Think you can be the greatest NBA 2K gamer of all time? Now's your chance to prove it.
While head-to-head online games in the series' past titles might have been for bragging rights among friends, they matter more in NBA 2K16, where they'll affect your ability to move up through 10 leagues and vie to be in the company of the greatest of all time.
In a new video uploaded to NBA 2K's YouTube account Wednesday, the series gameplay producer Scott O'Gallagher explains how this year's title allows gamers to advance through 10 different leagues: Freshman, Junior Varsity, Varsity, Junior College, College, Development, Euro League, NBA and Hall of Fame, culminating with Greatest of All Time.
For the first time in the series, your head-to-head online wins and losses now count toward reaching goals within your league. Playing in each league will pit you against competitors of the same skill level. Not performing could result in dropping down to an inferior league.
To help users rise to the top, NBA 2K gives them a detailed scouting report, breaking down their opponents' strengths, weaknesses and tendencies before each game. Play Now Online also has teams broken down into three tiers of power. Defeating a team from Tier 1 – which includes powerhouses like the San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers and NBA champion Golden State Warriors – will earn you extra league wins if you're playing with a Tier 2 or 3 squad.
But perhaps the best part of the revamped Play Now Online is that as gamers advance to higher leagues, they'll unlock the ability to ball with some of the greatest teams in NBA history. By this clip alone, shots of the Larry Bird-led 1985-86 Boston Celtics, the Showtime 1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers with Magic Johnson, Bad Boy 1988-89 Detroit Pistons and 88-89 Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan all flash across the screen.
So, when you get your hands on NBA 2K16 next Tuesday (September 29), make sure you're giving your best in head-to-head online games. After all, they mean something this time around.
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