NBA All-Star Weekend: MIA in Sports Gaming

Feature Article

Submitted on: 02/27/2012 by Matthew Coe

One look at the schedule for 2012's NBA All-Star Weekend shows how inadequately that the event has been replicated in NBA video games. The schedule of events includes the Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, the 2012 NBA D-League All-Star Game, All-Star Saturday Night including the Haier Shooting Stars challenge, the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest and the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest. All of that is before the actual NBA All-Star Game on Sunday. While the merit of having all of these events included could be argued (I'm looking at you D-League All-Star Game), there is no doubt that All-Star weekend needs more of a big event feel in NBA video games. Here are a few suggestions for making All Star Weekend feel like more than an afterthought.

Include as many of the events as possible

I realize that including the celebrities involved in the actual All-Star Celebrity game might be difficult due to licensing, and I realize that the D-League All-Star Game might not sell any extra copies, but how about giving us All-Star Saturday Night on the actual NBA All-Star city's home floor? Sure it's cool in NBA 2K12 to be able to do the 3-point contest and Slam Dunk Contest on the street ball court, but let's get them into Association/Franchise mode as part of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Let's make it more than just the Rookie/Sophomore game and the All-Star Game, let's make it an event! It could be really cool and fun to implement the Shooting Stars Challenge and Skills Challenge into the game. In NBA 2K12 the system is already in place with the practice events. In MyPlayer mode, many of the mechanics are already in place for the shooting and skills challenges. Simply move those practice modes into the Association/Franchise mode as part of All-Star Weekend, put some meaty presentation around it, and suddenly we have ourselves a near complete All-Star Weekend! The same goes for the 3-point and Slam Dunk Contests. The mechanics are already there, so let us use them.

Presentation Matters

All-Star Weekend is a big event every year on television and this year will be no different. So for NBA video games, how about we get some real, specific, beefy, presentation that is included for the events to give it a special feeling? Again, as it is done currently, the event feels like an afterthought in Association/Franchise mode. How cool would it be to have special intro packages, commentary packages and overlays just for each event? Mimic the actual presentation and feel of the real event and give us something to look forward to when we reach the half way point in Association/Franchise mode. Look at the outstanding job that NBA 2K12 did with the era-specific Legend Challenge games. A lot of gamers at OS are feeling like the current 2012 season isn't getting the attention to detail that the Legends got this year. Well we know that great, authentic presentation is not only possible, but it's been done. Let's see the same effort put into NBA All-Star Weekend.

Play the game the way the pros play it

The Rising Stars Challenge and All-Star Game are not played at the same pace or with the same focus on strategy that regular season games are, so let's replicate that in the game. A looser, more up-tempo game style should be the default for these games. That way these games feel more authentic and up the immersion factor. More alley-oops, behind the back passes, and three point shooting. Less tough man to man defense and more emphasis on freestyle plays. Everyone knows these are exhibition games, especially the players, and they play like it. Let's extend this flexibility to the Dunk Contest. Allow us to set up our own dunk routine and even add another player to be a part of our dunks ala Paul George with Roy Hibbert this year. Give us a "dunk creator" so that we can create our own wild dunks and then practice them. This leads to my next suggestion ...

Option, Options, Options

This one seems simple, but no sports game has given it's users the kind of options, on consoles, that we crave. I'm talking about things like the option to set up our own Rising Stars/All-Star teams in franchise mode. This of course would be optional, but would provide the user the ability to correct a boneheaded CPU choice. Or it could be abused in single player mode. The choice is up to the user though, and that's the point. Let us play it our way. If I want to pick Earl Boykins for the Slam Dunk Contest in my Association/Franchise mode, then so be it. If I want all centers shooting in my 3-point contest, let me do it. I'm obviously going to extremes here, but it is to make a point. Once we buy the game, it's ours. We should have more control over how things get done in our game. The ability to truly make the game feel like ours, is one of the biggest points of conversation among the community. Giving us this freedom for All-Star Weekend seems like a no-brainer.

We need more awkward family photos like this one in our video games.

It's Time to Make it Happen

It's on the developers now. Make it happen. One thing that the next iteration of NBA Live could do to help set itself apart right away, would be to include a full All-Star weekend. If NBA 2K13 ships with an all new, fully integrated All-Star Weekend with custom recorded audio, custom overlay/presentation, and user options out the wazoo, then 2K Sports can move one step closer to reaching it's goal of being the ultimate NBA simulation. At this point in the evolution of sports games, it's time to step up on issues like All-Star Weekend. In a time when many gamers argue that there just isn't much left for developers add, game mode wise, this is the next step. Having a full All-Star Weekend, and treating it with pageantry and a sense of grandeur would take NBA games to the next level of immersion and authenticity.

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Member Comments

# 1 gharp14 @ 02/27/12 05:19 PM

Yes! this would be much needed and would be cool to participate in one of these with either your my player or somebody you drafted in franchise

# 2 bigsmallwood @ 02/27/12 05:35 PM

Great article! This would really be a huge boost to either 2K, EA or both. We need All-Star Weekend

# 3 ffaacc03 @ 02/27/12 06:08 PM

With this article, with which I agree, I see more than what meets the eye ...

Again, the most remarkable trading mark of 2ks franchise is also its most underappreciated "iconic" feature (at least by the devs): the editability, flexibility and integration of options.

Is incredibly appreciated by us, the fans, to have as many of the features of one mode integrated within other modes ... is highly valued by us to have the means to control and dictate the experience the game should provide to us, as we need the game (specially the association) to have as plenty of features and options as possible, since its a game/mode that ultimatelly tries to replicate/simulate the unique experience of how we perceive/see/think of the NBA world.

The flexibility/options/editability/correlation of modes certainly deepens the bond we create with a game franchise such as 2k ... it expands the lifetime of a game and adds exponentially to the inmersion one gets with the game, while at the same time increases our level of loyalty, gratitude and yearly commitment with 2k (which obviously translate into sales).

To evolve, to try and improve sales and catter (get to) as many segments as possible, 2k needs this ... hopefully they realize it.

# 4 Gramps91 @ 02/27/12 06:16 PM

I would love for either 2k or EA to put All Star weekend back into their NBA games. I used to love just watching the CPU A.I doing slam dunk contest, I used to do it all the time in my NBA Live dynasties. Wish they would bring all-star weekend back, with good presentation and include as many events as they can, just as this article states.

# 5 ikilleni @ 02/27/12 06:19 PM

i really feel like the old NBA live games on the ps2 really "got" the all star weekend. I remember the rookie game being pretty good, the 3 point contest being a good time, and the dunk contest was actually interesting and somewhat challenging. Also i remember being able to perform certain dunks like tossing off the backboard strictly in the all star game. anyone else remember that and agree?

# 6 fatleg3 @ 02/27/12 06:25 PM

Back when Live had the all-star weekend, me and my friends would spend hours and hours playing the 3pt shootout. The all-star weekend added so much fan and replay value to the game

# 7 qpc123 @ 02/27/12 06:26 PM

Everything in the article is a great idea, and I'd love to see it. But at this point I think both companies need to focus on making their games stable and playable.

Take a look at the patch 1.05 thread, this was supposed to be a fix for a freezing issue that is essentially a game breaker and it appears to have only made the freezing more frequent and widespread. All the bells and whistles in the world aren't worth anything when you literally can't play the game at all.

# 8 JohnDoe8865 @ 02/27/12 06:47 PM

Glad you guys are enjoying this article. It's an addition that is long overdue for the next-gen consoles.

# 9 Bulls321974 @ 02/27/12 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by qpc123


	Everything in the article is a great idea, and I'd love to see it. But at this point I think both companies need to focus on making their games stable and playable. Take a look at the patch 1.05 thread, this was supposed to be a fix for a freezing issue that is essentially a game breaker and it appears to have only made the freezing more frequent and widespread. All the bells and whistles in the world aren't worth anything when you literally can't play the game at all.

Very good point!

# 10 basehead617 @ 02/27/12 08:26 PM

Wow, you really want them to spend a ton of design and development resources on this?

# 11 scottyo60 @ 02/27/12 09:53 PM

Idk if 2k12 has them, but I know past 2ks had celebs you could use in blacktop mode. Why not incorporate them with the legends adding some more celebs to create the celeb game. I know many would probably not care either way for it, but the hardcore people may love the immersion. Heck some casual fans might like going off with a celeb or two

# 12 alexthegreat @ 02/27/12 10:19 PM

Like others have previously said, LIVE always captured All-Star weekend perfectly back in the day. It would be nice for either EA or 2K to bring it back

# 13 VDusen04 @ 02/27/12 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by basehead617


	Wow, you really want them to spend a ton of design and development resources on this?

I think it'd be a great addition. I'm always in support of real-deal, gameplay feature additions. 2K12 is the first 2K in a long time that seemed to bite off more than it could chew and it seems most of those issues had to do with online connectivity (Online Association, Freezing due to NBA Today updates, YouTube upload issues, etc.). I don't mean to minimize their problems, but it sort of seems like one encompassing issue that, if they could solve it, would lay to rest a ton of problems 2K12 seemed to suffer from. Of course, that's all separate from actual gameplay, which has it's own issues altogether. I just tend to view the development of new modes and regular NBA gameplay to come from separate development groups within the company.

I think an All-Star Weekend has more than enough replay value to warrant production. My basis for comparison in this particular case is 2K12's Legends Showcase DLC. Personally, I loved the DLC only because it provided a gateway to a large helping of more legends. Otherwise, the mode itself served as a 5 hour diversion and then I never stepped to it ever again (particularly after the legends were unlocked by users into the main game ... which they should have been in the first place). In contrast, I think an All-Star Weekend mode could potentially provide much more than 5 hours of gameplay, not to mention it'd serve an actual simulation purpose (All-Star Weekend occurs in real life).

To be honest, if 2K always concentrated every one of their resources on gameplay, we'd be stuck with two modes: Quick Play and Season Mode. The gameplay may very well be better than it is now, but there's no doubt there'd be just as many complaints in some manner or another. Instead, 2K's diversity in terms of new features and modes has led to many great places. To have the ability to run an association, mimic today's NBA matchups with updated rosters, statistics and commentary, play as your own NBA prospect rising to greatness, or re-live the best moments in NBA history (my favorite) ... it's a gift to behold. I hope 2K only continues their path onward and upward.

# 14 tril @ 02/27/12 11:20 PM

agree with your article 100%.
I always skip the all star event in 2k even if a few of my players make the all star team.
I believe 2k will do this, cause like you said everything in the all star weeend is included in some other mode is some form.

# 15 MarvellousOne @ 02/27/12 11:35 PM

I agree completely with this article and feel it's way overdue also. Would be nice to get the jersey setup right also...when was the last time the rookie/sophomore game was played in the stupid T-mobile uniforms that 2K has...they have been playing with there original team jersey's for a few years now and that has yet to be updated. I really like the part about options, we should be given not only an option to correct the all-star teams (which there should be a prompt asking if you like to do so or not) but also we should be given an option of what city will the events should take place, maybe a prompt at the beginning of the year in an association mode that way during your season as it nears all-star weekend the commentators can start hyping it up and presentation can start popping up about it.

# 16 VDusen04 @ 02/28/12 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarvellousOne


	I agree completely with this article and feel it's way overdue also. Would be nice to get the jersey setup right also...when was the last time the rookie/sophomore game was played in the stupid T-mobile uniforms that 2K has...they have been playing with there original team jersey's for a few years now and that has yet to be updated. I really like the part about options, we should be given not only an option to correct the all-star teams (which there should be a prompt asking if you like to do so or not) but also we should be given an option of what city will the events should take place, maybe a prompt at the beginning of the year in an association mode that way during your season as it nears all-star weekend the commentators can start hyping it up and presentation can start popping up about it.

Great idea about the city prompt. Even if the All-Star game does feel special in year one of the Association, a lot of that special feeling is zapped the following year by playing in the same exact location with the same exact jerseys. The ability to choose new locations would add a ton to the replay value of the weekend.

My longstanding idea has been to randomize the All-Star locations and arenas year by year of Association. I'd then suggest creating generic "All-Star" logos for each subsequent year. Instead of "All-Star Orlando 2012" it's just be "All-Star 2014". I picture them looking like the create-a-team logos, but obviously varied and based with stars. At worst, I'd suggest just one generic "All-Star" logo and court for each subsequent All-Star year and location.

Regarding jerseys, in a creative dreamworld, the ability to design one's own All-Star jerseys would be top of the line. However, I think a quick-fix for the variable All-Star jerseys would be to include a significant lineup of retro All-Star uniforms (like NHL2K used to provide). This would give us the ability to at least change things up year to year, not to mention I wouldn't mind bringing back those San Antonio duds.

# 17 10yard-Fight @ 02/28/12 12:32 AM

@ Matthew Coe, since when can you do the 3 point shootout and slam dunk contest on the street ball courts on nba2k12? You must own a different version of 2k12 then me, because that is not present in my version of the game.

And to my knowledge EA bought the rights to "All Star Weekend" a few years back so 2k wouldn't be able to use that in their franchise mode anyway...

# 18 10yard-Fight @ 02/28/12 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 10yard-Fight


	@ Matthew Coe, since when can you do the 3 point shootout and slam dunk contest on the street ball courts on nba2k12? You must own a different version of 2k12 then me, because that is not present in my version of the game. And to my knowledge EA bought the rights to "All Star Weekend" a few years back so 2k wouldn't be able to use that in their franchise mode anyway...

you must own a different version than me... not then me. the grammar gods show no remorse sometimes... had to fix that

# 19 VDusen04 @ 02/28/12 02:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 10yard-Fight


	And to my knowledge EA bought the rights to "All Star Weekend" a few years back so 2k wouldn't be able to use that in their franchise mode anyway...

I just saw an old thread on this topic get bumped back up around here a few days ago. I stated there what I've said for a long time: It seems somewhere along the lines an assumption was made by someone that EA bought the rights to All-Star Weekend. Then, once it was assumed enough, everyone began stating it as fact. However, I've never found such an assumption to make sense.

If EA did own the All-Star Weekend rights, I would never understand how 2K could have provided an official All-Star Game with All-Star ballots, Jerseys, Official Logos, and Courts. Further, I couldn't see how 2K would have had the right to re-create the T-Mobile Rookie/Sophomore game. Moreover, I also could never see how EA could own All-Star Saturday even (assuming those right were somehow separate) yet still allow 2K to run an officially named "Sprite Slam Dunk Contest" where the only thing missing, really, was the correct arena setting.

Also, I never truly believed the NBA would go exclusive on a set of days. I feel it'd be like 2K buying up the exclusive right to the NBA Draft, forcing EA to call there version "The 2012 Player Selection Dispersal, hosted by Daniel Stern".

I mean, I could be wrong. It's just, through the years, with no source on this topic from anywhere, the EA All-Star exclusivity rumor seems to make zero sense.

# 20 Pared @ 02/28/12 02:25 PM

People say they want this... only to say that it was a waste of time and they shouldn't have spent time doing this after the game is released.

The same people that hammer the developers for spending time on classic teams are the same one that would want this... and then complain about the main game.

How about they work on providing all the things they promise in a game first? Working online association with updated rosters on a schedule, gameplay that has balance, etc.

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