NBA 2K12

Preview from Luke - Thursday, 06 October 2011 @ 4:15am

If you were to ask me what game I’ve spent the most time playing this year, well it wouldn’t be a title that was released this year… It came out last October, and that game is called NBA 2K11. It’s such a fantastic sports series that EA went and redesigned their NBA game last year and then decided not to release it because it still wasn’t up to scratch with what 2K had on offer. Both games have been heavily under wraps and not many people have had a chance to see what’s new for this year, that’s even if EA decides to release - which doesn’t look likely. Even though 2K have kept this years game close to their chest, with only a few weeks left until release they let me get my eager hands on NBA 2K12 for a few hours before they had to pry the controller from me.

In NBA 2K11 the big feature they were pimping was that they had Michael Jordan and this challenge mode highlighting pinnacle points in his career. I thought to myself, so how do you top that, its impossible right? Nope, not only is Jordan back but some of the greatest players in NBA history have made a return onto the court and you can play during some of their finest moments. Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Dr J…. WHAT!!!? *MIND EXPLODES*. I had a chance to play as Wilt Chamberlain, The Big Dipper, this was a match played in the 70’s, before the 3 point line was introduced. The aesthetic of the match looks like you’re watching a game straight out of that time period. The only weird thing is that you’re getting in game commentary from the traditional commentators, its nothing major but it would be interesting to have something a bit more “old timey radio” instead. With all these classic NBA stars you’ll given a glimpse into why they are considered the best of the best.

Everywhere you look there are improvements from the past year. There’s some great stuff that’s been done with the animations, it looks a lot smoother and makes the players feel more human. When the guys on the court grab the ball and start to take off you feel that they have some momentum and weight behind them. The passing works much better and the emphasis when players launch a one handed pass depending on their movement is fantastic, you didn’t see a lot of this previously. The use of stick controls to manoeuvre the player has been further enhanced and gives you even more precision over the player as you move them up and down the court.

Where is spent most of my time playing NBA 2K11 was in the “My Player” mode. Here you can build up a character that will hopefully get you drafted to an NBA team, and then from a rookie you’ll make your way to becoming an all-star player. The alternative is you select an already known player and take on their role. You play a specific positing on the court and depending on how well you manage to do that task will earn you points to spend on boosting the stats for your player. There are a stack of different stats that you can allocate points to but with this year they have added even more. For instance now there are areas such as signature moves that can be unique depending on your player’s style. If you decide to go with Kobe Bryant for example, he’s got that killer fade away shot; you can drop some points into that to make it even more deadly.

I could honestly sit here writing for thousands of words talking about all the improvements and changes that I noticed, but fans will look at this and see that 2K have put a lot of work into advancing an already excellent series. NBA 2K12 is looking amazing and it’s continuing to prove that they are the go to game for a simulated NBA experience.