There was one minute left in the 2016 NBA finals. Both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors were tied and had not scored in over three minutes, and the players’ dream of holding the championship was ever out of reach. But one player decided to step up, and bank home the game winning shot.

One second Kyrie Irving held the ball, the next he stepped back and shot it. The cameras flashed as he released the ball with Stephen Curry’s outstretched arm in his face. The entire court fell in awe as the ball smoothly swished through the net.   

In reality, the excitement happened only once. But in virtual reality, it can happen over and over again. In NBA 2K17, you are able to recreate the 2016 NBA Finals, but with your hands controlling the game (literally).  

NBA 2K17 is the newest installment of the NBA game franchise, and it has come with changes and revamped features that offer a new immersive experience.

One game mode that has received major changes is My Career. My Career is a gamemode where players can create their own superstars, a My Player.

To begin, one major change was done to the storyline. In 2K16, the storyline was directed by Spike Lee, but this year it was directed by screenwriter and sound designer Aaron Covington.

New to this storyline is having a variety of choices for what kind of player you might aspire to be. In 2K16, you were able to chose the position of your character, and specialize that character in one of three archetypes: an outside shooter, an inside scorer, or a balance of both. This year, people have a much broader selection, from archetypes specializing in defending, shooting off of a dribble, three point shooting, inside scoring, and so on.

This broader selection, however, makes it more difficult to create an all-around great player.

“This year, they made it impossible to be a superstar,” senior and 2K fan Daryl Corprew said. “You either have to chose to be a defensive star or an offensive star; you can not be both.”

After making the choice of what to specialize your character in, the game allows a player to pick from an array of college teams such as the Georgetown Hoyas, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Louisville Cardinals, Oklahoma State Cowboys and several more. The story forces you to play a couple of games for one of the college teams before actually being drafted into the Pros.

New to this year, regardless of what team or organization you are drafted into, every player has a companion. This teammate is named Justice Young, played by Michael B. Jordan, and he accompanies you through your journey in becoming one of the best to have ever played basketball.

In this 2K, My Career gives it’s players an even more personal, immersive experience. Most users have a My Player, but none can have a story like yours; this game makes sure of that. 2K17 offers players the chance to pick their own endorsements, go to practice whenever they feel necessary, answer texts from coaches and teammates from whom they feel like talking to. Players are even given the chance to create their own jump shot, a feature exclusive to this 2K installment.

But with choice, comes limitations. Players are usually given only two options when choosing what to text their teammates or coaches. On off days, a player can only go to practice with his team or by himself. Or he can do endorsement deals.

Aside from the MyCareer story change, the developers, Visual Concepts, have made huge changes in the in game mechanics. One of the biggest changes was the revamping of the shot meter, altering it to the point where players returning from last years game have to re-familiarize themselves. Unlike 2K16 where one releases at the middle of the shot meter, it now has to be released on the other end from where the bar starts. If done correctly, a green light will appear, improving the chance of a made shot.

“It’s kind of more difficult to get a green release now, especially at the park,” Daryl said. “Sometimes it may lag and it looks like I get it to the end, but then it comes right back.”

Along with the shot meter, timed layups were added. In 2K17, not only do you have to time your shot, now you must time your layup as well.

A returning game mode that have received minor changes is MyPark, an online game mode that allows people to face off their MyPlayers against others.

All in all, 2K17 has been a craze among the SBP students.

“Even though it’s changed some things, I will still be playing the game all year long until the next one,” Daryl said.