; 2013 when that game came out. Do you realize that I saw that stuff in NBA Ballers Phenom which came out in 2004? Damn near 10 ago. So what's really changed in basketball video games? Enhanced player imitation and the incorporation of social media, wow.
This is why I am growing sick and tired of 2K. They do everything they can to make the game look cutting edge and state of the art but they do diddly squat when it comes to patching up the gameplay mechanics. Over ten years in and 2K is still buggy with glitches out the wazoo. I could care less about who's behind the next soundtrack. I don't need to see Shaq an Ernie talk about the game I'm about to play. Just fix the freaking gameplay!
Why the hell is my player so cold lately? What was the point of buying the "Finisher" trait when I miss open and/or minimally contested layups? What’s the point of jacking up my mid-range if I miss open and excellent releases 60% of the time? Why is it so hard to dunk? I can understand speed and three pointers being tough to acquire but there are a lot of Hoopmixtapes out there that are 90% dunks. If anything, dunking is elementary for anyone above 6’3 with half an ounce of athleticism. Apparently not in the world 2K! Why is it that before March, 60 games in, he would drive to the paint with ease with the anticipation of making the layup or getting fouled. Now my 6’8 250 lbs player is driving to the lane and getting swatted like he's 5’8 and 120 lbs. Does the competition get harder as the season nears its end? Do the impending playoffs make players amp up and become the premier ballers that most of them are? If so, i call B.S. for two reasons: One, I play each team at least twice so the drastic change from tough team to indomitable team is truly ridiculous. Two, shouldn’t I be better as well? I’m playing in the same exact way, making the same moves I’ve made since I started popping off. You can’t tell me the AI has caught on. The AI is smart enough to know what my next move is going to be but it isn’t smart enough to shoot a wide open shot or guard someone who’s been unstoppable from beyond the arc or go over a damn screen?
When played well by both sides, basketball is a beautiful battle of wits, similar to a chess match. Playing this game feels like I’m at a 22nd century arcade. Certain players’ abilities have become exaggerated to the point of exhaustion. In 2K15 why does Derrick Rose drive down the right side and do a sideways reverse slam without breaking a sweat at least once per game? Why is Kevin Durant unable to miss? Why is Stephen Curry able to shoot lights out but can't drive confidently to the basket?
Fix your steal mechanics. One tap of square shouldn’t automatically equal a foul. Fix your block mechanics, I couldn’t tell you how many times a player is driving in from the left and my big man wants to block but he’s facing the crowd and swatting towards them. I cannot tally how many times a player has shot and my defender swats in the shooters vicinity but not in his direction. Fix your rebounding mechanics. It irks me every time an opposing player gets an offensive rebound and scoops it back in without looking in nanoseconds all while bellowing like a seal. Fix your overall defense mechanics. At times I feel like my defenders are one roller skates. And if I'm not getting blown by, I'm on the other side of the ball getting bumped by player while my guy struggles to maintain his balance whilst dribbling the ball, unable to pass or shoot for a good three Mississippis. and by the frequency of this occurring you'd think it happens in every game, but you don't. You know why? BECAUSE IT RARELY HAPPENS. Playing good defense is insanely difficult compared to being efficient offensively. One push too far on the analog stick and your opponent is a walking highlight reel.
Last fall I met a guy who never played a game of 2K in his life until 2K15. Within 2 months of casual playing he knew the mechanics of the game. He would explain the reasoning behind my grievances to me as if he himself were one of the game developers. He didn’t lock himself away and play the game. He didn’t watch YouTube tutorials. He just played and watched others play and he figured it all out in a short amount of time. I don’t know about you, but that’s pathetic. One couldn’t do that with Super Mario Smash Bros. or Fifa or Madden. I hope this tells you something, 2K. I hope you take this not as a fiery rant but as a message to step up.
Just because your competition has been long left in the dust doesn’t mean consumers won’t catch on to the fact that they’ve been buying the same broken game for nearly 3 years now. I’d like to think that my $60 goes to more than a roster update and flashy add-ons. You know what to do. 2K11 and 2K12 were astounding. They may have had their issues here and there, but we could tell that the ambition was there. The public consumer is not as much of an idiot as you’d think. Believe me, I’m not the only one who feels this way. Spare me the celebrity endorsements and face scanning mumbo jumbo. Make a stellar game. You have the technology and the resources. You’ve been serving us gruel when you know good and damn well that you can make a 5 star lobster dinner!
Just because your competition has been long left in the dust doesn’t mean consumers won’t catch on to the fact that they’ve been buying the same broken game for nearly 3 years now. I’d like to think that my $60 goes to more than a roster update and flashy add-ons. You know what to do. 2K11 and 2K12 were astounding. They may have had their issues here and there, but we could tell that the ambition was there. The public consumer is not as much of an idiot as you’d think. Believe me, I’m not the only one who feels this way. Spare me the celebrity endorsements and face scanning mumbo jumbo. Make a stellar game. You have the technology and the resources. You’ve been serving us gruel when you know good and damn well that you can make a 5 star lobster dinner!
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| This picture is originally titled "Reasons Why I Lose in Fifa" but it applies here just as well. |
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