Upset about Miami Losing this year? Tough, suck it up. Looks like that will be the main theme for 2K Sports’ next Basketball game. From what their telling us, this is the first public image of the new game and it looks absolutely stunning. Look below…which is the real one??? You can read our review of NBA 2K11 here, however, NBA 2K12 seems to be upping the anti yet again in terms of graphics. Follow us on twitter @themanlyman for more information as we get it!
Here are some things that I love.
After your game you can take a look at the highlights of all the key players of the game by choice. It does so stylistically as well, and it really is a pleasure to see you dishing it out on opponents.
This is a collouge of the different highlights of the game.
I thought this was a cool addition. It takes snapshots of the game as well so you see key plays from a photojournalist’s point of view. Very similar to what you would see at NBA.com or ESPN.com when looking through pictures of a past game.
The game actually has you collecting Air Jordans throughout your career! Different Jordan’s give your player’s different abilities. There are 40 in all to collect.
To me, one of the coolest aspects of the game. The living roster is just what it sounds like. Players and league stats are updated in almost real-time. I’m playing a season with the Knicks right now (hapless Knick fan – what can I say?) and the interface is giving me live info on what has transpired around the league. Injuries, trade rumors, scores…its all there.
In my opinion, the second coolest aspect of the game. You get to relive all the Jordan great moments like “the Shrug”,the 1991 NBA Finals, 69 points against the Cavaliers, and more. The game actually starts you off in Jordan’s shoes. If you are not used to the game – go ahead and exit and practice a little bit before you start playing in Jordan mode ’cause there is a lot to learn.
Why do I think the Living Roster is the coolest aspect of the game? Well its not new but it works really well this time because of the juxtaposition between the new teams and the old teams. You are solidly placed in the “here and now” because of the reference point of the old heads. The game never really feels stagnant and you aren’t stuck with buyers remorse because you just bought the game and someone got traded and now your game is out of date. I just played the Wizards and Gilbert Arenas was in the line-up. Not only that, but it also tells you about up coming games in much the same way you would see them broadcast on television.
Moving on to game-play, controlling your player is pretty easy and intuitive. You can also try your own skills with the “shot stick” (the right stick on the 360 controller). You can control how your player shoots based on your own preferences. If you get good at this – it definitely pays dividends. Everything is pretty much what you would expect up to a point. However, the more complex moves require a bit more finesse. Ball handling becomes a bit more complicated when trying to step in and do a turn move to lay-up or some other similar move. It’s not impossible, but I wonder what the percentage of pulling that move off every time you wanted would be. However, the move transitions were great, and I definitely got excited every time I pulled something off.
Each players’ real-time stats definitely meant something. I definitely felt it when a team was doing well, or doing poorly. This can be frustrating because a team that you feel you could normally beat all of a sudden becomes a challenge because they are on a real-life run. However, this is not a negative aspect because it ads to the overall realness of the game.
I also enjoyed the customization elements of the game. You can change shoe types and colors as well as appearances. I left most of it alone so that I would keep everyone’s appearances as close to their real-life counterparts as possible. However, the possibility is there.
You can also play different modes like blacktop pickup games, dunk contests, or three point shootouts. You can also team up with your friends online and start or join a “crew.” Announcer speech has been improved once again. They are generally interesting and at times I wonder if they are being updated in real time as well! The crowds have been re-worked so that they don’t look like the same 1 person duplicated 1,000 times. This time its the same 10 people duplicated 100 times each. Its not huge but its something. Plus the noise swells and decreases just like a real game depending on who is winning.
In an effort to make movement more lifelike, I feel like the designers went a little overboard with the player’s physics when it came to momentum. When you reach, be careful because you may end up near the half-court line for simply trying to swipe the ball. Of course that’s an exaggeration, but you get the point. Also, it passing is inaccurate, and turnovers can get ridiculous. Some people will say you need to protect the ball more, but it can really get frustrating. A lot of the game is spent either stealing the ball or getting it stolen simply because passing is so inaccurate. Some reprieve is that you generally won’t find yourself passing it to a player who is out of bounds. I am so glad they fixed that issue, or play could have been unbearable.
I also wasn’t immediately wowed by the graphics this time. Not saying graphics are atrocious but they I felt like no huge strides were made between 2K10 and 2K11 in terms of realistic facial expressions and jersey movements. There are some weird moments where your jersey is shaking all over the place while the player is standing still or when your clothes and body are indistinguishable. However, these issues are few and far in between and certainly don’t detract too much from what does make this game so awesome.
A solid game and must-have for a Jordan admirer. The Jordan presence alone makes it worth it. The other stuff is bonus! Real-time stats and as much customization as you can stand and there really isn’t too much to shake a finger at with this game. Transition between game and real-life games are almost seamless. Playing this game makes you more interested in real games and real games makes you interested in playing the game. If that was the intention, well played sirs…well played.
SF4 X Tekken:
Oh yes, you read right. If you haven’t heard by now, you will probably be surprised by this news. Apparently Capcom is developing a crossover title with Streetfighter 4 Characters as well as characters from the Tekken Universe. The art style will be the highly paintbrush themed 3d characters of SF4 since Capcom is in the driver’s seat. Should make for great competitive play by die-hards from both franchises.
NBA 2K 11:
One word… Jordan! I love playing these games, but never really shell out 60 bucks for them so I end up playing the title a year late or so. Probably not this time. The “NBA 2K” Franchise has been markedly improving everyear – even downloading relevant stats in real-time, but Jordan has always been missing. The fact that he’s been absent for so long makes this moment sweeter, plus there will be some other oldies as well! Count me in this round.
MGS Rising:
I know what you’re thinking…”Not again with the old/young snake.” Well, doesn’t look like Liquid or Solid snake will be in this one (not that there probably won’t be a cameo) but it looks like you’ll be playing as Raiden. Not only is Raiden cool as an icebox, you get to use his sword that can cut anything. Let me repeat that…ANYTHING. Stop reading now and watch the video.
Virtua Tennis 4:
I like the Tennis games, but a lot of times it really is more of the same. Besides slightly improved AI’s I don’t feel like there are a whole lot more to the Virtua Tennis world that will have me buying every iteration. Some may disagree here, but c’mon. How much more like Federer are you gonna make the 3D Figure be man!? Enter stage left…3D TVs with Playstation “Move” controller and we have ourselves a brand new experience that promises to be quite entertaining and possibly painful.
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit:
Normally, I wouldn’t put a NFS title here as the franchise has taken a turn for the worse with weak storylines and a lack of what made the original series so fun ala “Shift” and “Carbon”. Well it seems that EA has wizened up and returned to what made this game fun…breaking the law! The game looks great, and the cars are amazing. Love the fact that you can play a career as a cop as well which is kinda cool. I’d give it a shot.
Force Unleashed II:
By the looks of things, this will probably add a lot to the StarWars Universe in terms of story line. You think the Force control and combat was crazy in the first one??? Well they like quadrupled the effects in this game. So much so, I’m kinda wondering who would win between this guy and Goku from DBZ!
Notable Mentions
Deus Ex:
To be honest, the bionically enhanced human is nothing new in the gaming world. In fact it’s pretty standard. So what is so cool about Deus Ex? Well graphics look pretty cool, but more than that – it promises to be a thinking man’s game. I sorta like games which drag you into the universe and make you really feel what’s going on rather than just simply punching and kicking the crap out of everyone with a red bar above their heads. That’s what makes the Persia and Mass Effect Games so fun. It looks to be, if it lives up to the hype, to be cerebral in a similar way Ghost in the Shell is.
Call of Duty Black Ops:
Yes, another Call of Duty Game. Well, it says Black Ops – so I wonder how much stealth will be in the game. Doubt it will be anything like MGS, but I would be interested in seeing what they come up with here, and if it is any different from the other Call of Duty games. However, from the looks of things…I wouldn’t hold my breath if you are looking to be a Ninja in this game!
Vanquish:
Just another FPS game? How about from the guy that started the FPS Genre as we know and love it today…Mr. Shinji Mikami. Honestly it looks cool and kinda corny at the same exact time. Guess we will wait and see but the concept is kinda cool.
