NBA 2K16 News Post

Spike Lee Writes, Directs Story for NBA 2K16 MyCAREER Mode

10:50 AM - June 4, 2015 by iTofu

Spike Lee, acclaimed filmmaker and die-hard New York Knicks fan, is writing and directing the single-player MyCAREER mode for NBA 2K16.

Lee, who directed films such as "Do the Right Thing" and "He Got Game", said he was asked to work on the game this year, an offer which he accepted.

Quote:


	"Lee said the game's story centers on a basketball player named Frequency Vibrations, whose personal exploits off the court are just as chaotic as the game on it. "It's about the trials and tribulations of life on a big stage with the money, fame, temptations, family members, the press, fans, all that stuff," said Lee.

Lee is known for his gritty storytelling style, but that won't be an issue with NBA 2K16.

Quote:


	"We make an E-rated game," said Thomas. "It's an NBA licensed project and obviously the NBA cares a lot about their brand and makes sure we stick within those boundaries. Spike understood that from the get-go, but he didn't take his foot off the gas because of that. He still brought the drama."

UPDATE: (via SimBaller, AKA Erick Boenisch - comment post #68)

Quote:


	I hate to disappoint, but it's just a nickname people. You can take a deep breath. YOUR (created or scanned) face is still front and center, and your own inserted name is in play here. I know it's hard when it's all you have, but try not to jump to conclusions too much here. I think you guys will find this one highly enjoyable...

UPDATE #2: (via @Ronnie2K)

Quote:


	Want to squash a piece of incorrect speculation: Players are able to create, name, customize & develop their #MyPLAYER in #NBA2K16 per usual.

What do you think about Spike Lee directing the MyCAREER story this year? What do you expect to see out of Frequency Vibrations' story this season?

Game: NBA 2K16Reader Score: 8/10 - Vote Now
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Member Comments

# 161 Taer @ 06/07/15 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NHL Kid13


	Yeah I honestly don't understand how someone would want the mode to be stripped down to bare bones boredom. You can only play so much until you get bored of the game and it becomes stale. Even in my second season I look forward to new cutscenes and dialogues that makes me want to play the game more.

The ironic thing here is that there are no new cut-scenes or dialogue available on later years in this years implementation. I still get the "I can't believe a rookie is going to study film" cut-scene after winning 3 NBA Championships and there are no new endorsements, you can't change sneakers... so what exactly is new that keeps your interest past the first two years?

Have you actually played more than 2 years in MC?

Edit: As Spike Lee in his "Be the Story" clip acknowledges: the drama, the story and the excitement is on the court during the time you play the game.

It is not getting a McMansion, or getting a Sprint commercial. Those things are neat but it is all about the basketball. That is why some of us play every game in a 82 game season and love playing game after game. It never grows boring to us.

I'm going to say one more thing here: Spike Lee did some really good work in his Kobe and Reggie Miller pieces. I am no way hating Spike Lee.

Simballer asks me to wait, so I will.

# 162 Ward13 @ 06/08/15 12:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NHL Kid13


	I just want to give you guys a perspective from a new NBA2K fan. The story mode is the reason this game has gotten so big. You guys might have not noticed but the fanbase of this game has grown incredibly in the past few years and it's largely based on the (what I find to be) most amazing career mode in any sports game on the market. It actually blows me away that so many of you hate this mode and where it's going, because the reaction from every non-OS person I've talked to or met, have ranted and raved about how great the mode is. If you venture off into any other sport games forums, you'll see that they all want one thing for their career modes, and that's to emulate what 2K did with it. They basically reinvented the wheel when it comes to how a career mode is played and it's worked amazingly. From the cutscenes to the storylines, it's all so new and fresh from what has been done in other games. So while most of you might hate where this mode is going, I can tell you that there are probably a hundred times more people who are happier with this direction and are looking forward to an even more in depth story. Myself included.

To be honest that's the problem lol 2K has gotten too big for the company's own good now they feel as if they can do whatever with the game and people are going to buy it regardless. I love the story lines I just want them to re-implement the things they stripped away from the mode for the past 4 years in addition to the story lines; that would really make it a TRUE NBA career experience IMO. I mean we went from having a FULL NBA draft including the 2nd round, to having the ability of being the #1 overall pick in a draft without a 2nd round, to playing a fictional HS All American game with rookies who were already drafted, to our player not even being drafted at all lol on top of losing key elements in which we could utilize to develop our attributes more organically than purchasing VC for upgrades. I miss the CH2K8 hunger when the company wasn't so mainstream and cared more about the depth of their product vs the high profile names on the cover. You mean to tell me they could create something like CH2K8 and pull out all the stops on last gen consoles but they can't give us a true to life replication of a game in which they had on the right path 4 years prior on next gen consoles? I still remember me and the bros creating our characters and placing them in the ABL and going at it for hours at a time, and that was just HS/AAU. After that we would wait and see what our rankings were and what schools were recruiting us! I mean it was the depth of that game that kept us addicted/devoted even to this day. I just want more variety so the mode doesn't grow stale after two seasons of play and I don't think cutscenes alone can prevent this from occurring. We need layers ie: mini games, drills, daily/weekly practices with incentives, offseason workouts/generic summer leagues/tournaments, a preseason for crying out loud smh. There's just so much these guys at 2K could do with this mode but they just don't seem to want or don't have the capability to do so...

[emoji11][emoji100][emoji36][emoji58] Hi.

# 163 SPRINGS03 @ 06/08/15 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbfn04


	People really rather have the old "play game after game after game while nothing else happens" MyCareer over having some kind of story?

Since when do people play sports games for story instead of wanting to play them for the actual gameplay? I mean if you get bored playing games(you know, the meat and potatoes of sports games) you might be playing the wrong game.

# 164 VDusen04 @ 06/08/15 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NHL Kid13


	Yeah I honestly don't understand how someone would want the mode to be stripped down to bare bones boredom. You can only play so much until you get bored of the game and it becomes stale. Even in my second season I look forward to new cutscenes and dialogues that makes me want to play the game more.

I actually don't think it has to be a choice between "bare bones, nothing happens but games" and "forced cutscenes and storylines that every single player will experience no matter what".

In fact, again, I think 2K was building something nice with MyPlayer at the beginning. There were still cutscenes, but they weren't a forced storyline pushing along an awful, singular plot line. Cutscenes had their place when they made sense (post-game interviews where gamers choose their answers, commercials) and there was clearly a lot of room to grow that idea (contract negotiations, for one).

But to go from the organic approach of the original MyPlayer (where cutscenes or happenings occurred only when you made them come to be) to the opening scene from 2K15 where your player establishes himself as an insufferable jerk from the moment he doesn't get drafted... that's a rough transition to accept and support.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ward13


	To be honest that's the problem lol 2K has gotten too big for the company's own good now they feel as if they can do whatever with the game and people are going to buy it regardless. I love the story lines I just want them to re-implement the things they stripped away from the mode for the past 4 years in addition to the story lines; that would really make it a TRUE NBA career experience IMO. I mean we went from having a FULL NBA draft including the 2nd round, to having the ability of being the #1 overall pick in a draft without a 2nd round, to playing a fictional HS All American game with rookies who were already drafted, to our player not even being drafted at all lol on top of losing key elements in which we could utilize to develop our attributes more organically than purchasing VC for upgrades. I miss the CH2K8 hunger when the company wasn't so mainstream and cared more about the depth of their product vs the high profile names on the cover. You mean to tell me they could create something like CH2K8 and pull out all the stops on last gen consoles but they can't give us a true to life replication of a game in which they had on the right path 4 years prior on next gen consoles? I still remember me and the bros creating our characters and placing them in the ABL and going at it for hours at a time, and that was just HS/AAU. After that we would wait and see what our rankings were and what schools were recruiting us! I mean it was the depth of that game that kept us addicted/devoted even to this day. I just want more variety so the mode doesn't grow stale after two seasons of play and I don't think cutscenes alone can prevent this from occurring. We need layers ie: mini games, drills, daily/weekly practices with incentives, offseason workouts/generic summer leagues/tournaments, a preseason for crying out loud smh. There's just so much these guys at 2K could do with this mode but they just don't seem to want or don't have the capability to do so... [emoji11][emoji100][emoji36][emoji58] Hi.

I liked your post but it was tough to read in a single block. So I split it up for ya.

# 165 LakerPride @ 06/08/15 03:47 PM

I can understand why they removed the draft. It would be pretty weird for the team you got drafted by to have two picks for the price of one.

# 166 kadzier @ 06/08/15 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbfn04


	People really rather have the old "play game after game after game while nothing else happens" MyCareer over having some kind of story?

I wouldn't mind cutscenes and stuff. as long as they're, you know, driven by your actual gameplay and not predetermined plot points.

also I would prefer no cutscenes whatsoever if they're still as poorly acted and blatantly phoned in as some of the performances of NBA player "voice actors". Hopefully spike lee cares enough about quality to even squeeze a B movie performance out of his voice actors, if we get anything like Eric Gordon or Demarcus Cousins again, even mute text is better than that

# 167 zello144 @ 06/08/15 07:17 PM

I hope we get more voices for our Myplayer with a couple of different lines for them. It's about time we get some new voices tired of having the same voice I know 2k15 gave us a second option but after a while I actually changed it back to the first one lol.

# 168 MrWrestling3 @ 06/08/15 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kadzier


	I wouldn't mind cutscenes and stuff. as long as they're, you know, driven by your actual gameplay and not predetermined plot points.

Exactly,in 2k11 when they did the press conferences it was up to ME to decide whether to be the super nice guy,angry guy,arrogant guy,etc....basically I determined my own personality.The only thing I wasn't a fan of was being able to demand trades over and over with really no significant repurcussions.

Even in 2K14 you had a measure of control over your personality in cutscenes, and it affected team chemistry in a somewhat meaningful way

In 2K15, I could be Mr.Nice Guy all I wanted, my dude was STILL going to whine about being undrafted, "textgate" will STILL happen, and he'll generally act a bit annoying regardless of my choices.

The core issue/debate comes back to what i've mentioned before:control.

Generally, I think people want as much control as possible when it comes to a character they created themselves,not being railroaded into situations that can often seem contrary to how they wanted their character to be portrayed.for the sake of story.

# 169 AceDawg5 @ 06/09/15 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m-dogg


	I'll never be able to finish any 2k story unless they finally add custom sliders to this mode. otherwise year after year, I love it for the first month or two...and then once the gameplay issues become more and more obvious, and I cannot adjust them or even my player's or AI's shot percentages, I lose all interest as I can not maintain any kind of true realism...

I have yet to finish even 1 season in any my career for the same reasons. I've tried so any times but I just can't do it. The days of grinding to get out of the D league were so much more exciting and REALISTIC. The only issue they had was starting your player rating too low. Otherwise that's what my career should be about. Add a separate tab and call it Story Mode, problem solved. Or just bring back Create a Legend. Then I can have the my career experience minus the extras.

Edit: I REALLY REALLY hope the devs are reading this thread...I went back n read every page. Minus a little back n forth there's been some great nostalgia and also some forward thinking. I know the suits won't listen to everything u guys say in the meeting, but when it comes to this mode they should all have this thread read to them in a PowerPoint.

# 170 JJFurr29 @ 06/09/15 06:00 PM

It would be cool if you get to play game or two in high schools, choose a college and it put you in the NCAA Tournament at the end of your career (you'd choose how many years you stayed) then move you on to the NBA.

# 171 mAwA1988 @ 10/02/15 06:38 PM

i hade the last jackson ellis connection today and i have got a present from him. A signature jackson ellis jersey for my court. But i can not found it in 2k store or mycourt. How can i find that ?

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