![]() ![]() What rankles me is a little more subtle than pay-to-win schemes, however. The M圜areer mode is fairly criticized for the presence and unlimited influence of real-money currency - something Madden NFL and FIFA’s career modes never had, and MLB The Show cut down on considerably a year ago. ![]() ![]() Here’s how I upgraded after my first pre-draft scrimmage. But if you’re not buying extra VC for real money, you’ll probably start the career mode rated between 61 and 63. They just aren’t on any of the multiplayer courts. But I’ve run across plenty of green-and-greys in my first week with the game. Only a true ascetic would dump everything into player progression and still run around in the same sweatpants and green shirt that everyone gets at the beginning. But I can tell it’s going to take enormous discipline to stay within that. I suspect most folks will start out this way - I’ll grind a rookie season, maybe get back into the flow, and come out of it with some ratings I can take to the streets. The game-practice cycle that follows once you’re taken by a team is easily binged, and half a season will give me plenty of upgrade juice to be a respectable contributor in multiplayer. In its gameplay, it’s very easy to reach the top tier of draft stock and set yourself up with both your preferred club and a big VC payday with them. M圜areer is set up with an excellent narrative dotted with A-list celebrities, skillfully written and performed, wrapping you in the ideal of being the league’s next big thing. What’s 100,000 VC really worth? An 82 overall rating. But the social pressure to spend is still there, and the more I lean into the emergent exceptionalist fantasy of M圜areer - and that’s half the fun of a career mode - the stronger it is. NBA 2K used to reach into my pocket on every menu in M圜areer, and it no longer does that, or at least it doesn’t do it as much. And yes, I can, as long as I focus on the truly single-player portions of M圜areer. Wrong, my self-imposed task here was to go through NBA 2K20 without spending any real money, and see if I could still have a good time. Why not, I would have paid that for NBA 2K20 anyway, right? Yet perversely, like I do when I buy something frivolous after finding money or avoiding a big bill, I briefly considered spending $60 on in-game moolah. Those starting funds can buy an 82 rating for my player before taking my first shot. The urge inside me to do so is powerful, even though the code 2K Sports gave Polygon was for NBA 2K 20’s Legend Edition - which supplies a modest starter wardrobe and 100,000 Virtual Currency for the extra $40 on its price tag (the cash equivalent of the VC, without bonuses or volume discounts). But the fastest way to fit in is to just buy better skills for real cash. I can improve, by upgrading myself with the Virtual Currency that’s freely earned, in generous amounts, even if my character sits the bench for most of his NBA games. Me hucking up a brick as soon as I touch the ball, or getting my ankles broken on the slightest hesitation move is one thing my 62 overall rating and generic clothing are what really communicate that I don’t belong out here. It’s not that I don’t want my character to get humiliated in a 2-on-2 or 3-on-3 game, I know that’s more than likely coming I just don’t want to waste my teammates’ time. ![]() Measuring myself against others, and quietly judging them, is inevitable when you’re dealing with a game that is as social as pickup basketball, an anchor experience for The Neighborhood. That guy must have spent everything on ratings. That guy must have spent everything on clothing. You can tell a lot about folks by comparing their fashion choices - or lack thereof - against the biographical card that pops up underneath everyone you meet. About a week into NBA 2K20, my favorite pastime inside The Neighborhood, the game’s richly detailed, MMO-like hub world, is simply people watching. ![]()
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