The W courtside report

[ThePointForward]

The W is back on current gen consoles with some changes: https://nba.2k.com/2k24/courtside-report/the-w/

Looks like "the pillars" got condensed into two this time around: Progression and Buzz.
And you will have two options where to start your WNBA career.
Option 1: College prospect, #1 draft pick with level 4 Buzz, but level 1 Progression (75 OVR).
Option 2: Undrafted, but heavily improved from playing overseas. Level 1 Buzz, but level 4 Progression (85 OVR).

You will also have a rival star player pitted against you complete with a screen tracking both of your progresses.
Badge points will be earned through pickup games against vets from your team, your rival or historic legends.

Finally, rewards - besides having presumably pleasant experience that doesn't require half a million VC to max our your player, you will be able to get some W skins, W Online badge perks and MyTeam shoes and jerseys.


Honestly, gimme this for male NBA with MyCareer builder and I'm probably good.

[Andrew]

Some years back, I posted a Friday Five exploring the idea of having different starting points for MyCAREER, each with their own trade-off of benefits and drawbacks. I suggested five possible scenarios (obviously), but two distinct paths is certainly sufficient, so it's interesting to see The W running with it.

To that end, it proves that the idea is feasible for a career mode, as are higher starting ratings. Sure, it's being done because the WNBA modes aren't as popular and aren't monetised, but to that point, it underscores that the only reason the NBA modes are as monetised as they are is because it's so good for recurrent revenue, not because it benefits the experience. I realise that's stating the obvious, but there are far too many people who try to defend the long grind and pushy microtransactions as essential parts of MyCAREER, and The W is proof that they're not a necessary ingredient for a career mode.

Unfortunately I don't see anything changing as far as MyCAREER, because it's too profitable. I'm currently installing both versions of NBA 2K24 so we'll see what the grind is like with the new "streamlined" approach. Great move for The W though, and something I would like to see in MyCAREER as well, unlikely as it may be.