Gaming On-The-Go: Here's Why 'NBA 2K16' Gamers Should Check Out The Companion App [Interview]

Listen up, NBA 2K16 gamers, you really should check out the console game's mobile companion app that hit the app stores on Oct. 1. While the latest NBA title gives players the "most true-to-life NBA experience to date," MyNBA2K16 allows you to reap many console game benefits while on-the-go.

Developed by 2K Sports—the publisher behind NBA 2K16 that is out now for PS4, XBox One and PC—in partnership with Cat Daddy Games and Visual Concepts, the mobile card-collecting game consists of gamers building a team of NBA players that can compete in quick games (2-card match-ups) and season mode. Complete a quick game to pull a reward card. Reward cards provide a way for you to increase your player's abilities and stats to create a more competitive team that will be able the defeat the opposing team and then get even more rewards.

"Our game is very simple in terms of the actual moment-to-moment gameplay, which is a good thing. On mobile you want to have a design, what I call the 'grocery store design,' which is I want to be able to open my game while on line, play a game, have some experience and when it's my turn at the register, I can put it away easily," Danan Davis, senior producer at Cat Daddy Games, told Tech Times.

The third installment of the mobile game franchise, MyNBA2K16 mirrors the the overall concept of MyNBA2K14 and 15, but includes brand-new features to enhance the gameplay.

The team at Cat Daddy Games took into consideration user feedback, looking at what was working in the previous apps and what fans want, as well as taking into account what is new to NBA2K16 on the console, since that has a large effect on the game's features.

"With these games, they are online, they are mobile, they require a lot of effort afterwards, too. When the NBA season picks up and continues on throughout the year, we try to keep very relevant and current with what's going on in the NBA season," Davis said.

New Features

The new features include: card improvements (which include new players, Bonus Player cards, customization, level-up and the ability to train cards faster), the Auction House, and new Reward Points.

There are two new main features to MyTeam Mobile card game aspect this time around: goals and specialization. Players can complete short-term goals and long-term goals which earn rewards when they are complete. Examples of goals would be to collect certain positions from the board, or collect 5 new cards from the catalog.

"There is some luck involved, but it engages the player in a more meaningful way," Davis said.

Reward Points

Complete a goal and you get Reward Points, which is a new currency they added this year. The Reward Points allow players to buy things in the game like card packs, event items that allow you to do better in an event, and allow you to shop in the Auction House. So these goals become very important when building your team.

Card Customization And Specialization

In the previous MyNBA2K mobile games, players were given cards with a set of abilities and stats that mirror the real-world player, making the cards believable. But since players sometimes disagree with some of the stats, this time around the developers added the ability to create their own version of that card. This is where the card-customization feature comes in.

In MyNBA2K16, cards don't have an ability assigned to them. Gamers collect abilities throughout the game through various rewards and then can apply those abilities directly to the card, such as making Larry Bird a scrapper so he has more defense and play-making abilities, or improving his offense. There are about 10 different abilities with four levels of stats that give the player their own feel.

With the specialization feature, when two players have the same player card in a game, they will still have different abilities so that they can battle together without having a tie. This is also true in the four-day season mode.

"Take advantage of the new customization abilities and the interactions between specialization. It's a little hidden, it takes a little time to understand the depth there, but abilities all come in a team variety, meaning they will affect your entire team," Davis said. "So if you are in a quick game and you have an offense event that you're working on, if you use a card that's specializing in offense, your trigger percentage goes way up so you can really beef-up your team quickly."

Virtual Currency For Console Game

And while you can play the game independently, one of the best aspects of the game is that you can earn Virtual Currency (VC) to purchase things in the console game.

In the NBA2K16 side of the app, players can earn the currency for the console version and have it go directly into their console account. These rewards are sent directly to the console version the next time the player logs in.

Play the Daily VC Bonus game to earn up to 1,500 VC every day, or play quick games to get 50 VC per day.

"That's what we're trying to accomplish, to keep people connected with what the console is doing and to give them options to affect their console in various ways," Robert Nelson, a producer at Visual Concepts, told Tech Times. "So you can go in and use your Virtual Currency that you earned on the console or by playing the companion app, and you can buy the same items from our store in the app as you can on the console."

This feature is perfect for spending time on-the-go shopping and going through all the outfits you can buy on the console, so that when you get back home you can jump right back into the gameplay.

Other Console Connections

"What we try to do with the companion app is to give people a window into what their console is doing, and what the big new features are," Nelson said.

Another feature that connects to the console version is the new Pro-Am that allows players to bring their MyCareer characters online to form custom teams with customized jerseys, courts and areas.

"We have a screen in the companion app where you can go show off your Pro-Am team," Nelson said. So we'll upload your custom logo and show that on the app, along with your win records, and your various stats."

Locker Codes is a big thing in the game, and MyNBA2K16 is delivering on this front. Previously, when Locker Codes came out there would be a limited number or hours where they were valid. Now players can enter Locker Codes right on the companion app, so when the player gets back to their console, there's the reward waiting for you.

Another new feature is the 2K TV aspect. Last year, fans were able to watch episodes inside the app, which is convenient while on-the-go. This year, the console added the ability to vote on various aspects during the video to gain VC or a Locker Code. You can now do this all from the mobile game as well.

Graphics

Cat Daddy Games also made improvements to the UI after looking at the console version, making sure it works well for mobile, is touch-friendly, and uses a lot of virtual space in the design.

And NBA2K16 is known for its realistic graphics, which bleeds over into the mobile app.

"The NBA has a certain quality and style to it. We tried to really get you to feel like you are getting the excitement of the NBA," Davis said. "We put in a lot more photos in our UI this time—even for the cards, we tried to get better action shots."

Of course, when the NBA season starts, they will update and change photos for traded players so users feel connected with what's going on in the NBA.

Cover Athlete

Another big thing worth noting is that for the first time in mobile franchise history, MyNBA2K16 features cover athlete Paul George from the Indiana Pacers.

"We hadn't had a cover athlete that was specific to the mobile game in the past, so that was something we wanted to have this year, and Paul George is a really great candidate for us," Nelson said.

So why George?

"We know that he is really known in the NBA circle as the best console player, and he loves our game and he's known for loving our console game," Nelson added. "He expressed interest in staying connected to his console app as well [since he travels a lot], so the ability to use the companion app to benefit his console experience as well as play the MyTeam mobile game which he can play in short verse made him really ideal."

MyNBA2K16 is available to download for free for iOS, Android and Amazon devices.