I can't stand playing online anyway, I'm almost exclusively an offline player. EA won't be getting any business from me unless it puts out a game that's actually a better game than 2k is.

Yea I agree with AgaliareptX. Online isn't a big deal to me. I would much rather face CPU. All I care about right now is getting the trade logic fixed in My Player and Association. This game still beats anything EA has ever put out baskeball wise. I still can't get over the presentation of this game. LOVE IT!

I don't play online and the game is the best basketball sim to date EA needs to do more than having great online to get me to buy their game

Only thing that hurts me with bad online is not being able to access 2K share. Every time I go there it just says "No files found, please check back later".

Awesome blog (as usual) Chris and it's rare I saw that about blogs on OS. But I think you're giving EA too much credit. Outside of the FIFA series, which is their best selling sports title, gameplay and presentation have been the area where EA struggles the most. To think that they'll get it right due to an extra year is being overly optimistic. At best; NBA2K will be the offline game of choice and NBA Elite will be the online game of choice but one will never completely eradicate the other.

Really depends on what is more important to you. Online play or a working functional offline game. EA for years has been pretty good with online, however their offline play against the CPU has been TERRIBLE for years now.

Gameplay will always be way more important then online features to me.

Some 2K gamers could do without online game modes and that's fine to them. To each their own. But to a lot of us, online is an absolutely essential part of the 2K basketball gaming experience. Personally, I'm not able to dedicate a lot of time to the offline modes such as My Player and Association since I'm in school and work part-time as well. It's the same way whether I buy COD or Gears of War; I hardly ever touch the campaign modes, jump straight to online. Pretty much the only offline mode I've been able to touch this year is the Greatest Mode (which I'm thoroughly enjoying).

The enjoyment I get (or at least got with 2K11 and past titles) was being able to hop onto a ranked match online and play against another person somewhere in the world. I personally am able to get more satisfaction/enjoyment out of the ability to beat an actual person rather than be content with beating the AI in offline modes. To me, playing against the computer can start to feel repetitive.

2K has put out an absolutely great game this year and I am certain their online servers will improve with time. But as it was mentioned in this post, if franchises such as Halo, COD, Gears of War were to have their first week with disconnected matches left and right, they would not survive plain and simple.

I don't even bother playing online. People don't play realistic basketball online. It's just not fun. But I am bothered that I can't use 2Kshare and the online issues have affected the game offline for me like files not saving. I hate to say it but this game is just stale. Chris is right. The presentation is unbelievable but it's all style and very little substance. I know the Lockout isn't 2K's fault but if you are going to restrict what I do with the legends what's the point of unlocking them? I don't want to play the same 15 Legend games over and over again. I want to play the Heat against the 60's Celtics with the retro game package included.

The roster issues have affected me more than I thought they would. I want rookies and new updated rosters. Again, I know this isn't 2K's fault but it just kills the game for me, to the point I popped in 2K11 the other night to continue my franchise. Maybe once the Lockout is over and we get updated rosters I'll get excited again. Until then this game is going to start collecting dust. I might play the occasional game with a friend, but I won't be playing it often. I even considered selling it the other day. I have never sold a 2K basketball game. The game isn't the worst game. It's just a major disappointment. It's kind of like watching the previews to a movie and you get all excited but then find out all the good parts were in the previews and the rest of the movie sucked. That's how I feel about this game.

EA has never had an issue with online in the past. And they have had a longer history than 2k to get it right.

This doesn't excuse 2k for their sins in lack of online quality. But the NBA 2k has never been a one trick pony, and EA has always faltered in so many other aspects of basketball that they will have a huge hill to climb once they do venture back into the NBA gaming field.

To put a stamp on 2k's basketball demise based solely on the online experience is shallow thinking. Many people play 2k for more than just online play. And the ones that do are so hard core that once any issues are fixed by 2k the problems experienced initially will be long forgotten.

My history with playing the NBA Live series was plagued moreso with issues of gameplay quality, and was never a gripe about online. But then I would never venture online often with Live because that gameplay was so bad (IMO).

So before we seal 2k's fate lets see if EA can dig out of their grave first. I don't see 2k faltering here anytime soon. And God forbid if EA ever allows 2k a foothold into the NFL. We might be seeing some wonderful things in other sports as well.

The writer hit it right on the head.... It's funny when u point out the truth and Ppl kn all the want to say is oh I only play offline get real. $65 is for a full game right 2k has a $30 product o babe shelves forcing us to pay full price and y'all wanna let that slide. If it say online then it should work, I for don't like playi g the computer all day if I want to go online it should. I say 2k 's day could be numbered if this BS continues

We have now reached an age where most major sports games are only going to be made by one company. You have EA controlling the NFL and the NCAA, 2K owns the NBA (Until EA comes back) 2K with baseball unless you own a PS3, EA making NHL games. I think this is the future and that's sad. I miss the days of trying to decide which game to buy. And the lack of competition is bad for games and bad for us gamers.

But what most companies fail to understand is I don't have to play your game. You might have the only basketball game in town or football game but I have other games. I also have only so much time in a day so I'm not going to waste my time playing garbage. I'm not going to buy a game just to buy it. I got rid of Madden 12 because it sucked and for the first time in years I'm not playing football this fall. It bums me out but it gives me more time for games that I enjoy more. As soon as games become frusterating or glitch-filled garbage I stop playing. The entire point of playing a game is to relax and have fun.

I know most gamers are a lot like me. If you make a bad game we'll just find something else to play. We won't reccomend your game to friends. Just because you are the only game in town, don't stop trying. Madden burned me too many times and it took me years to start playing again.

Online is a non-factor to me. I associate online play with people cheesing and exploiting a glitch they have found to win. Online is not important to me in really any game I buy except for FPS games.

Great article suprised OS actually made this.. Lmao at some in here who says they only play offline.. Thats the problem n dont listen to them. They rather play against the boring cpu all day long. I mean thats fun fo sum ppl but listen this is 2011. If 2k is gonna make an Online game then make it right. Not half ish cuz like others said this game is only worth 25 dollars to me and many others. Have u guys been on twitter? Every1 is making youtube videos complaining on how online is trash.. Get ur online game up.

Wat happen to saving playbooks? They say saving playbooks, coach settings, coach profiles, show opponent records, ranks, dnf are new??? But we had all of these features in 2k9,2k8 n every game b4 that. Where is the unrank lobbies for random players?? Just took it out come on 2k. Y are the rank games at an ez level? Yall promote simulation yet every1 is jacking up 3pointers like nothing, stealin the ball at a high rate is this nba jam???

I seriously think they dont understand how online is, and ive been a fan of 2k since dreamcast but if this bs continues then ppl will run to nba elite if their gameplay is decent cuz their online is always on point.. All i have to say is this.. Stop wastin all ur time on nba legends.. Make a seperate gm for nba legends.. Spend ur money on dedicated servers, on online. Its a new generation get with the times asap

Thats it! Glad somebody said it. 2k is great and i love it because signature is all over it. nba players play like nba players. But the new ea studio should provide a great deal of freshness to the game and you know ea always have great servers.

Well the online extends the game for me and the people on my friends list. I would like to have a functional team-up game, a functional online association where the servers don't just die and I get a simmed lost. I have a friends list to play games with friends and when the online features don't work, I essentially end up with a half of a game.

On another note the game itself has flaws, all games do, but defense is really hurting when every player can knock down contested shots constantly.