Gaming

NBA 2K22 MyCareer will feel like an ‘open-world’ RPG

With more things to do

Published

September 8, 2021

Rodneil Quiteles

Days away from its official launch on September 10, NBA 2K22 finally launched a trailer for one of its more popular games modes — MyCareer.

If you hadn’t pre-ordered yet, this whole update might just help you make up your mind. 2K is taking a more open-world RPG like approach to MyCareer by way of various quests you can take around The City.

Meet “MP”

In NBA 2K22, the MyPlayer is called MP. It’s a much more generic name compared to what we got in previous years (Freq, AI, and Junior), but one that reflects this year’s approach.

Keeping up with the times, MP is a high school social media sensation. He moves in to The City with Ricky Bennet — his best friend who also happens to be his business manager. It’s a set-up that almost sounds like the relationship between LeBron and his inner circle.

The goal remains the same — to make it to the NBA. But the path to get there reflects the current situation now. In last year’s MyCareer, two different paths were already offered — play in College or the G League. This remains true in NBA 2K22 but playing in pick-up games, training sessions, and interviews will now also factor in to how you build up your draft stock.

The various paths will show themselves as quests in The City and will determine the path you take to NBA stardom.

Beyond Basketball

New to NBA 2K22 is how MP can look into venturing outside of basketball. We’ve seen players do this with Damian Lillard releasing his own albums and LeBron being somewhat of a Media mogul with his many ventures in production and publishing.

This seeking-a-side-hustle mechanic is part of the many quests tied to the whole MyCareer experience. And the quests come with their own cinematics.

The decisions you make here will also affect a new metric — Personal Brand. It’s pretty straightforward. 2K says it will keep track of everything you do on and off the court and this will be factored in to your Personal Brand. And this will ultimately dictate what off court opportunities and endorsements will be available to you.

What else is new?

As announced previously, Seasons will also make its way to MyCareer and The City. This opens up plenty of new content, more quests, and more ways to level up your MyPlayer. This also introduces Daily Quest that can help guide you in case the whole ‘open-world’ approach starts feeling overwhelming.

There are also changes to matchmaking. On 3V3 Player vs Player, NBA 2K22 is taking away squads. This should help even the playing field a little as you won’t have to go up with squads who have been playing together for years.

The chemistry built by these squads won’t be entirely wasted in the 3V3 Player vs AI mode. Here, players can test their mettle against NBA Stars and Legends.

The Neighborhood for Previous Gen

Despite the demand, it’s been hard for a lot of people to get their hands on Next Gen consoles. That’s why NBA 2K22 still built a satisfying MyCareer experience for Previous Gen console owners (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch), and PC.

The Neighborhood is now a cruise ship. The ship will have different decks to explore. Each deck will give you access to various modes like Pro-Am, MyCourt, and more.

Every now and then, the cruise ship will dock. This is where the Seasons component comes in. When docked, players will gain access to more content, new challenges, and new rewards.

Watch the trailer

Deals

Sony Days of Play: Discounts on DualSense controllers, titles

It’s that time of the year

Published

June 2, 2023

GadgetMatch

The time has come for Sony’s annual Days of Play, offering gamers special deals on DualSense Wireless Controllers and software titles from June 2 to 12.

During the sale period, Sony’s DualSense Wireless Controllers will retail for a special price of PhP 2,990.

The controller is available in White, Midnight Black, Cosmic Red, Starlight Blue, Nova Pink, Galactic Purple, and Gray Camouflage colorways.

Popular PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 (Blue-ray Disc version) titles will also get special prices during the promo period:

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS4) – PhP 1,490
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5) – PhP 1,490
God of War Ragnarok (PS4) – PhP 1,990
God of War Ragnarok (PS5) – PhP 2,490
Horizon Forbidden West (PS5) – PhP 1,990
The Last of Us Part I (PS5) – PhP 2,490
Gran Turismo 7 (PS5) – PhP 1,990

Meanwhile, PlayStation 5 consoles are now available at all authorized retailer stores.

Features

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores sways both ways

And why shouldn’t it?

Published

June 1, 2023

Her

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

It’s been more than a month since the release of Horizon: Forbidden West’s DLC, Burning Shores and the reviews came in hot. There were plenty of raves that the game is a treat as are the visuals. But what really made the most waves on the is that the fiery redhead heroine gets a partner. In more ways than one.

Aloy was first introduced in Horizon Zero Dawn as an outcast, so being on her own was expected. Understandably, when you’re treated like a pariah since childhood, warming up to people isn’t exactly second nature.

The burden of being The One

She picks up new friends, even some potentially interested parties along the way but the game steers us from expecting that they’ll be tagging along for the long run. By the game’s sequel, she is still Ms. Independent, but with blossoming character development in terms of her interpersonal relationships

While there’s a bit of attraction and tension with men and women alike thrown in-game, Aloy never gets into anything no matter how hard you try to flirt. (Yes, we tried). Horizon clearly didn’t focus on finding her mate, given that there is indeed a lot on Aloy’s plate.

She even admits in dialogue that her mission as The One created to save the world, is a full-time occupation that she can’t think of anything else. Fair enough, you go do what you gotta do, girl.

Along came Seyka

With the introduction of Seyka in Burning Shores, it would’ve been easy to dismiss that sure, they have chemistry but nothing’s going to happen. We’ve gone so far with Aloy embracing singlehood by choice, why would it change now?

That’s probably what made this DLC stand out. After becoming partners in crime, the pair share an intimate conversation where they first met to consider pursuing something more. The player option to engage in a romance probably has the audience saying “finally” or asking, “why now?”, and those who appear to take issue in Seyka’s sex are asking “why?”

But the better question is, WHY NOT?

Seyka is no stranger to duty and purpose, being intent in rescuing her sister and tribespeople from Burning Shore’s main villain, Walter Londra. She is headstrong, agile, and fierce — qualities she shares with our main girl. Aloy also learns to rely on someone for help, which is a big deal.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise either that Aloy would take on a lady love: Forbidden West final boss Tilda did express that she loved Elizabet Sobeck — Aloy’s clone source or “mother” — more than we know. Who’s to say that the genetic copy of the apple would fall far from the tree? Ultimately, should the player to decide to let Aloy initiate a romance, it’s not the end of the world if it’s a girl. Actually, they even saved it together.

Burning Shores

The story of Burning Shores picks up directly where Horizon Forbidden West left off. It contains additional content for Horizon Forbidden West, including new characters and experiences in a stunning yet hazardous new area.

To enter the Burning Shores, you must complete the main quest (up to and including Singularity) in the PS5 version of Horizon Forbidden West. Following the main quest, the player will receive a call over Aloy’s Focus, beginning the DLC.

Gaming

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart coming to PC

On July 26

Published

May 31, 2023

GadgetMatch

Perhaps easily the best showcase game of the PlayStation (PS5) that anyone can easily jump into is making its way to PC. Insomniac Games’ Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart follows the growing list of PlayStation exclusives making its way to PC. It’s coming on July 26.

PC Features

Nixxes Software worked with Insomniac to make this happen. And they’re not simply porting the game to PC. They are also adding features especially made for PC gamers. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PC will have support for multiple types of monitors. Whether you’re using 21:9, 32:9 and up to 48:9 resolutions for triple monitor setups, you can rest assured that you’ll have a grand time with this inter-dimensional adventure. Both gameplay and cutscenes are optimized for ultra-wide screens.

The game also supports now unlocked framerates. You can choose from NVIDIA DLSS 3, AMD FSR 2, Intel XeSS and Insomniac Games’ Temporal Injection. NVIDIA Reflex and image quality enhancing NVIDIA DLAA are also supported.

Availability

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart will be available on Steam and in the Epic Games Store. You may head to the aforementioned stores now to Wishlist or pre-purchase the game. If you pre-purchase ahead of launch, you’ll get access to the following in-game items early in your playthrough: