OS Roundtable: Should Gamers Take a Second Look at NBA 2K12

Feature Article

Submitted on: 12/05/2011 by Jeremy Hartman, Matthew Coe, Dustin Toms, Mike Kilroy, Phil Varckette

Sales of NBA 2K12 look to be well below last year's record-breaking totals. By all accounts the NBA Lockout, plus a less than enticing effort, has given many gamers enough reason to not fork over $60 for the game this year. Given the end of the lockout and the reintroduction of accurate and up to date rosters, should gamers who passed up on the game initially take a look at the game one more time?

Jayson Young: Updated rosters and the new Legends Showcase do nothing to fix NBA 2K12's core gameplay issues.

When I buy a simulation basketball game, I want to run set plays and pass the ball to create shots. The NBA 2K series hasn't advanced enough to make that style of basketball viable.

NBA 2K12 added more plays per team, but the playcalling system remains dependent on standing inside small circles waiting for AI teammates to jog lazily into position. 2K's trademark slow, floaty passing makes moving the ball through the air incredibly frustrating, especially with manually controlled bounce passes having been removed from the game.

Only in the warped world of 2K basketball is it easier to dribble through a defense than pass around it. Offensive players routinely "animate" or "clip" right through defenders on their way to spectacular shots and dunks.

You'll enjoy NBA 2K12 if -- like most of the online community -- you just want to give the ball to LeBron or Kobe every play and go one-on-one repeatedly. But if you want to play team-oriented basketball, you're better off spending $60 on a local gym membership or signing up for a recreational league.

Phil Varckette: Absolutely, I know I will. I also believe there will be a significant increase in sales.

There is something about being able to use the NBA Today feature as it's intended that makes me salivate. I love to just pick up and play today's games, then compare the results to real life.

No offense to the roster editors, because they did a great job of creating rookies, but having the actual 2K version of the rookies just adds a layer of authenticity that can't be denied. This will attract gamers who may have soured on the series due to the lockout.

The truth is, this game is fantastic. Adding the rookies and having NBA Today work to its potential just makes it better. If you are still upset about the lockout, it's time to let it go. This game is too good to miss out on.

Mike Kilroy: The lockout actually made me more eager to play NBA 2K12.

I can understand why sports gamers and NBA fans steered away from 2K's NBA offering this year -- it was like releasing a basketball sim in July or a baseball game in December. The void left by the lockout and lack of NCAA basketball games left very little motivation for stick jockeys to put down Madden or NCAA. But now that it appears the NBA season will tip off Christmas Day, and with updated rosters and a patch on the way there really is no good reason to leave this game on the store shelf.

Sure, it has its bugs and wonky gameplay elements, but as far as hardwood action goes it still does a great job.

Matthew Coe: As long as 2K is dedicated to patching the sluggish passing and update the rosters regularly to reflect what we will see on the court this season, I'm willing to give 2K12 another chance. I certainly see Jayson's point, and I agree there is entirely too much standing around that the game makes the user do to initiate the offense. All that aside, I'm excited.

I had pretty much shelved NBA 2K12 with no real NBA and waiting for one of the various OS roster teams to put together an association ready file.

The addition of real rookies makes a huge difference. We'll finally get to hear the rookie specific commentary that was talked about before the lockout. Being able to play with the "official" Kemba Walker and Bismack Boyombo on the Bobcats may not seem like that big of a deal (and they'll probably need rating edits anyway), but I think their inclusion will help make the game feel new again.

Add those additions with the promise to update accessories and shoe/jersey/court colors, updated free agents and the mega patch (gameplay, association, My Player) that is due any time now, I'm interested to get back into the world of basketball, and back into the many modes of NBA 2K12.

Dustin Toms: I'm addicted to basketball. It really should be some sort of disease. And sadly, this lockout really kept me away from what NBA 2K12 has to offer.

I'm an association guy. For years I ran with my Sonics, leading them to countless NBA Championships after I turned Durant into the superstar he has become in OKlahoma City. But now that the Thunder exist I was left with a choice: Thunder Up or find a new team. To Chris Sanner's dismay, I opted to find a new team.

That new association team is a random garbage team with an intriguing rookie to rebuild around. Without those rookies, I couldn't enjoy Association the way I have in the past. So of course, with the additions of these young studs, NBA 2K12 will once again find a home in my console.

So to be blunt, yes this game deserves one more chance.

NBA 2K12 Videos

Member Comments

# 1 Gramps91 @ 12/05/11 01:50 PM

yea, I mean I got the game day one and as far as gameplay and presentation I love it. Only thing I don't like is the trade logic. I've had the game shelved the past few weeks due to the lockout being pretty much over because I am waiting on the rookies before starting up again. I will start a new association and my player once the next patch comes out and the rookies are finally put in.

# 2 wallofhate @ 12/05/11 01:56 PM

Im surprised im in the minority of how great this game is. Im not seeing the problems being as glaring as others do. The only gripe I have is the 2 on 1 3 on 1 break passing being very poor. The 3 point shooting is bothersome somewhat but this is hands down the greatest bball game ive ever played in my 29 yrs and top five greatest sports game ive ever played.

# 3 broadrivr @ 12/05/11 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallofhate


	Im surprised im in the minority of how great this game is. Im not seeing the problems being as glaring as others do. The only gripe I have is the 2 on 1 3 on 1 break passing being very poor. The 3 point shooting is bothersome somewhat but this is hands down the greatest bball game ive ever played in my 29 yrs and top five greatest sports game ive ever played.

I agree with most of this except the fastbreak. I run mostly with the 97 and 86 Lakers and I've been able to do some amazing things on the break this year. I use icon passing so what I do on the break is keep holding R1(ps3) and the icons stay up the whole time......that way u can do quick touch passes. It takes some practice, and u have to learn how to control ur turbo in the paint, but it really opens up the fastbreak on this game. This works great with Magic Johnson

# 4 ManiacMatt1782 @ 12/05/11 02:13 PM

I don't know, the on the court game is awesome, but too many features in the prior efforts were removed this year. No shot feedback online, no VIP viewer for tor friends, No lobbies, no crew, no online league, no sliders online for custom matches. New modes are missing options, but I have gone on about that more than enough. For a good no frills basketball game that's missing all the extras, 2k12 is great. But if you like extras, specifically online extras, 2k12 is severely lacking. Too many things removed from 2k11 to justify a $60 purchase in my honest opinion.

# 5 ManiacMatt1782 @ 12/05/11 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adfletch71


	Lol...if that's the case, then why people buy Madden every year with it's constant issues. Yes it's worth it and it's better than NBA2k11. NBA2k11 had some issues pre-patch last year and post-patch there was still issues. It was a great game nevertheless. The same for NBA2k12. All games have issues and will never be perfect, but u do appreciate the sim elements and presentation aspects of 2k12.

I didn't say anything about Madden, but EA was just as guilty, if not moreso with Madden 06-09. But I firmly stand by my opinion, that I wish I would have waited till black Friday and spent $28 bucks at Target. With more than half of the online features gone, half the price was a fairer price point to the loyal fans of this companies yearly product. As a loyal fan, I have to be honest and say I feel almost feel betrayed by 2k with their online effort this year. I will not preorder 2k13, until I get confirmation about things removed from 2k12 being back in 2k13.

# 6 spankdatazz22 @ 12/05/11 03:02 PM

I really don't get the view that NBA2K12 is a "less than enticing" effort. Last year this time most wondered how they could top 2K11's effort. Whether you believe 2K11 is better or not, I don't know how anyone could say they didn't try/make a major effort to improve on it. I can understand the disappointment some have with [their pet feature from last year] not being available or not in the game, but I think it everything has to be viewed in context. Even if some elements of 2K12 are to be considered "stripped down" from 2K11, what other sports game offers as much content as 2K12 at default?

- 2K12 unquestionably has set the high bar from a Presentation standpoint - period. From the arena-specific camera angles, to the exceptional commentary, to the pregame/halftime/postgame efforts, to everything in between it's hard to argue another game being close to this effort

- The work with the Legends is also ********* imo. I'd think fans of any sports genre would love being able to play with legendary teams with their full rosters whether it's football, baseball, etc. Here we've had people laughably try to write it off as fluff. This is the first game to come close to fully implementing full legendary rosters with the players' looks, signature styles, commentary that provides tons of anecdotal references to the period and/or specific to the situation, as well as visual presentation and gameplay elements specific I think as well as arenas, specific to the moment. Again, I'm not aware of any other sports game that's even attempted this type of effort

- Whether you like or hate them, there were many efforts made to improve on the gameplay. And to me I have a hard time seeing every improvement as being an adject failure. Simply latching on to not liking the playcalling system because it's not NBA Live-whatever and complaining about the passing does the rest of the effort a serious disservice. The new animation blending techniques yields excellent animations most of the time. I think by far 2K's biggest mistake how they implemented cpu play on the higher difficulty levels (flat-out cheats at times), and their customary lack of providing information on how the game needs to be played. The new training modes are a nice addition, but given the amount of content in the game a lot needs to be explained to users so they know what they're doing. The game has lots of depth but I doubt most people begin to even try to grasp it

These are things off the top of my head. I'd think people would be doing backflips if they were able to get an NFL2K12-equivalent, or something of that nature. It's not perfect, but it shouldn't have to be.

# 7 RUFFNREADY @ 12/05/11 03:02 PM

Could somebody point out any game ever made without bugs or glitches? I dont think so. The game is good; not great, but a solid good. lockout or not i found rookies that somebody shared on 2Kshare, and it was great. The free agency dilemma thing did bother me for a bit, because i wanted to get to know my team(s) better, and i dont know who is leaving and who is coming; but it was short lived as i did shelve the game for a few weeks as i tried to prestige up in MW3. The break always happens at this time of year. B-ball comes out, then Call of Duty hits; thats alot of playing time, if you have it. For what its worth 2K12 is a game that should be looked at again IMO, and after a few patches, it should be alot more enjoyable as long as 2K doesnt drop the BALL!
btw, i dont know why somebody wouldn't have picked up the game during black friday, when it was alot cheaper?
cheeers

# 8 DBMcGee3 @ 12/05/11 03:38 PM

Very eager to see the notes for this "mega patch". Not sure how much they can really tweak on the passing with just a gameplay patch, but maybe I'm just an idiot. There needs to be some way by which to have more control over the types of passes. I understand the need to be conservative and careful with the ball, but right now I never even try to thread the needle, because I'm scared that the guy will just throw a duck pass and turn it over. I have also had trouble with fast breaks, mainly I feel because of the lack of a manual bounce pass. I just want to know exactly what the guy is going to do before I press the button, is that so much to ask?

Still a great game, so much so that these little problems really seem to stand out. It's like a big scratch on a brand new Benz.

# 9 DonWuan @ 12/05/11 03:44 PM

My hours played with 2k11 have been down since 2k12. I cant get passed every player being able to play like hakeem downlow. For some reason this game causes me to rage a little to often. I rarely lose but when I do I feel Ive been cheated. No game is perfect but this one doesnt offer much content for myself since im a offline player. I havent touched the legendary mode since it was introduced. Ive been playing association since dreamcast days.

I cant put my finger on it but something is missing. Since im a PC player I can forget about a patch until next year. Live ball physics was a gimmick. I believe 2k is starting to become the new madden.

# 10 youALREADYknow @ 12/05/11 03:48 PM

For under $40, there isn't a better sports game on the console market for the offline gamer. I can't speak for online gamers because that experience is too dependent on 2K getting the "out-of-the-box" experience right which I doubt they will do this year.

# 11 da ThRONe @ 12/05/11 03:49 PM

The patch will mean so much more than any roster upgrades. In all this I'm mostly impressed with the roster makers. Some guys really did some great work to replicate the rookies. So much so it hardly even an issue.

However what is an issue is the lack of "pop" on the court. The ineffective fastbreak when a CPU defender is back. The poor passing ability/pass selection/ball placement on passes. The ridiculous amount of blocks. The ball having an almost magnetic field when loose and finding it's way into the CPU players hand at an realistic way.

# 12 Tim187J @ 12/05/11 05:10 PM

Offline this game is better than 2k11. Online is whole another story. If the roster update patch comes with a game play patch for online than more people will tell more people to get the game since a lot play online anyways. Win Win for 2k because of the roster update sales will increase and with a better online experience people will buy the game.

# 13 truintellectplaya @ 12/05/11 05:10 PM

By all accounts is a very inaccurate statement. Most people I know personally like the game and think the additions are well worth it.

# 14 tril @ 12/05/11 05:19 PM

@JAyson
when did the NBA series have manually controlled bounce passes. I know the CH series had manually controlled passes.
other than that. I really dont understand why folks are so down on this game.
2k12 is a great game.

# 15 Chadcan @ 12/05/11 06:09 PM

I just want to be able to play my friends online, and this is just not possible. Online lag, inconsistent release times. Just a huge mess. This patch will do nothing to fix online play. I don't think online play will ever get fixed at all by 2k. Waiting to see how EA does NBA online sim.

# 16 alabamarob @ 12/05/11 07:05 PM

It is worth 60.

The online options of the game are limited, and the maintenence of the game by 2k has been horrible. Addtionally, the tendencies and ratings of the players were not done well. However, once I became familiar with the gameplay, and got used to the "quirks" of the game, it became a great game. Worth the purchase, even with the above stated problems. Objectively the best game I have ever played.

# 17 Slava Medvadenko @ 12/05/11 09:56 PM

One reason I think the sales are down is that this game is hard for casuals and newcomers to get into. I think the majority of sales thus far are from 2k addicts like myself who purchase this close to the release date despite the lockout and play through the expected launch bugs and gameplay issues. 2k has us for sales, no question. But get new players on the game and see how they pass the ball or try basic movement. Its very frustrating for them. One thing is they'll always use the pass button, which has been almost useless the past two years.

I had an idea in an older post that there should be a clear distinction between default and sim modes, which are quite close this year. Default should feel more like past 2ks, more run and gun. Most of us love how sim some aspects of this game got this year, but we're 2k heads who post about the game on a forum. We'd still have our sim setting, but casuals should have an entry drug.

# 18 XenoZograscope @ 12/05/11 10:35 PM

Topping 2K11 proved to be a difficult task for 2K this year, I wouldn't say they failed, but I wouldn't say they succeeded ( perhaps in certain areas they did) neither. The expectation for this game were probably sky high for a lot of people who purchased the game.

# 19 coop15 @ 12/05/11 10:38 PM

Only thing missing is crew mode and every thing that deals with it and yall would have sold more copies

# 20 DonWuan @ 12/05/11 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slava Medvadenko

One reason I think the sales are down is that this game is hard for casuals and newcomers to get into. I think the majority of sales thus far are from 2k addicts like myself who purchase this close to the release date despite the lockout and play through the expected launch bugs and gameplay issues. 2k has us for sales, no question. But get new players on the game and see how they pass the ball or try basic movement. Its very frustrating for them. One thing is they'll always use the pass button, which has been almost useless the past two years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slava Medvadenko


	I had an idea in an older post that there should be a clear distinction between default and sim modes, which are quite close this year. Default should feel more like past 2ks, more run and gun. Most of us love how sim some aspects of this game got this year, but we're 2k heads who post about the game on a forum. We'd still have our sim setting, but casuals should have an entry drug.

I think this is the biggest problem with operation sports. Everyone on this board assumes negative comments come from new users/casuals. I would think majority of users on this site would be a little more than casual users. Sorry im not pared or Czar but I have issues with this game. To many to think about right now.

Ive been playing the same association for 2 years now. Sorry up and under moves do not make this worth $60. Yes some things do look prettier. Presentation was cool the first couple of days but now I skip through the majority of it. Players look like there covered in baby oil. I could go on and on about flaws about the game.

I consider myself a hardcore when it comes to nba 2k. I played all new(ps3/360/PC) from release day until the demo dropped. Ive been playing since dreamcast and buying multiple copies on release day since Ben Wallace graced the cover. I guess I will just have to wait until the PC patch drops and see whats fixed and what becomes broken.

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