Wayback Wednesday: The One in NBA Live 18
This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at The One in NBA Live 18.
There’s a simple reason that I’ve had far more to say about the career modes in NBA 2K than their counterparts in NBA Live. While I’ve played MyCAREER in several NBA 2K games – in some cases finishing multiple seasons – I’ve yet to play through a single NBA campaign in Rising Star or The One. I’ve tried them out so that I can at least offer up some informed impressions, but I wasn’t hooked by them. Granted, the gameplay in the eighth generation NBA Live titles was a major factor here! When I did spend time with NBA Live 15 and NBA Live 18, it was in Ultimate Team.
However, since revisiting eighth gen NBA Lives with fresh eyes and an open mind, I have developed more of an appreciation for them. That’s not to say that I completely disagree with my previous criticisms or consider them classics, but I’ve noticed some of their strengths. This goes for modes as well as gameplay, as I’ve made a point of giving both a chance to make a new impression. I found myself revisiting The One in NBA Live 18, and while the mode does have some issues and weaknesses compared to MyCAREER, I actually had a good time with it. Let’s take a look back…way back…
So first, a little backstory on my history with career modes in NBA Live, and how I came to revisit The One in NBA Live 18. Because I was hooked on MyCAREER in multiple NBA 2K titles, grinding away and jumping online, I didn’t feel like repeating the process in Rising Star or The One. MyCAREER and its connected modes were ultimately a better experience, and Ultimate Team was a nice change of place when I did play NBA Live. However, when I drafted a future article mentioning Baron Davis’ comeback in the Drew League, I wondered if he was on one of the squads in NBA Live 18’s Pro-Am Tour. And so, I picked up the game again, hoping for a screenshot.
As it turns out, Davis isn’t featured in The One in NBA Live 18, so I was out of luck there. However, what I did find was a solid alternative to MyCAREER; not perfect and with its own drawbacks, but also some notable advantages over 2K’s mode. The biggest benefit in The One is a complete lack of microtransactions. Playing the game and earning Skill Points is the only way to raise your player’s attributes, ensuring balance and a fair journey. Cosmetic items are also purchased with Reward Points, a separate currency that doesn’t demand you budget between clothing and upgrades. The upgrade system is also simplified, focusing on key skills rather than every rating.
Admittedly, there is a downside to that approach. While there’s less of a grind, there isn’t as much choice or flexibility compared to upgrading in MyCAREER. Still, I appreciate The One approaching player progression differently, and indeed, trying to stand out from MyCAREER in a few other ways as well. It doesn’t try to match the depth of NBA 2K18’s cinematic story, instead adopting a more subdued take on a narrative-driven career mode. The tale itself is down-to-earth: no making it to the NBA after quitting basketball to become a DJ, no bizarre interactions with team staff and other players, and no B-Fresh. It’s a fairly straightforward story about going pro.
To that end, The One’s story mode – The Rise – is the tale of your player and college teammate Nick Howard, collectively known as the Hype Brothers. A devastating knee injury during your sophomore campaign throws your future into doubt, and Nick also goes undrafted during your recovery. As the story begins, Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman are discussing the Hype Brothers’ journey to date, and their prospects of making it to The League. Stephen A. suggests they should take part in the Summer League, or possibly join the pro-am circuit. Nick and your avatar – nicknamed the “Comeback Kid” – decide that playing in The Streets will be the road to the NBA.
It may sound like a basic and uninspired plot, but I prefer it to the utterly obnoxious wackiness of NBA 2K18’s story. If nothing else, it’s a genuine alternative, instead of being a pale of imitation of what MyCAREER was doing. The live action scenes with Stephen A. and Max are an excellent use of EA Sports’ partnership with ESPN, and the former broadcast partners turn in an admirably authentic performance. Credit where it’s due: they understood the assignment! Using The Streets as the precursor to entering The League also introduces gamers to both modes within The One, in turn demonstrating the ability to choose one or the other, or go back and forth as desired.
Furthermore, you can choose to skip the story entirely, something that wouldn’t be possible in MyCAREER until NBA 2K19. This is a good option for anyone who’s willing to start in the NBA with base XP and less control over their Draft stock. With that being said, the progression and experience – by which I mean both XP and hands-on the sticks – as well as the ability to influence where you’re drafted, are compelling reasons to play through The Rise. Much of the story is told through ESPN segments and text messaging, the latter providing role-play opportunities and a choice between benefits including Reward Points, Hype, and loot crates with animations and clothing.
This is a good time to talk about the rewards system. The One’s loot box approach is actually one of the fairest takes on the concept, since they’re all opened with Reward Points that aren’t tied to microtransactions, or used for skill upgrades. It’s an annoying way of getting basic accessories such as sleeves and headbands though, as they’re also random drops from the cheap, introductory crates. On the bright side, RP accumulates quickly, and lacks the predatory nature of the VC economy. Playing through The One earns Hype in The Streets and The League, in turn unlocking new rewards. There are benefits to this approach, but I’d prefer to be able to just buy basic items with RP.
Similarly, I have mixed opinions about the upgrade system. Rather than earning a stack of Skill Points and slowly purchasing attributes across the board, reaching a new level gains a set number of SP that can be used to unlock the next upgrade in a key skill. Each One Player begins with two primary skills that can be upgraded, with two more unlocked as you level up, along with two secondary skills. The rest of your attributes scale accordingly. Performing tasks and hitting goals unlocks Traits, which are the equivalent of Badges. Traits loadouts can be changed from game-to-game, a concept that NBA 2K has actually since adopted with Badges for MyPLAYERs.
Certain attribute upgrades also come with shoes, animations, and handy perks such as permanent boosts to abilities. It’s a streamlined system that cuts down on grinding and makes players more viable out of the gate, which is absolutely fantastic. At the same time, it does lack the depth and flexibility of the progression system in MyCAREER. Even just comparing them to NBA 2K18’s Archetypes, the play styles in NBA Live 18 are more restrictive. Neither series has had a perfect career mode progression system as yet, but if I could create my ideal approach, I’d suggest a combination of NBA Live 18’s fairness and separate currencies, and NBA 2K17’s attribute “buckets”.
Getting back to The Rise, the story has six chapters, comprised of five games and the Draft Combine, culminating with your player being drafted. In order, the chapters take us to the iconic pro-am locations of Rucker Park, Venice Beach, Seattle Pacific University, Dyckman Park, and King Drew Magnet High School. True to the pro-am name, our teammates at each location are a mixture of NBA players and fictional amateurs, including Nick Howard. A video package explains the history of each location and its pro-am leagues and tournaments, similar to NBA Street Homecourt. The Combine is another pick-up game featuring your player and fictional prospects.
After you’re drafted, you have two choices: accept where you land, or have your agent engineer a trade. This is an excellent feature to have in an NBA career mode. It’s the best of both worlds, offering a chance to make do with the outcome of the Draft, or take control of your career so that you’re satisfied with where you’re playing. When choosing a team, you’ll also be shown the player they’ll be trading for you. Therefore, if you were banking on teaming up with a specific player but it won’t happen as you’ll be traded for each other instead, you can make an informed decision. It’s a great way of providing gamers with a choice, while still replicating the NBA player experience.
Once you’re settled in The League, the NBA side of The One in NBA Live 18 is rather straightforward and familiar. It isn’t as deep as NBA MyCAREER and there’s no interactive open world akin to The Neighborhood, though personally I consider the latter to be to The One’s benefit! Sadly, there’s also no equivalent to MyCOURT to shoot around in; indeed, that functionality was still missing in NBA Live 19, until it was patched in post-release. The interface is easy to navigate and presents key stats and information at a glance, and the basics are all accounted for. Considering how I soured on NBA 2K18, I probably could’ve spent more time with The One back then.
Something that I have really enjoyed going back to in The One in NBA Live 18 is The Streets Pro-Am Tour. It’s essentially a continuation of the story of the Hype Brothers; an extended side quest to the NBA career, if you will. It involves joining Nick and a selection of NBA players and fictional amateurs for a tour of five historic pro-am leagues: the Chosen League at Cherashore Playground, the Dyckman League at Dyckman Park, the Goodman League at Barry Farms, the Crawsover League at Seattle Pacific University, and the Drew League at King Drew Magnet High School. Each league features a five-game tournament, and winning unlocks the next location.
While you can lose games, you can never lose progress, or the tournament. You’ll just re-play the game until you win. You can also go back and re-play a tournament game that you’ve already won. This is handy, as each game has three additional objectives for 15 in total, unlocking a bonus reward crate when all 15 are attained. Once you’ve cleared an objective, it’s ticked off the list. This means you don’t need to repeat that objective while attempting to achieve the ones you missed. That might sound too easy for gamers who prefer unforgiving challenges, but it keeps the story going, while not forcing you to tread familiar ground too often while shooting for 100% completion.
Of course, that isn’t to say that the mode isn’t suitably challenging! There are some games that will likely prove to be tough, at least depending on your build and level of progress. Some of the squads you’re handed will leave you at a distinct disadvantage, so you’ll need to beef up your player and be assertive. In my view, the two toughest games playing as a playmaking point guard are the Goodman League championship game, and the final showdown at the Drew League to end the Pro-Am Tour. In the Drew League championship, you’ll be facing a squad featuring LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Andre Drummond, so bring your “A” game!
Each stop on the Pro-Am Tour also includes Throwback Challenges, centred on a specific player with a connection to that league or its location. These games also have three objectives that must be achieved in order to unlock reward crates containing gear, clothing, or an animation that you can equip. They range from Easy to Very Hard, and they’re fun bonus games that flesh out the Tour and provide more chances to level up your player. They even include Legends such as Magic Johnson and Allen Iverson, marking a rare use of the historical players outside of Ultimate Team. I really enjoyed the tournaments, the challenges, and playing through the Pro-Am Tour story.
Said story sees your player and Nick Howard embarking on the tour to achieve fame. For Nick, it’s also an opportunity to join you in the NBA. As such, he’s keen for you to put in a good word with your agent, something that you struggle to do. A phone mishap during an interview also leads to a rift with Nick, and quite honestly, that development packs an emotional punch. Whoever wrote the text messages did an outstanding job of conveying Nick’s passive-aggressive anger during that point in the story, and I was genuinely invested in repairing the friendship! It also got me thinking about video game stories; not just in basketball games, but in other genres as well.
You see, in the midst of my frustration with the lack of effective replies to Nick’s angry messages, I realised that it was essential to the story’s emotional core. Sure, story branching is fantastic if done well, avoiding railroading that makes choices feel unimportant and pointless. However, pushing the right emotional buttons and crafting a tale with a satisfying ending requires taking some of the control out of our hands. We can’t always have perfect solutions and dialogue that magically fix everything. Good stories need us to fail occasionally, so that our triumphs may mean something. And, if nothing else, it was nowhere near as silly or annoying as the Saga of DJ!
As much as I like the general approach, I do have a minor gripe with the challenges in The One in NBA Live 18. Whether it’s the dynamic daily goals or the set objectives in the Pro-Am tournaments and Throwback Challenges, they’re not suitable for all player builds. For example, I’m not sure if I can actually complete an objective related to alley-oop dunks with my point guard player. MyCAREER has had similar issues over the years, and MyTEAM Agendas have likewise been inflexible as far as preferred modes of play. It’s one of the downsides of live service content, besides the predatory aspects of course. Fortunately, the latter isn’t an issue with The One in NBA Live 18.
Although I do still believe that NBA Live 18 and especially NBA Live 19 leaned too heavily into The One – and The Streets in particular – going back for a second look has given me a better impression of the mode. I don’t like that it came at the expense of sorely-needed depth in Franchise and Ultimate Team, but in NBA Live 18’s The One, I’ve had fun playing the Pro-Am Tour and its bonus challenges. It’s a worthwhile companion to the traditional NBA career experience of The League, and it was a good call to find ways to differentiate it from MyCAREER. The tale of the Comeback Kid wasn’t silly or intrusive, making it far more palatable than the story in NBA 2K18.
At the same time, NBA 2K18 did have a wider variety of online team play modes. As much of a grind as MyCAREER can be in aid of pushing us towards buying VC, there is greater flexibility in its archetype and build systems, and the ability to upgrade all of the attributes individually. Also, while NBA 2K18 is one of my least favourite games on the virtual hardwood, NBA Live 18’s gameplay has its issues, too. I can still enjoy it, but flaws such as the weak teammate AI and heavy animations are even more apparent in player-locked gameplay. NBA 2K also has a better variety of cameras in MyCAREER and its connected modes, which ensure your player is always on screen.
Gameplay gripes, an interest in Ultimate Team, and a feeling of repetitiveness due to an overlap with MyCAREER, prevented me from getting into The One in NBA Live 18 when it was new. I’m glad that I gave it a second chance, though. I still wish that the eighth gen NBA Live games had more depth and polish, but if you enjoy career modes and are open to giving NBA Live 18’s gameplay a chance to grow on you, The One is worth a look. If nothing else, it won’t be a lengthy slog to level up! As for me, fresh eyes and an open mind have certainly led to a better second impression and a fun experience…even if it didn’t include getting a screenshot that I was hoping for!
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