NBA PLAYOFFS CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS SPECIAL!!! (AIR HORN NOISE)- NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 (Switch, PC)

Microtransactions. Grind. Kevin Durant to the Knicks on July 1st. Refs in the Rockets v. Warriors series…Lot’s of conversations are happening right now as the NBA Playoffs begins their second round.

What I want to focus on is THE GRIND and how it relates to NBA 2K Playgrounds 2. While Mortal Kombat 11 has brought this conversation back to the forefront, the idea of full price games being riddled free-to-play microtransactions and a gameplay grind that is balanced in a way to make you want to spend is far too common.

Recently, I purchased NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 for nine dollars on PC. NBA Playgrounds 1 and 2 have a terrible system of unlocking players where it’s all loot boxes. There is no way to unlock players you want without finding said players in a pack. For better or worse, the first NBA Playgrounds had 0 microtransaction, you had to earn packs through gameplay. You’d level up and get packs. I beat every tournament in that game and did most of the challenges and played a few matches on-line and never unlocked Patrick Ewing. I use him as an example, because he is who I always want in these games, but the larger issue is that there were teams that I had only 2 players for. I would earn a pack and get duplicate players! It was insane, but there was no way to pay for packs with real money and no auction house. It was noble on one hand, but also paced terribly on the other.

In NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 they have a similar grind. Players have to be found in packs, it’s random unless you win a championship with a team and then you earn a special player. BUT in the sequel you can pay 10 dollars and unlock everyone. I paid that for the PC version of the game. I have everyone. It is amazing, the roster is huge and an NBA nerd’s dream come true. Everybody from Joe Johnson to Drazen Petrovich and of course Patrick Ewing was available. Having the full roster in this game is amazing because I never came close to it on the original game. In addition to having access to a full roster, NBA Playgrounds 2 plays really well especially when compared to the first one. I would argue that the single player gameplay loop is better with the season mode and playoffs. Even with all these positives, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would have felt like to play the season + playoff loop in Playgrounds 2 to unlock players… would I make currency at a rate to buy packs quickly? Is it rewarding? Did I cheat myself out of a fun gameplay loop of unlocking players? To test this, I bought the Switch port and decided not to spend any money on cards. You can earn baller bucks or something to buy packs and every game you play adds currency. I only used in game currency to unlock players.

When you turn on Playgrounds 2 new you are able to open 3 packs that will net you 12 players in the game. Those are the only players you have. I went to start a season to play through (they have 15 game season and then a playoff to see if you can win a title and unlock a special player)and realized that I could only pick teams that I had players for. I had no Knicks players so I could not choose them. I chose the Suns because I opened a Steve Nash legendary card and a Cedric Ceballos. Nash was the best player I had at the time but this team was unbalanced to say the least. Playgrounds 2 provides a decent challenge on normal mode, but it’s hard when your players and roster aren’t very good. As the Suns, I played the Spurs in a regular season game and they had David Robinson and Manu Ginobli. That’s a hard game to win. Nash is a 6’3 PG and Ceballos is a 6’7 SF. I can’t stop The Admiral and they can block everything I put up. In my attempt to get Steve Nash to the finals, something D’antoni couldn’t do, I really struggled. I lost 2-1 in the finals to the Bucks.

I played through a few seasons and playoff runs and opened packs every 2 games. Even after opening probably 20 packs there were teams in the NBA that I had 0 players for. I still can’t pick the Knicks for season play because I don’t have any Knicks players unlocked. If you only have 1 player from a team you’re just stuck, can’t use them until you open a second. This is a sports game where people have favorite teams, not being able to pick them after hours of gameplay sucks. Not having access to Ewing is one thing, not having access to the Knicks is a much larger issue. The side effect of this that can be seen as a positive is that it forces you to use players and teams you may not have normally chosen. I used the Celtics for a season because I opened an epic Larry Bird. Bird is my best player by far so I used the Celtics. I also opened a Dennis Johnson card. There is something to be said for a game forcing you to see the roster and use different people. The game does a great job of making players feel different. My thought is the game doesn’t need these kind of hooks to add replayablilty. The game feels great and is fun, beyond that every player levels up the more you use them and beat their specific player challenges. You might unlock Patrick Ewing, but to get the best Ewing you need to play as him in lots of games. That’s a fun hook. I want the best Knicks with Ewing and Starks, I have to lead them to a title. There are 4 difficulty levels for the single player content with no shortage of reasons to play. Gating off teams from the beginning is tough. I don’t remember Playgrounds 1 having that issue but I might be wrong.

Opening packs on the switch version is a thrilling experiences because the potential is there to gain access to entire teams. It’s also cripplingly disappointing because you may not unlock anything new that you want. On the PC version where I unlocked everything, the thrill is more seeing all of these legends and teams I have access to and picking who I want to try and who I want to level up. The mystique of the card packs and gaining currency is gone. I guess at this point in my life where time is limited for gaming, I would rather have options and control my experience.

The grind notwithstanding, NBA 2K Playgrounds 2’s gameplay ascends the pantheons of arcade basketball games. The first Playgrounds was very stiff and rebounding and rim-feel was rigid and off. The newest Playgrounds game feels buttery smooth. The ability to use a player’s crossover into a jumpshot or dunk feels amazing (much better than the first game). Defense feels more natural too. You can attempt steals more and blocks feel more organic now. The first game limited steals with the turbo meter and the second allows more steal attempts. It feels like a small thing but defense in NBA Jam-like games is reduced to pushing or steals and Playgrounds penalizes pushing very harshly. Being able to attempt steals more makes defense feel much better. The player models look better in the new game and courts are awesome. Teams have home courts now and they look amazing. The fans in the stands are all well animated. The commentary is fun. They use Youtubers CashNasty and Troydan and a few others you can choose for commentary and that’s a fun touch.

PATRICK EWING!

NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 is a perfect example of microtransactions getting in the way of something special. Not being able to access teams without hours of gameplay is a pacing problem and seems like a direct way to push players towards spending money. If you have friends you want to play with, you want to have every team unlocked. NBA Jam TE expanded the roster after you beat all 27 teams. It feels great, it’s a fun reward for playing the game and it can be done in less than 5 or 6 hours. It’s not random, you do the task and everyone unlocks. The randomness of the packs is a problem. I want the Knicks. I can buy 50 packs and may never get all or any of the Knicks players. This paradigm of gaming where the initial 30 or 60 dollars isn’t enough to unlock content is problematic. If you’re going to force people to pay money, let us pay for what we want and not be forced into loot boxes and random packs all the time. That said, I really enjoy NBA Playgrounds 2. A flawed gem. Peace.

Gaming Subrscriptions- EA Access, EA Origin Premier, Microsoft Game Pass + Gold, PS Plus

My gaming resolution for 2019 is to not buy any new games and to play my backlog and utilize my gaming memberships. My backlog of games I haven’t played or finished is immense. Steam sales, Microsoft sales, impulse buys, and so many ways and justifications to buy games have left me with hundreds of games I haven’t touched or haven’t given the attention they deserve. This ends now.

Mech Overdrive- Another game I want to delve into more…

The financial of impact of staying current in game is a lot right now. This doesn’t mean no new games for me. This has actually presented a really interesting look at how valuable these gaming subscriptions are. I am a Microsoft Game Pass member and I have Origin Access Premier and EA Access…and PS Plus..for my Vita (Sigh.). In 2019 this has not been all bad, it has already netted me Celeste, Sundered, and a ton of older games I didn’t get to check out. It will also give me access to all the new EA games that will come out in 2019. While the Microsoft pass has allowed to play Forza Horizon 4 and Recore and will get me Crackdown 3 and their other new exclusives. I am excited to be able to have some new gaming experiences available but revisiting some old gems has already proven to be amazing.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I never bought Madden 19 outright, it is actually what got me to buy Origin Premier. It got me the best version of the game and free packs and it’s cool. I think this is the future of gaming. A year later of paying for the service, the game will have been paid in full but the subscription comes with much more. EA’s Anthem has already set a date to be pre-loaded on the PC.

I never beat Nier: Automata…

There are a few games releases for 2019 that I am excited about, mostly the new Sonic Racing, Anthem, and Crackdown 3. There are more games but these are games I know will have access to via subscriptions and well I am going to buy Sonic the Sonic racing game coming out. That’s my line, I will always pay for Sonic.

Need to finish…

Here is the too long list of games from yesterday that I want to finish- Dark Arms (Neo Geo Pocket Color), Sonic 3D Blast (Saturn), Borderlands 2, Borderlands Pre-Sequel, Sonic Mania Plus, Street Fighter V Arcade Mode Single Player content, Destiny 2, Mass Effect Andromeda, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, ReCore and so many more…The Backlog is real. Oh and I NEED to finish Mafia 3 and all it’s DLC.

Borderlands 2 is sooo weird and good. I didn’t appreciate it when it first came out

I want to take my time and enjoy the games that capture me. I have become caught up with the release cycle of games and trying to play the newest releases. I want to break that cycle this year. New games are basically store fronts now and it’s frustrating to be getting into a game to be bombarded with opportunities to spend money and add to the game. For example, my wife got me WWE 2K19 for my birthday. The base game is good, but in every menu there is a way to buy a season pass, a wrestler pack, or some way to unlock content. I actually really enjoy this years game, which is surprising because I hated 2018’s edition. They fixed the kick out meter and the graphics are awesome. I also like the “Tower mode”, it’s basically a classic style progression. I struggle because I always want to feel like I am having the “complete” experience and with DLC and microtransactions that has become expensive to achieve. I downloaded Destiny 2 for free from Bungie on PC and it’s a gorgeous game but it’s also a constant reminder of what content you don’t have every time you play. I am a collector and a completionist which means I am a huge mark for DLC.

Still haven’t finished Mercenary Kings…I love it!

Gaming in 2019 is a dangerous space for me financially and I am hoping that just sticking to the subscriptions for new games and playing old games will help me kick old habits. No Steam sales this year, no browsing Gamestop and Steam every day. This year I enjoy what I have. I feel like I am reaping the benefits of this approach already. I haven’t bought Kingdom Hearts yet, or a myriad of games on my steam wish list but I am not wanting for anything. I think I like just trying new games and learning the mechanics and then moving on. These subscriptions are great for that approach. I have my curiosity and itch for learning new mechanics satisfied but it’s costing me 60 dollars a pop. Hopefully, this lasts. Peace!

Random Thought on 3/25/2015- Can’t Choose Your Race: THE GAME!

I came across the most interesting article on Kotaku this morning. The article details how in the game Rust for PC, the game chooses your racial and ethnic identity for you. That identity is tied to your Steam ID and cannot be changed. The community response has been a little negative as people don’t like not being able to choose their race. The article shows white people complaining about being black characters and I am sure these complaints go both ways.

I find this fascinating. Full disclosure, on my worst days as a black man I think to myself, “It really sucks being born on the wrong team”. I wanted to be born on the Yankees (white) but ended up on the Cubs (black).

Sometimes a white woman will walk by me at night and speed up while clutching her purse. She doesn’t see my master’s degree or my wife and kid. She just sees a black criminal. Her fear cuts me deep on those bad days and I know I had no choice in the matter. This “feature” in Rust captures that. When I read the complaints from those players online I can feel their powerlessness. As a minority in America I am a marked man. I am powerless to change your perceptions of me from the outside looking in, and I am powerless to change my skin color. I think it is amazing that a game captured this with one small change.

Honestly, when games force me to be a white protagonist I feel the same powerlessness. White is always the norm, so of course the silent protagonist is white. It’s frustrating. I am glad that other people can experience that.

I have not played Rust yet, but I might check it out now. I love when games capture real experiences. We don’t choose our skin color, and Rust has found a way to simulate that and the feelings that come with it.

Peace!

Freedom Planet- It’s what Sonic the Hedgehog would be if the series never went 3D

A motorcycle!?!?! SHE HAS A MOTORCYCLE!

Freedom Planet is a masterpiece. I love this game so much. I preface this entire review with the fact that I love this game.

My back story is that I am a die hard Sonic fan. Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2 were paradigm shifts for me. They are the games that defined my childhood and got me into gaming. I have bought and re-bought those games on every platform available.

My childhood.

Sonic 3 was good, and Sonic 4 was a disappointment (but I will replay both episodes soon, to make sure). Now fast forward to this Kickstarter project. Sonicretro.org forum member Stephen “Strife” Diduro made this game with a little help from some friends. This went from fan game, to kickstarter funding success, to masterpiece.

 

What is Freedom Planet? Freedom planet is a dream come true to fans of Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis games that never thought they would get a new game. It is a 16-bit 2D platformer with diverging paths to the end of each level. Every level is broken up with mini-boss fights and each level culminates in a challenging boss battle. This game incorporates Rocket Knight Adventure, Gunstar Heroes, Pulseman, and many other classics. Somehow the game still manages to feel unique. There are 3 playable characters as of now, and each character feels like a different game.

Carol plays like a Tails and Mega Man X character, while Lilac plays more like Sonic. Milla plays like….. Mario 2? I don’t know… The goal of the game is to make to the end of each level and beat the boss. There are trinkets to find along the way and multiple paths that only certain characters can access.

How does it play? I used a wired Xbox controller for PC (Steam). Utilizing the d-pad on that controller the game played very smoothly and precise. There is a great physics engine in the game that feels like a Sonic game (weighty, can’t quite stop on a dime) but some liberties were taken. You can walk up walls even when you don’t have enough momentum to really climb up. It’s a nice decision that keeps the game flowing well. You have an attack button, and a special attack button, as well as a jump button. There is a nice focus on attacking in this game. You can dispatch enemies in many different ways. Each special attack has invincibility frames within them that are crucial to learn and utilize if you want to beat bosses. The only weird thing about the controls are that you can’t just press down and roll with all of the characters like in Sonic. It’s a small thing but I kept finding myself trying to use momentum and be in a ball rolling but couldn’t.

How is the story? Weirdly dark tone but fully voice acted. There are 2 modes to play the game in; Adventure mode with the story cut scenes between levels and then Classic mode where you just play levels in order with no story. I enjoyed the story and the voice acting. It’s cheesy and overly dramatic but in a Saturday morning cartoon kind of way and I liked that. It’s violent and get’s a little….weird at the end. I won’t spoil things though.

The music? It’s incredible. Here. Listen, thank me later.

Is it just a lazy Sonic knock-off? Not in my opinion. It might look like Sonic but it so much more than a knock off. It’s a fun unique take on a genre that is in decline. 8-bit games and NES style games seem to get remade a lot but 16 bit mascot platformers have seemingly died out. This is a great revival.

Why do you like it so much? Because I have a soul.

Are there black people in it? Maybe, the Japanese Panda sounded black to me…..

Also, the game features 3 strong female protagonist.

In conclusion, Buy it. Right now. This game seems to have been released without much fanfare, and I hop it doesn’t get lost in the fray. It’s on Steam for $14.99. Worth it.