In June, 2K Sports marketers trumpeted the announcement that director Spike Lee, he of the groundbreaking “Do The Right Thing” and the searing “When The Levees Broke,” would be brought in to spice up the narrative. Sure, 2K Games had drafted stars before like Jay Z, who brilliantly curated the soundtrack for “NBA 2K13.” But while there’s always been eclectic music in this game, there’s never been well-rounded story. While Lee has eschewed most requests to discuss his involvement in the game, he appeared in a well-edited, company-produced trailer, which these days is more important to a game’s marketing plan than any print ad or TV commercial. There stood Lee, wise in his horn-rimmed glasses, proclaiming that story is everything. “What will your story be?” he asked. It wasn’t clear, but I hoped he was daring the player to help him create a potent narrative when the game debuted.

 

The mode starts your career from high school for the first time in the series. As you complete three high school games -- in smaller gymnasiums that replicate the prep atmosphere -- college recruiters come calling. 2K secured the license of 10 college basketball powers -- UCLA, Kansas, Georgetown, Louisville, Arizona, Connecticut, Texas, Villanova, Wisconsin and Michigan -- but it's admittedly odd to hear recruiters call you Freak in their pitches. You can also take your My Player online to play against other My Players in two modes -- 2K Pro Am and My Park. 2K Pro Am is more of a traditional 5-on-5 mode but it is highly customizable. Everything from your team's logo, court and jerseys can be tweaked to your liking, even giving you the ability to upload your own custom logos.

 

Visual Concepts clearly took a risk letting Spike Lee, a man known for his movies, direct an “in-game feature film” about your player’s journey from high school through his rookie season in the NBA. As time has gone on, this particular mode has been looking towards giving players a real sense of participation in an actual NBA story. However, earlier iterations, most notably last year’s NBA 2K15, never swayed away from the idea that this is your journey, and you’re allowed to handle it in whichever way you please. From the moment you begin “Livin ‘Da Dream,” the section of MyCareer that is written and directed by Spike Lee, it’s clear that you are merely a participant in someone else’s narrative. No matter how perfect your face scan is, you’ll always grow up in Harlem’s projects, always have the same twin sister, the same parents, the same agent, the same team owner and the same friend in Vic Van Lier that is always up to no good.

 

NBA 2K15 was a massive update to 2K14 in literally every way. Tweaks to the on-court action, the addition of a story to the MyCareer mode, and the introduction of 2KTV made it an absolute must-have for any NBA fan. In comparison to some other sports titles, the NBA 2K series has always delighted its users with how much it’s tried to one up itself each year. With NBA 2K16, Visual Concepts and their 2K franchise continue their domination of the virtual hardwood and even cement themselves as one of the most consistently great gaming franchises in the process - yeah, you read that right. It’s not without flaws, of course, but those flaws almost have nothing to do with the core gameplay.

 

NBA 2K16 does feel like a game built-around online connected modes though, and this year there’s something for everyone. A lot of the fan-favorites return, but there are a couple of notable additions. Play Now Online adds a league and ladder structure to the mix, seemingly revamping the game’s matchmaking system to match players of similar skill levels and allow them to compete to progress in higher leagues by simply playing/winning games. It tracks player tendencies, and keeps you grinding towards becoming one of the upper echelon NBA 2K16 players. Even the fans of online leagues with trades and drafts get their favorite game mode back — My Leagues offers players the ability to form leagues with their friends, draft players, make trades, and manage your team across a full NBA Season. Both online and off, there’s no shortage of modes in NBA 2K16 and there’s no glaring omission in this year’s entry. Just about anything that you’ve become accustomed to in the 2K series at one time or another is here.

 

Why was that left out when you played the game offline? Of course playing online also allows you to buy and spend real money on all sorts of boosts and upgrades to make your player less of a flailing idiot at the start of the season. You don’t have to spend any money, although the RPG aspects of NBA 2K16 do make a big difference and I probably would have progressed to a better team if I could actually sink those baskets and defend against better opponents.