An alternative to NBA 2K17's MyCareer mode, which brings the game mode back to its roots, and adds a twist.

Before the game’s release in September, critics and fans alike dubbed NBA 2K17’s MyCareer mode as potentially the best since the old generation days of the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360. Based solely on the slivers of information 2K gave the community, the game appeared ready to dethrone the likes of NBA 2K11 and 2K13 and sit atop the throne as the best iteration of a career mode in any major sports game in history. Unfortunately, 2K’s latest project has far from met the community’s overwhelming expectations.

Within the first couple days of release, fans were discovering a litany of problems in nearly every single aspect of the game, and that is not an exaggeration. Whether it be the glitched connections, hard restrictions, time-consuming practices, unskippable cutscenes, the gameplay itself, or any of the other details, 2K17’s inability to please the masses was a clear indication that the game was not ready for release. All would have been forgiven if 2K patched the problems early on, resulting in for an enjoyable experience throughout the rest of the game’s lifespan, but the developers have only made minor tweaks which consume too many gigabytes and do not address the game’s main problems.

While the game’s official MyCareer mode has failed to live up to expectations, fans of the series can still embark on the one-player journey of domination without having to grind for badges or settle for a glorified role player. This process involves setting up the game mode, but it is well worth it in the end.

In 2K’s much underappreciated MyLeague mode, users have the ability to do whatever they please, from editing every characteristic of a player to expanding and rebranding. 2K has not done a whole lot right with this game, but when they say MyLeague, they truly mean it. The user is in control of everything that occurs, and it is in this game mode where the Frankenstein version of MyCareer mode comes to fruition. For the sake of avoiding confusion, let’s call this game mode MyCareer 2.0.

All MyCareer 2.0 requires is Player Locking onto a Created Player, then running through an NBA regular season. This alternative version of MyCareer is much better than the actual game mode in every way possible because there is unlimited freedom. Attributes and badges are not capped, the user has control of the roster and coaching rotations, stats can be normalized to play shorter games, teams can be added or rebranded, and much more. MyCareer 2.0 combines the best elements of both MyCareer and MyLeague, and makes for a much more enjoyable experience than the original version of the game mode could have dreamed.

The best part of MyCareer 2.0 is that the user can create an endless amount of different angles. Want a 99 overall beast straight out of college who takes a bottom-tier team, or maybe even an expansion team to a championship? Want to form another super team to take on the Golden State Warriors? Heck, why not even create a fictional rival who gets drafted the following season? All of these scenarios and much more are possible with this modified version of every 2K fan’s favorite game mode.

Creating this dream game mode sounds incredibly complicated, but is very simple and shouldn’t take more than 10 to 15 minutes. Here are the steps to creating MyCareer 2.0:

1. Create a Player

At the Main Menu, head into “Options/Features,” then scroll to the right, click on “Create a Player” and create your ideal player. The best strategy when creating a player is to base him off an actual player rather than attempt to dictate which attributes make sense unless you’re going for a 99 overall superstar. Of the young players in the Association at the Point Guard position, for example, D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, and Kris Dunn are solid players to use as a base.

2. Create a Roster

Once the player creation process is finished, back out and go to “Roster Creator” and assign the newly created player on your team of preference. While there, you can also adjust the coaching rotations to determine which role this created player has to begin the upcoming season. You can always alter the created player’s role later on in the season, as well as the roles of other players. Once you’re done, give the roster an easily memorable title.

3. Load up MyLeague

Start up a MyLeague with the recently created roster and select the team you placed your created player. You can also adjust the other various factors of the MyLeague, such as the Salary Cap, Injuries, Trades, and many others.

4. Player Lock

Once at the MyLeague menu, scroll to the right until you hit “Options.” Under “Options,” select “Position Settings,” then scroll until you find the created player.

5. Enjoy MyCareer 2.0

When you load up a game, you will play only as the created player. When that player is subbed out of the game, the screen will briefly fade to black and simulate to the player’s next appearance.

Rejoice NBA 2K fans, because the old fashioned MyCareer is finally back.