Hello NBA 2K Fans!
Erick Boenisch here, Producer for NBA 2K11. Many of you may know me by my forum name, SimBaller. Today I’ve got something very exciting to tell you about. In the Developer Insight for The Jordan Challenge, we teased that something cool happens when you complete all 10 Jordan Challenges. I’m here today to tell you what that ‘something cool’ actually is. I’m very pleased to announce that it’s actually an entire new mode entitled “MJ: Creating A Legend”, featuring none other than Michael Jordan.
The concept for this mode is simple, you take rookie Michael Jordan into today’s NBA and place him on any team of your choosing. From that point on, you will be controlling Michael exclusively as you guide him through his career and define his legacy against the greatest stars the current generation of NBA players has to offer.
Imagine putting Jordan on the Heat. Your starting lineup would be Wade, Jordan, LeBron, Haslem(?), and Bosh. Maybe you’ll want to pair him up with Kobe to see how two of the greatest players of all-time play together. Or maybe you’ll want to put him on the Clippers to battle Kobe and the Lakers head-to-head for the true bragging rights in the City of Angels. The number of scenarios you can create in this mode are endless. What do you think would make for a great story?
One thing to keep in mind here with this mode is that you will be with rookie Michael, who will only be rated a 79 to start out with. This leaves you with plenty of room to improve his overall rating as you guide him towards super-stardom. I can tell you that his physical skills and general athletic ability are through the roof, but you’re going to need to build his outside shot, his defensive prowess, and his unmatchable killer instinct in the clutch before you can take him to ‘best ever’ status. You can build up Michael’s rating by earning Skill Points and spending them on the attributes of your choice. These Skill Points are earned by in-game stats and accomplishing in-game goals set forth by the game.
The presentation for the mode is centered entirely around Michael. The entire menu system has been branded to feel Jordan-centric. The in-game presentation will speak a lot about Jordan’s rise to the NBA early and how he will fit into the team you have chosen for him. From there, they will call out important milestones for Michael and discuss how his season/career is progressing moving forward. I have seen some discussion about whether this replaces the popular My Player mode from 2K10. It absolutely does not, I will be speaking about My Player in the coming weeks in a Developer Insight.
Ultimately, Michael Jordan’s legacy lies in your hands. Every move, every decision, is up to you. Our only question to you is, where will YOU take him? Answer our call on October 5th, when NBA 2K11 is released.
- Erick Boenisch, Producer