Okay so by now you have heard that Jordan will indeed be a playable character in NBA 2K11 in a new feature 2K is calling the Jordan Challenge. Each available Jordan moment has a title and goals that must be accomplished. The difficulty in performing these is greatly enhanced with all of the new gameplay-related updates 2K11 will sport this year. This is much more than just old-school rosters plugged into an already built NBA 2K11.
They went into painstaking detail to include the old-school arena floors and in some instances the actual arenas (The Forum is Alive BABY).
As a fan of the NBA in the '80s and '90s, it did something to my spirit to see Magic at the point and Worthy and Scott on the wings. But everything is taken to another level entirely when you see the red endlines and look up and notice the familiar Forum trappings.
What also adds to the experience is the fact that the announcing team has game-specific commentary, and in cases where it makes sense, they provide information on what happened in games leading up to the game you're playing for the challenge.
Since we can't talk about everything in detail yet, I know the members of the SIM Nation will be excited but reserved until they can learn if the gameplay is up to par with this new Jordan-centric mode. While it's much too early for gameplay information, I can share a small tidbit you will only find here at Operation Sports: NBA 2K11 -- with prodding from the Czar -- decided to include era-specific playbooks to support the gameplay in the Jordan Challenge mode.
So not only will Jordan physically change over the course of the mode and become more physically built and have less hair, but you will be able to watch the offense he works out of evolve as well. Jordan in '86 did not have the dominant post game he sported later in his career. The Jordan who exploded on the Knicks for his infamous double-nickle game was just coming back and was not in great shape, so the majority of his scoring was done in post-ups and 15-18 foot isolations. There are enough offensive tools to provide die-hards everything they need to accurately re-create Jordan's moments all the way down to the offense.
Before I go I will just throw this out there because I know my community: YES, you can use the classic teams in Quick Play mode while trying to stop Jordan in his tracks. Good luck!
P.S. A reliable source informed me that if you just want to take one of Jordan's Bulls teams into Association mode, it should not be a problem.