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.