There are rather notable differences between the current-gen and next-gen versions of NBA 2K21, including a revamped player builder system, a brand new city, and a state-of-the-art event center on the map.
However, some might argue that the first official NBA 2K title on next-gen consoles didn’t overly impress. In fact, fans expected more improvements and felt that the game didn’t maximize the capabilities of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
With that said, let’s look at a few areas of MyCareer that could be improved for the next-gen version of NBA 2K22.
1. Better rep rewards and prizes
The rep-rewards on the next-gen version of MyCareer were somewhat underwhelming. With MyRep progression being one of the more popular features in MyCareer, 2K21 didn’t give players much incentive to grind through the ranks to achieve Legend status.
Despite the journey from Rookie to Legend can take most casual players multiple months to complete, the rewards and prizes available at each level weren’t exactly overwhelming.
For example, reaching Superstar One only gets you new lightning pattern arm sleeves and new Show-off Animations. Meanwhile, reaching Superstar Four and Five only gets you access to Gliders at Decks and New Show-off animations.
Essentially, the rewards do not give you an edge over your opponents on the court, so, they don’t justify spending months to grind towards Superstar Five status.
Comparatively, the rewards are more or less the same as in the current-gen version. However, it takes you longer to get similar rewards on next-gen as two extra tiers are added on to each rep level. Consequently, it takes you 40 percent more time to make it through a rep level for what are essentially the same prizes.
With that in mind, many players actually hopped back on current-gen to unlock coveted rewards, such as Double VC, faster and use the earned VC back on their next-gen copy.
As such, adding better rewards into the rep system may balance it out, avoiding a similar situation of people not being incentivized to make it to Legend status on next-gen.
2. Better defensive metrics to balance out the playing field
Those that have experimented with the gameplay on next-gen will quickly tell you that defense is significantly lacking on many fronts. Oftentimes, offense is so much more overpowering than defense and appears to be unstoppable at times.
It is not unusual to see a 6’3’’ guard posterize power forwards and centers with high block ratings consistently. Meanwhile, many shooters can regularly green (perfect shot) more than 50 percent of their triples, despite being heavily contested.
One could even argue that it is impossible to stop a high-powered offensive player with the right badges equipped. Whereas on current-gen, good defensive players can utilize badges such as Intimidator and Rim Protector to reduce the chances of opponents scoring. You rarely get rewarded for good defensive plays, positioning, and instincts on next-gen.
Perhaps 2K was trying to go with an arcade feel for the game on next-gen, but many in the community seem to think that the skill-gap control for the game isn’t quite there yet as average offensive players can consistently hit perfect shots and dunk over great defenders. Meanwhile, average-to-good defensive players lose 80 percent of their battles.
3. Add more to the city or reduce the map size to compensate for dead space
The new city was an eye-catching surprise for players on next-gen. Compared to current-gen, the neighborhood in MyCareer is something that’s never been seen before in NBA 2K. Many were impressed to see affiliations come back along, with four newly unique boroughs implemented on the map.
However, it appears as though the new city is underdeveloped in many ways. Between the boroughs and parks at the center of the map, there is a lot of dry land and dead space in the community.
At the beginning of the game, getting around the map takes a lot of time, especially for those without spawn points and skateboards unlocked. So, it becomes a huge inconvenience to walk from your affiliation to the central park for simple things like your daily spin rewards.
At the same time, there is a lot of open areas on the map unused. Often times, the streets on the map are quite empty as there isn’t enough for players to explore.
Perhaps adding more open courts, shops, or special events or challenges around the city could open up things more. Since 2K21 is the inaugural game on next-gen, hopefully, there’s been more time put into developing the city or shrinking the map in 2K22. This would not only reduce the commute time for players, but it’d also give players more incentive to explore.
4. Equal rep earnings in different boroughs
In MyCareer, players earn 50 percent fewer points towards their rep level when competing in playground games in a different borough. This aspect of the game contradicts the expanded city map. In a way, this defeats the purpose of you bringing your player to other neighborhoods to compete.
Essentially, lots of players use park games to grind their rep and it doesn’t make any sense to earn 50 percent less by simply playing in a different neighborhood. With the current system in place, players don’t have much reason to explore the map and create rivalries, or even make new friends outside of their own affiliation.
5. Add more badges to compensate for the new player builder
The new MyPlayer builder in MyCareer is perhaps one of the most impressive features introduced on next-gen with 2K21. Not only does it yield more freedom for players to create the exact type of player that they want, but it also promotes more scope for diverse builds in the playground.
Even though the new player builder system is a huge step in the right direction, the badges in the game do not seem to complement it well. With the new build system now in place, 2K should now have the opportunity to get more creative with its badges.
Essentially, badges are another element that distinguish builds and gives different players their own strengths. Unlike on current-gen 2K21, the pie chart system somewhat restricts you to create rather different builds, therefore most good players use very similar builds to dominate.
However, the new build system has the potential to give 2K more leeway to introduce more badges to every category, potentially bringing more diverse builds into the community.
So, those five aspects are what we want to see from NBA 2K21’s MyCareer on next-gen consoles.
What do you want to see from the game mode on PS5 and XSX? Let us know in the comments below.
