Ever since its introduction on the Dreamcast, NBA 2K has been my favorite sports video game franchise by far. Its bread and butter is, without question, the gameplay. Basketball purists appreciate the realism and extreme attention to detail. This game is quite possibly the most authentic representation of its sport when compared to other franchises. And 2K’s continued focus on improving various gameplay mechanics keeps players coming back year after year.

With gameplay as fun and realistic as 2K’s, it’s easy to get caught up playing exhibition games, ignoring the variety of gameplay modes offered in the 2K series. In fact, my favorite mode to play is exhibition, as I have a yearly series of games with a good friend of mine. We track the final scores from each game and keep track of who’s in the lead. The gameplay mechanics are so diverse that each game feels fresh and exciting.

Recently, however, I found myself wanting to branch out. I never really got a good test drive with the MyTeam mode until this year. And now? I am addicted. This mode is not new or anything -- it’s been around for a couple years. But on its surface, it appeared messy and complex so I just preferred to play exhibition games or mess around with the franchise mode. But with 2K16, MyTeam is my go-to mode when playing alone.

And that goes to show just how great the 2K franchise is at this point. You can spend years with the game and be completely happy playing only one or two modes. There is so much to do here that you never feel bored. But now MyTeam has definitely caught my interest in a big way. I find myself constantly searching the auction block for deals on cards I really want. I tinker with lineups to create interesting match-ups each game. I even found myself purchasing some VC to buy some new card packs, and spending real money on virtual currency is not something I ever do with video games.

Now, I’m not typically a fan of modes that can appear jumbled, which MyTeam can appear to be at times. The mode itself has somewhat of a clunky design that can be hard to navigate if you don’t have a good understanding of what MyTeam offers. But the card collecting aspect of the game is addicting. While it’s true you’ll have to drop some real cash if you want to collect all of your favorite players in a hurry, the mode itself is fun enough if you choose to spend only virtual currency. You’ll build your team more slowly, yes, but that allows you to enjoy the game at a more leisurely pace while also pushing you to play more and more. Or, at least, that’s how it’s working with me.

Once you get a good collection of cards, it’s fun to mix and match different players to create dream lineups. I have under 110 cards right now, which I imagine is not a lot compared to longtime fans of this mode. But I do like my starting line up of ROTY Damon Stoudamire, Jimmy Butler, Gordon Hayward, LaMarcus Aldridge and Roy Hibbert. There is no shortage of historic players in MyTeam, and it’s quite fun to assemble teams that feature players from different eras.

If you’ve never given MyTeam a chance, I hear you. But take it from me when I say that it’s worth your time. It just may breathe new life into a series that always manages to feel fresh.