Lo, a new power rose in the East. The warlord Michael of Jordan united the people of Chicago under the crest of the bull, then with his general Scottie of Pippen and the triangular religion of bishop Phil of Jackson, conquered the whole realm. Alas, those feeble heirs who inherited Michael's fiefdom upon his passing into retirement failed to retain all he'd won, and soon kings named Kobe of Bryant and LeBron of James vied for supremacy. This, I assume, is how a playthrough of NBA 2K27's new MyNBA Legacy mode might go, given it seems to have taken cues from Crusader Kings 3's multi-generation dynasty-crafting.

Revealed ahead this week ahead of release on September 4th (there won't be a review of NBA 2K from me this year, at least not right away, as I'm currently busy with a another game), 2K27's bringing some changes and additions to MyNBA. This is the highly-customisable trip through the league's past from the 80s up to the present day which essentially lets you play God and create your own alternate basketball history. Think the usual manager or player career mode, but with the option to change the past and control the fates of as many teams as you like.

This year, a new variant's been added to this weird mirror universe creator, MyNBA Legacy. "In this all-new player-locked RPG mode, players can take total command of their on-court career while controlling the front office over a 100-year dynasty," reads 2K's explanation of how Legacy differs from their previous offerings. "Pick any active star, prospect, or Created Player as a Legend and keep their current attributes or revert them to rookie form, then power through stat goals and deep playoff runs to rack up Performance Points. Players can build an unstoppable multi-generational legacy as descendants inherit their parents' rookie profile as a template, passing down specialised hereditary traits and earning permanent bonuses to fuel Eternal G.O.A.T. status across a 100-year family tree."

Reckon that sounds a bit Crusader Kings-ish? I do. Pick or create a ruler to step into the shoes of, see how far you can get towards taking over the realm and achieving other goals as them. Then, pick an heir to take on the next leg, hoping that they don't develop or come with all of the worst bits of their ancestors' genetic makeup. Rather than bemoaning your scaly and sickly sons, you'll be crying because your offspring are just as woeful at free throw shooting as you. 100 years to build a legacy for your dynasty and see how much you can reshape the world according to your whims.

I'm keen to see what it's like, though part of what I typically enjoy about MyNBA is lording over multiple teams rather than concentrating on a single squad or protagonist's story, so I'm not sure all of my 2K27ing will be in Legacy mode.

Then again, maybe surviving yearly West Coast road trips by imagining the Lakers, Warriors, and Clippers are Viking raiders I need to stop from establishing a foothold on the English mainland will prove too alluring. Or, maybe I'll end up playing a Bulls-obssesed Pope in 2K as the perfect prelude to ruling the Papacy in CK3's next expansion.

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