By: Martin Rand, III
Date: October 11, 2011
When NBA 2K11 was released last year it was praised as the best sports game ever. So, when the release date for NBA 2K12 was announced, few thought it would be better than its predecessors. Well, it is better and the NBA 2K franchise can now be called a dynasty.
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| The three different covers of NBA 2K12 featuring (from left to right) Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. |
So, how did the NBA 2K series get to this point?
Give the Customers What They Want
NBA 2K has always been a good basketball game. It has great graphics and gameplay. However, the controls were not as interactive as one would hope and there were a lot animated sequences executed when pressing one button, which would result in a call going against the user. 2K Sports have heard the the cries and have virtually fixed all the control issues from the previous installments. As we all know, supplying the demand will always work well for a product.
Make A Gimmick That Works
Last year, NBA 2K11 allowed us to play as, arguably the greatest basketball ever, Michael Jordan. The user would play through ten of his greatest games and try to match his achievements. Anyone who played those games, knows how hard it was to do what Jordan did in real-life in a video game.This made sport fans truly appreciate the NBA.
This year's edition allows users to appreciate the history of the NBA even more. NBA 2k12 attempts to answer a question all NBA fans have argued about since Jordan won his sixth title: Which is the greatest team ever? This is the closest fans will ever get to solving this question, as it spans many eras, and once again 2K Sports makes the experience feel real.
Allowing users to play as old-timers is a great gimmick. It has been done before but never in such a large scale, and never with each all-time great player playing like they did when they were in the league. NBA 2K12 is more than just a NBA game. It's a NBA experience.
The Fuel That Started The Fire
Probably no one contributed more to making NBA 2K what it is today than EA SPORTS. After the 2005 video game season, a lot of critics and players (including me) were saying ESPN NFL 2K5 was actually a better football game than Madden NFL 2005. This is first time in a long time a football game rivaled Madden for the NFL crown.
So, to stop 2K Sports from making an indisputable better NFL game one day, EA SPORTS bought the exclusive rights to make NFL games.
Like I always say, "what once was first will one day be last." I say this here because since EA bought the NFL rights, it seems 2K Sports has focused all their efforts into making NBA 2K outshine NBA Live; and it has worked. Last year, EA SPORTS didn't release it's newly titled NBA Elite 11 because they knew it simply wasn't going to measure up to NBA 2K11 and be a major flop; and this year, there is no sign of an NBA Elite 12 on the horizon.
Prepare For Next Year
NBA 2K12 is the best sports game ever made. The only question now is, can it accomplish what it's 2-time cover boy Jordan has and three-peat next year?
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