For me personally the gameplay changes are enough for me to enjoy the game. I rarely play online so those issues do not bother me. The lack of roster updates and rookies definitely diminish the value of the game but there are enough modes and players in the game to keep me satisfied until either A the season starts or B 2k13/Elite(?) 13 are released, which ever of the 2 occurs first.

There are a lot of factors contributing to the low sales (absence of NBA season, the number of stellar videogames that have been released within that past 2/3 months, and the game not being a HUGE improvement of last years game). I think 2ks biggest enemy is going to be its own success. It is getting to the point where there is only so much more 2k can improve while using the same engine. I am not saying 2k needs to pull an EA and completely overhaul the series but within the next couple years 2k is going to do something to avoid falling into the madden cycle.

YES!!! Without roster updates and player tendency tweaks online is a mess...Zack Randolph getting putback dunks like Dwight Howard. The lockout is hindering the games full potential.

Word of mouth has hurt it too with news about disappearing modes and what not, people that would have picked it up a little later still haven't

Nice write up as usual, Chris.

2K12 is great, but my favorite part of every game is always the rookies. Grooming them into the next stud is where I find my peace.

I'm with iampulse
I love NBA but would love a college b-ball title even more

I'm diehard so I personally am not going anywhere....BUT

Yes! It absolutely is affecting it. And I can understand why. It's very frustrating to have this cool game and I can't get the real rookies with the commentary to go along with 'em.

The game itself is better. But with the rosters being the same it does feel like last year all over again.

what a shame, we finally get a truely quality franchise that makes a quality game, and it gets screwed over because of a damn lockout

I won't buy the game because of the lockout. I'm in a major city Chicagoland I love the Bulls. That being said these players want to make it where there is only 5 good teams. I say do a cap keeps these small markets with parity like the NFL and NHL its better that way. I feel bad for the small markets out there players leave want out, and they can't compete.. I don't miss the nba my Bulls are good!!

the lockout is following one of the best seasons in a long time and the players are pretty much screwing themselves. "we should get more than half the $$ because we the talent" I am sorry but, I don't know a singe business in the real world where the EMPLOYEES make more than the owners since the owners put the investment in and the risk. Think about it the total revenue is 100 million dollars the players want 51 or more so the owners get 49 before they spend $$ on the rest of the staff, travel, lodging, stadiums etc... no wonder they cant make $$ I don't think the players relize how stupid they look in this lockout. If I owned a team that was losing $$ I would not care if there was a season either.

I remember the last NBA lockout and how badly it affected the sales of NBA Live '99. Guess what game premiered a year later, taking away market share from the NBA Live franchise?

greed...greed...greed... hopefully they come into terms. NBA is now so stale because you already know who's going to the playoffs except probably the 7-8th position.

its a number of factors.
1. its the lockout.
-lack of off season NBA stories besides the lockout.
-last year we had all the player movement, big name free agents relocating, pretty much provided a year round buzz. so the interest in the NBA was pretty much at an all time high. This is factor that should not be overlooked.
2. poor marketing. outside of Operation sports, all of the games features are pretty much an unknown to the general public.
3. 3 to 4 heavily marketed games being released around the same time frame. Battlefield, COD/MW just to name a few.
4. Lack luster sports titles from other developers.
5. a poor economy. that 16% unemployment rate/long term unemployment plays a big factor.
6. the games complexity and cost.
7. the availability off all types of content on all kinds of devices also has to be factored into the equation.

the gaming landscape is also changing

Sales being down because of the lockout is expected. Another contributing factor is that this game is unforgiving for noobs even on Pro. I occasionally played some friends on 2k11 who don't own it and only play it at my house. They got by playing that just fine. When they played 2k12 they didn't even finish a game before they said 'Screw this'. They tried playing a few days later and were commenting on how bad the controls were before quitting. I do like that its a challenge this year but I could see beginners and ******s not getting into it.

An NBA game does not appeal to me nearly as much as a college hoops game. I've long clamored for someone (ideally 2k) to bring back a college hoops title, but it seems that all the hope in the world won't bring it back. NCAA 2010 just doesn't cut it anymore.

To comment on Slava's post, the controls not only suck for noob, but also for experienced players. I don't think a basketball game should have complex controls in the 1st place. For the most part basketball is a fast-paced game with minimum complexity. The lock-out just adds to this.