Your MyPlayer, which will henceforth be referred to as MP, will begin the MyCareer mode in NBA 2K23 by being selected 18th overall by the team of your choosing after the draft.
Another player with the same name, Shep Owens, is selected 19th overall in the draft, which is unfortunate for MP (and for you, as the person who is forced to sit through this absurd scenario). What exactly is the issue here? It seems that the supporters of the team that drafted you would have preferred to have Shep Owens instead of you. From that point on, you are tasked with gaining the support of the fanbase and demonstrating that you were the superior player. You will have the opportunity to accomplish stuff along the road such as work your way up to the starting lineup, participate in yet another of those hot-take factory sports talk shows, get a Gatorade from the proprietor of a nearby shop, and offer assistance to a vegan hot dog seller. If you're thinking that sounds like a lot of time spent not playing basketball during this game of basketball, then you are absolutely correct in thinking that.
For the sake of brevity, I'll just say that the narrative presented in MyCareer this year is extremely aggravating in the worst possible ways. It takes an unreasonably long time (in part because you have to move about The City to complete objectives), the decisions you make feel pointless, and the story just does not make any sense. In this review of NBA 2K23, I found that my experience to be pretty similar to that of prior editions of the game.
It's not that I disagree with you, but a good sports story doesn't have to be based on actual events to be entertaining. Take, for instance, the movie "Draft Day," which stars Kevin Costner. In the actual world, something like that would never, ever take place. But, I had a nice time watching the movie, and I will never forget when Kevin Costner's character called the Seahawks general manager a pancake-eating pig (insert expletive here).
The MyCareer mode in NBA 2K23 does not have any of that ridiculously fun content. The characters are unpleasant, and practically every scene concludes with an awkward moment, as if you were watching robots hopelessly trying to act like humans. This gives the impression that the show is poorly written. In terms of the narrative itself, the game makes an effort to convey the message that how you perform on the court is important. And this is true, but to a very limited extent. There may be occasions when you have to complete specific tasks, or else the mission will be failed and you will have to start the game over.
But, even if you are undefeated and putting up fantastic numbers in each game, almost everyone will act as if your team just drafted the reincarnation of Anthony Bennett rather than the reincarnation of Michael Jordan. This is the case even if you are putting up phenomenal numbers in each game. It's a strange disconnect that happens throughout the whole story, and because of it, you lose all sense of immersion and control over your MyPlayer.
To make matters even worse, there is no option to completely bypass the story. Even if you completed it on a certain build but had other plans for the character you wanted to make afterward. As of the time this article was written, you will need to play through the complete tale once more. The idea of using microtransactions in NBA 2K is not brand new. Nonetheless, when the VC grind is at such an oppressive level, it is difficult not to think that the series has reached a new low.
You will typically not earn a significant amount of virtual currency (VC) through completing games or tasks. In addition, it appears that the cost of VC for qualities has significantly increased in comparison to earlier years. On the other hand, there is that persistent devil sitting on your shoulder, whispering, "Are you aware that you might make the slog easier by purchasing 100,000 VC? It's simply $20". And that won't even be enough to bring your athlete up to a level where they are happy with their overall performance.
The next-generation version of NBA 2K23 costs at least $70 already (depending on the version you buy). Then, keep in mind the arduous grind that was previously described, the small VC rewards, the ongoing microtransactions, and the abundance of advertisements seen throughout The City. To put it more succinctly, it's completely and utterly absurd.
