Some Issues with NBA 2k14

It has been a while since I decided to write about something game related, but there is a variety of issues in the gaming community and some of which I have no other choice but to try and bring some attention to. Today I am going to bring some problems with the next-gen basketball game NBA 2k14 to light. Now the game itself is an above average basketball game. When you also consider the fact that with the next-gen power of the PS4 and the XB1 the graphics are better than ever it is hard not to like the game. However, just because you might really like the game does not mean that you cannot find fault with certain aspects of it. 

Now there are plenty of review sites out there and most of them are great at what they do. I am not attempting in any way to take their place. My point here is to bring to light my various opinions about some of the glaring issues with the game. Plus, this is the best way that I can get my point across to developers and the community in general. All other forums that allow for messages to be posted do not allow for enough room for me to say all that I want to say. 

First of all, the various modes offered by the game are a lot of fun and one of the reasons the game stands out. It have long been a tradition among the various sports games over the years to offer different modes of gameplay such as General Manager, Season, Franchise, Team Builder, and other such modes. With NBA 2k14 these modes are included and generally the developers did a great job putting them together. That is, if you can overlook a couple glaring faults. 

Consider first of all the team building mode called My Team. The purpose is to use the virtual currency that you earn playing the game to build a custom team from various player cards that you can buy or earn. This mode has been included in almost all the various sports games for the last 5 or more years and has been increasingly popular with players. There are a couple problems that I found with this mode in NBA 2k14 but one that stands out more than the rest. 

The biggest issue I have found with this mode in the game is that there is no reward for winning. The purpose of all video games, sports or action or role playing is to win. So if winning is the point than you would expect that if you are able to do that, win that is, then you should get something. You should be rewarded for your ability to best the computer in a match up. The problem with NBA 2k14 is that there is no reward for winning. 

You are simply given points, My Team Points, for the play of various players on your team based on their level. Bronze, Silver , Gold, and Special players all have various multipliers that based on their performance within the specific game will earn you certain points. Essentially based on this metric you can win or lose and still earn the same points. There is no incentive for winning. The only incentive that really exists is to have your Bronze players do most of the work during the game. 

I think that in this mode in particular winning should be the goal and the reason for reward. It is harder to win in this mode than almost any other except for online mode. So that being the case why is there no reward for winning? In my opinion there are two major issues with this game mode and the fact that there is no reward for winning is just one of them. The other, is the type of gameplay that is forced upon the players. 

The game pushes you, the player, to work yourself into a type of rhythm. This is fine because basketball lends itself to this in real life too. The problem is that the system puts too much weight on this. Another issue that is weighted too heavily is whether or not your player is taking an open shot or not. Now this is just an opinion based on my gameplay experience and you may have a different one. If you do, I would love to hear about it. 

Here is what I am talking about. Let's say you are using Derek Rose. He is a great player. Might not be the best in all areas and I know he is no Lebron but he is a damn good player who you would think should be able to made a 10-12ft jumper. Actually you can use most players for this example. But consider for a moment Mr. Rose. He is standing about 12ft from the hoop and is open. The nearest defender is about 10ft away. Rose takes the shot (assuming release point is perfect) and makes it. No problem. 

Okay.. same example but this time there is a defender standing in front of Rose. The defender does not jump and does not contest the shot. Just stands there. Rose takes the jumper and again with a perfect release point and low and behold it rims out. Actually it bounces off the rim. There are other examples too where you can have almost any player about 10-15ft from the basket and contested or not it can be sometimes frustrating how many times they will miss. I mean, if the guy is playing in the NBA you would think he can make a quick jumper. Right?

The game puts too much emphasis on whether or not there is a defender in close proximity to the shooter. Let's face it there are shooters who can make a close shot with a defender contesting  the shot at least 7 out of 10 times. But in this game the percentages are much, much lower. Maybe 2 out of 10. This makes for a frustrating time playing and also makes for plenty of rage quits.

While my experience as I mentioned might be different then yours I am willing to bet that most people who read this will have experienced the same things. I have spent a lot of time playing  the My Team mode and was actually having fun. Most of my fun came from building my team however. Then again, it was difficult to do this too when most of the tournaments offered did not fit the teams that the available cards allow you to make off the bat. Trying to make a team or even multiple teams that fit the requirements for some of the games can be a difficult exercise. 

I am in no way advocating making the game any easier. I am and always have been of the opinion that the harder a game is, the more challenging it is and therefore the more fun it offers. This game however has become nothing but a frustration to me lately. Don't even get me started on the locker code situation. Forcing everyone to spam their friends just to get worthless codes is a recipe for disaster. Or at least for an early trade-in.