NBA 2K12 Cover Athletes - Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird

[jd@os]

Quote: Originally Posted by VDusen04

No love for Chris Whitney and Tyrone Nesby???

Nope, sorry lol. I had more love for Pete Myers on NBA Showdown '94.

[mkharsh33]

IMO, they would not be putting such a push on the classic rosters if they weren't really wanted by those who play the game. I'm not a fan of "today's NBA" because I just don't enjoy the game as much as I used to, but I wonder if the research that 2K has done on this idea of classic rosters is an indictment on how the NBA has changed over the years and that maybe fans don't enjoy it as much as they used to. My guess is the target age of video games are those in their 20's and 30's. My 11 year old son finds NBA Jam for the Wii to be more fun that 2k 11. Just find it interesting that 2K is making the classic teams a LARGE part of their marketing plan...

[trobinson97]

Those covers are beeYOOtiful! Wow, I'm definitely impressed 2K, great job.

[VDusen04]

Quote: Originally Posted by mkharsh33

IMO, they would not be putting such a push on the classic rosters if they weren't really wanted by those who play the game. I'm not a fan of "today's NBA" because I just don't enjoy the game as much as I used to, but I wonder if the research that 2K has done on this idea of classic rosters is an indictment on how the NBA has changed over the years and that maybe fans don't enjoy it as much as they used to. My guess is the target age of video games are those in their 20's and 30's. My 11 year old son finds NBA Jam for the Wii to be more fun that 2k 11. Just find it interesting that 2K is making the classic teams a LARGE part of their marketing plan...

I'm not sure that's the case. Of course, I'm not sure there's any way possible to decide whether it is or not, but in my opinion, I don't think the move toward classic teams is an indictment on today's game. I happen to love today's NBA, but I also love the NBA I grew up with. I feel it might be more likely that the group of video gamers who grew up on NES in the 80's is growing older, with a fond memory of the basketball they grew up with, yearning to have an opportunity to play as their heroes in a modern day format.

So in that respect, with the mounting interest seen in the gaming community, I would agree that 2K is helping to cater to a 20-30 year old crowd (but not only that crowd). I'm not sure how they collect their data, but it may have helped to scan a few message boards here (reading about how much people love classic rosters) and looking at some 2KShare download numbers there (seeing thousands of downloads for nearly each classic season uploaded by users). I'm happy to see this groundswelling of support for classic teams and through whatever means, I think it's just a matter of 2K deciding to try to expand their game. Not to cater to a certain crowd, but to include them.

NBA Jam is admittedly a simpler, "go wild in the arcade" format and can appeal to kids, but it still doesn't appeal to all kids. My little brothers have preferred 2K since they were in elementary school (now 13 and 15 years old). They own NBA Jam but have likely played it about four times before losing interest. I think 2K appeals to more than just an older age range and 2K knows that. My brothers love the current NBA. The fifteen year old is a huge Derrick Rose fan and the 13 year old can't get enough of Steve Nash (and the Cleveland version of LeBron James). But on that same hand, the fifteen year old also loves Gary Payton (got an authentic Payton jersey for Christmas. . .which he never wears) and the younger one is down with Mark Price.

I suppose the point may be, things have changed but they've also stayed the same. The league may not be quite as different to the general public as you may believe it to be. It's awesome they're adding more classic teams, but it's also awesome (and obviously a given) that all the current squads are accounted for in a very realistic fashion. I think it's all about choices and opening doors for others more than an indictment on today's game.

[youvalss]

Nice covers, though it's not that important to me. But I must say that the design is awesome. That template is so sweet!

[DJ]

Quote: Originally Posted by mkharsh33

IMO, they would not be putting such a push on the classic rosters if they weren't really wanted by those who play the game. I'm not a fan of "today's NBA" because I just don't enjoy the game as much as I used to, but I wonder if the research that 2K has done on this idea of classic rosters is an indictment on how the NBA has changed over the years and that maybe fans don't enjoy it as much as they used to. My guess is the target age of video games are those in their 20's and 30's. My 11 year old son finds NBA Jam for the Wii to be more fun that 2k 11. Just find it interesting that 2K is making the classic teams a LARGE part of their marketing plan...

I think it was inveitable after the success of 2K11. To me it makes sense to take what was already there and expand upon it. Will it be better than 2K11? Time will tell. Heck, we don't even know what we're getting in the game yet, just the covers, so all of this is pure speculation at this point.

The NBA has actually seen an increase in fan popularity over the last 2-3 years. TV ratings are up and traffic to most major sites that cover the NBA have seen a spike in page views. Attendance at games is very good for the elite teams, and even some mid-market teams. Obviously, there are teams not drawing jack, and that is hurting the league. I will say that the league has improved its on-court play the past few seasons; 2003-07 were some dark years, imo, for the NBA.

[youvalss]

I just hope they have captured Magic's not-so-athletic/funny-yet-efficiant - layups...you probably know what I'm talking about. No other player had those moves. I loved seeing Magic laying it in over more athletic players without jumping much. Same goes for Bird.

[youvalss]

This could have been a GREAT trailer for the game...