NBA 2K12 is a game that has dared to be the best. It has come close. I’ve put enough hours into this game that I finally feel confident in writing a review to do it justice. To find out how close this is to perfection check out the rest of the review below.

“How did they do that?!”

For a game which was released in October, the longetivity of NBA2K12 is quite frankly astounding. In my 10 years of sports gaming (since I was 10, hitting up the ps2 games) I have never played a game which has quite this much attention to detail and realism. This iteration has every modern NBA team, from Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers to Deron Williams New Jersey nets. A great selection of past teams including Michael Jordan’s 92-93 Chicago Bulls and even Jerry West’s 70-71 Lakers.

Fancy playing in Bill Russell’s day? Sure why not but just remember it is in black and white.

They have expanded upon last year’s game by adding in multiple historical games to play, and you are not restricted to solely Michael Jordan’s career highs this year. Fifteen of the greatest players of all time are represented here. You get the option to partake in some of their most important games. Coaches and players are lifted straight from their eras and the presentation of the game instantly changes depending on the era. No matter which era you happen to be playing in, the presentation is astounding.

Steve Kerr has joined the 2K commentary crew, and brings yet another familiar voice to the basketball faithful. Not many games come close to the commentary of this game and indeed this series. Since my first 2K game in 2007 I have been consistently blown away each and every year by the commentary team. Only a few weeks ago I tweeted on Twitter that I had heard a new line after 200 odd hours of game play. It really is incredible. Presentation wise the game is astounding. In the modern era of the game players move and shoot like their real life counterparts. From Kobe’s deadly fade away to Lebron James rim splitting dunks, it’s all here. Every Arena in the game is unique, making each game unique. When you combine the already present television style presentation with the customisable options of personal arena music and custom team chants, it really is the perfect digital representation of NBA basketball, and many times I have had people see the game and ask if it was ‘real’.

The association mode despite having had minimal improvements over last season iteration is still the best mode in the game, and indeed in any sports game. Taking a franchise from the very bottom, all the way to a championship in this game means something. It is a true achievement to use your own knowledge of the game to build a team which suits you and your style, and then take it to basketball immortality. Everything you would expect is here, from scouting draft prospects to signing members of staff and you really do get the sense of managing the team. I havearely njoyed losing in a game, but losing in this can be a real pleasure. With the right in game sliders you can have some real cracking games. I’ve had games where I’ve been up by 10 with 4 minutes to go, and lost. I’ve had 25pt comeback wins and last second game winning steals. It really is an awesome ride.

Hitting that game winning shot never looked so good.

My Player mode which in previous 2K games has been somewhat of a joke has been drastically overhauled to make it much more accessible than in previous years. This time you play just one game, which you are rated on after that, it’s straight to the NBA Draft to await your fate. The mode has post game interviews where you have to react to the press and the constant difficult questions. How you answer is up to you but it all has an effect upon your fan support, team chemistry and media credibility. Climbing the mountain toward immorality in My Player takes a lot of work, but it’s definitely worth it. The feeling you get when you are finally called up to the NBA All Star game for example is immense.

NBA 2K12 isn’t hugely different from last year’s version; however it improves greatly upon an already great game. If you check out my Raptr right now it will tell you that I have currently registered over 200 hours of NBA2K12. It is quite simply the best sports game I have ever played. Can they possibly top it with NBA2K13? We will find out this October. Even the players are excited….. (See video)