I agree!!!

rubbbish, game is between 9-10

Agree. The 3 point shot is a big problem: with NBA 2K12 every player became a three point shooter. There's NO CPU defense on the arc: the CPU defender stay 2-3 mt distance from the User player behind the arc. That's not realistic. Seems there is no progression sweat: Players enter on the court already sweaty, plastic-looking. Passing is slow. Nba 2K12 is ten thousand light-years ahead of NBA 2K11 in players movements, really fantastic. But in other things is less. My vote? 8.5 vote, for me, is very correct. Probably I will take NBA 2K11 in January, when they have solved the problem of shooting from three, when they have added rookies and made other improvements.

Everyone thinks that not rating the game as 9+ means you think the game sucks. That's not the case at all. Right now I'd say it's an 8-8.5 but could improve w/ the patch. Honestly 2K11 is currently a better game than 2K12.

The sad part it i agree with most of your points and again im not having probs with 3's b/c i tweaked sliders and have great realistic games. I don really play online so not a big problem to me. Again it does have its problems as every game does and I do believe most things can be patched. I also believe 2k dropped the ball online wise. Even with all that I still believe the game deserves 9.0 imo. Because the meat and potatoes which is gameplay is damn near flawless.Game plays completely diff than 2k11 and for the better imo. Presentation is also amazing. I really dont get all the the hate. I mean ncaa 12 madden 12 all werent great games to me IMO gameplay was not realistic or great even after tweaking sliders. Not every one has to agree and give 9 rating. I feel ppl need to relax its been couple of weeks and wait til patch before start overreacting. Bc im sorry out of the box 2k is a great great game offline. Too each its own. Yes it has flaws and probs all games do. Compare this game to madden and ncaa 12 i cant speak for fifa or nhl bc i dont play those games. This game is amazing ppl wanted 2k11.2 and i think ppl upset they didnt get that b/c req skill and takes time to learn and ppl just wanna win and its not that easy this yr. Good blog nonetheless bro. Online i am shocked at what 2k did this yr smh. But thats only one aspect of the game and its not gameplay related so I dont feel it warrants as much hate 2k12 is getting.

@Jamake: In this day and age online is a part of the package when you review a game and depending on who you are a big part of whether or not you decide to buy a game. Yes the gameplay is fantastic, don't even compare it to Madden or NCAA because that's just an insult lol.

But the online debacle along with a few other design choices are holding this game back from being all time great. I don't know why so many are in a rush to crown this as a perfect game when it's not. That's not a slight at all, it's still a damn great game and still the best sports game on the market all things considered. But a few things are holding it back, maybe the patch will fix them.

The players attributes and tendencies are so unrealistic its not even funny. To many players have 3 point attributes too high, and the have alot of players tendencies completely wrong. Especially the Legend teams, Dennis Scott 3Point rating 98???, he was good but not that good. 89 Jordan pass out tendency way too high, he doesn't attack the rim like he did that year, 98 Kobe has a better overall shooting rating than current Kobe???? 2K really needs to get these players 3 point and mid range shot attributes adjusted and correct there tendencies

i feel it is MORE responsive, less lag..also seems like fewer passes are intercepted so I am not sure about passes being slower

Not perfect but still the best along with NHL

Are they really rated to high? What about when you have an NBA guy who really only has one thing to contribute to the game, say a JJ Redick. He has pretty much been ineffectual in previous versions of the game...I haven't seen the Magic yet on this game but I am willing to bet JJ Redick is worth his contract on the 2k12 because his 'specialty' is a focus on this game.
I've been playing with the Rockets...Courtney Lee (from my almer mater) is rated an 86 in 3's. Is that high? Seems so....but in the 2k11 I couldn't really get Lee to make an impact consistently and he has always been an above average long distance shooter in real life. This year...you have to respect that guys range.

@Belly - Not true, I was definitely able to be effective w/ Redick in 2K11, just ask some guys from the Vets League. The 3point ratings are too high, there should be more stratification to separate the great 3point shooters from the good, average, and bad ones.

Right now anything above 75 might as well be very good and can kill you. Part of it is the easier releases this year, but part of it is the ratings. The contest shot being different is also a part of it.

i agree, and i think it was almost a flaw. You could find those really low rated players and turn them into freakin monsters because they excelled at one thing and you were always smarter than the A.I. I could use Redick like a freakin superstar in the game, which he isnt and shouldnt be able to become no matter how good i play.

I think the people waiting for THE PERFECT game, have to wait like 10 years. THe perfect basketball game really cant exist, there will always be flaws....always.

I think most people give 2k12 such high reviews for one reason and one reason only, it is a vast improvement over 2k11, a game everyone agrees deserved its 9.5 rating.

You can be objectional with ratings, or you can be subjective with ratings. The people who are giving 2k12 a high rating (like 9 and above) are actually being objectional. Why? Because they are basing the game off the criteria sport games should be based off. Graphics, presentation, gameplay, and most importantly improvement over its predecessor. In all these areas 2k12 excels.

The people who bring up things like online play, thats subjective....online play exists in 2k12, but its flaws come from the servers. Servers arent part of the game, they are part of 2ks own flaws. Ea has better servers cuz it has the money to afford them, aside from nba, 2k kinda falters in most other games and so its as loaded as EA is in terms of money, hence the problem with servers.

Is there a lacking of some realism in 2k12, hell yes, of course. But name me one, just one game that didnt have that flaw. Even game franchises like fifa suffer in realism, its almost impossible to not suffer in realism.

Oh but the damn a.i. is still dumb....WELL DUH!!!! A human mind will always surpass a machines mind, this isnt anything new, were not in the matrix ye.

Still the a.i. is as smart as its ever been. I love playing my player with my a.i. team mates, jason kidd does feel like a smart wiley vet getting his hands on loose balls and making great plays. Dirk does seem like a constant mismatch. I love that when the opposing team is beating me, its cuz I AM SUCKING, not because the computer says "oh im down 10 better just hit every shot and let this dumb human miss every shot" its a huge improvement.

I love the depth of play calling, its so advanced that even a guy like me who loves studying this kind of stuff at times feels overwhelmed and confused over some of the plays.

And then theres game slider editing. Because of how the A.I has been made (less cheapness) i feel like i can put together good sliders without having to fear the A.I. cheesing it up. I like that alot of the human cheesing tools have also been taken away.

If you want to find things to critique about the game, go for it. Of course there will be things, there will ALWAYS be things to critique. But theres a difference when a group like EA purposely screw up or leaves things out of games and when a group like 2k obviously puts effort into the games.

So nba 2k12 isnt the perfect game....thanks all you captain obviouses....but its still the best basketball game ever made, and if the best basketball game ever made doesnt deserve near perfect scores...then perfect scores should never exist.

@piccolomair - Even taking online out of the equation, there are still issues in modes like MyPlayer and Association offline which have to be taken into account. Yes the gameplay is great, but gameplay alone isn't what is scored when reviewing a game.

This is not a slight at all at 2K12, the game is fantastic. I just don't want people to see perfect or near perfect scores and think that this is as good as it will get, and there aren't some flaws that should be fixed be it in the patches or in 2K13.

And to me online should also be a part of the evaluation in this day and age. You may not play online, which is fine, but plenty of gamers do, and 2K's online is poor regardless of whatever excuse you want to throw out there. The strange thing is that I'm able to play Top Spin 4, another 2K game, with seemingly little to no lag. Maybe because that game isn't as nearly as popular as NBA 2K and its servers are probably far less taxed. But if they can get the servers for that game to work (admittedly after a patch things were a lot better) hopefully 2K12 can get back to respectable levels in the online category.

But don't focus on online as the only issue, there are flaws in other areas as well, and it's our job as gamers to not just gloat about the game, but also point out the flaws so that devs can work to improve on them.

such as what? The biggest problem i would say would have to be with A.I. logic in those modes, things like what trades take place and player signings, as well as the tendencies concept still being a bit flawed (centers thinking they can play like guards for some reason). Those are certainly issues, but i dont think they are enough to somehow get me to write an angry letter to 2k or anything.

This is what is really bothering me, why are some people thinking gamescores are equal to potential reached. Sport games are ever evolving, no video game will ever, EVER be perfect because it will always like the humanistic qualities that we connect with in sports. Game review scores are designed to be (in attempt at least) objectional, and in sport games it should take into account available time, technology, and most importantly, improvements over its previous installment. Like i stated, aside from the lagging servers, there isnt much flaw in 2ks online modes. I think the biggest problem is removing some of last years online modes (but i feel 2k did so more because of modders mucking up the gameplay) and i can understand if someone attacked the game for doing that, but the server issues seem more of a monetary problem as opposed to a technical problem to me.

Of course there are flaws, and what i like about this blog is that there are some real hardcore fans out there that can find out the flaws bugs and glitches, which helps devs improve the game. But the issue i take with that is blaming people who review these games to being biased or suggesting that the game is generally flawed. Most of 2k11s flaws didnt reveal itself until after i played it for an extensive ammount of time. Most reviewers dont get that much time, since most people expect a review of the game at launch (or before) not a week after launch. You are always gonna find bugs and flaws and issues in games, and three months from now we will all be posting wishlists for 2k to hopefully read on what they should add or take out of these games. But think about this, NO ONE THOUGHT 2k would top 2k11, ESPECIALLY after nba elite/live said they wouldnt be releasing a game. Not to mention theres a freakin nba lockout going on which halters everything in american basketball. And 2k improved a lot over the game, starting with its fundementals of the game. This is the first year i am enjoying my player, like really enjoying it. And the biggest reason is the gameplay is terrific fun especially on defense and playing with A.I. isnt frustrating, cheap, or too easy.

To me its not the game modes that give 2k12 such a high score, its the actual gameplay regardless of the mode. 2k basketball is just fun to play. And even more awesome, they didnt even skimp on the game modes, theres a lot to do and a lot of ways to spread your time. Its not perfect by the literal definition, but exceeds all of my expectations, and not many franchises can say that 2 years in a row.

If 2k11 was able to get 9.5 without people questioning it, i dont know why 2k12, a game that beats the crap out of 2k11, suddenly should be much lower....i just dont get it

I pretty much agree with you, very nice and well thought out write up. 2k12 after a well thought out patch will decimate all but as is, it definitely has some holes in it's game. To be fair, on the gameplay front it's pretty much almost flawless unfortunately those few flaws are affecting the core of the gameplay.

Basketball is a passing game first and foremost, it's been turned into a dribbling game in recent years but good ball movement will always, again always be the key to offensive basketball. Unfortunately the passing has definitely regressed in 2k12. Quick ball movement is the key to running the beautiful new play system and without it, the play system seems clunky and hard to execute.

I have zero issue with the ai picking off poor passes but I cannot except that multiple passes per possession have play breaking delay to them. The other huge part of the passing debacle is pass logic, particularly with icon passing. It's better if you use direction or right stick passing but that doesn't excuse the fact that it's so bad with icon passing. A simple pass speed depending on how hard/long you press the button and a bounce pass modifier solves this issue. It's an easy fix that is implemented without issue in football, soccer, and I'd presume hockey (I don't really play hockey games).

@clipperfan811

touch pass still exists in the game, and once you memorize some offenses you can use the touchpass ability (just hold the pass button and the direction you want the ball in, or while the ball is in mid pass do the icon pass to the player u want the ball to next and it speeds up the passes. I kinda like that, cuz now you have to spend some time learning the exact plays and knowing a little bit ahead of tme where you want the ball to go (sort of like real organized basketball plays). Its an added benefit for the hardcore basketball players.

I was initially bothered by them taking away quick plays (quick screen, quick post, quick isolation) but after you learn a few plays u really dont care anymore. And you can always still get a quick pick by a push of a button so its pretty nice.

I do get annoyed by the weird cannamation durring some passes, especially when im attacking the rim, and i hate the horrible innacuracy of directional passing at times (skipping over the easy player to throw the ball to a corner player) so they do need a patch to fix the passing a bit, but i dont think passing and running traditional ball movement plays has been taken completely out...

...in fact one of the things i like in my player is that if u dont hog the ball and help the a.i. move the ball around YOU ARE REWARDED, its a nice small thing that makes my player enjoyable for me (yes doing the little thing MATTERS!!)

One of my biggest complaints might come from interior defense being too strong at times, while the perimeter defense sometimes seems like its on roller skates. In my player mode its not too bad, but when i play a quick game (i have stayed away from association more because of lockout depression) using the bulls, i found guys like brewer and bogans having trouble with staying with some guards and on the other rose having trouble scoring an inside bucket.

HOlding lt on defense slows you down way too much, and letting it go abruptly makes your player speed up. Thats my biggest flaw on defense, and its more apparent when you are controlling an entire team (cuz u take guys way out of position) but easier to maintain (so long as you dont always go for steals) in my player.

Maybe thats why they made the interior defense so damn strong, but it sucks when i play the computer and i am able to break my defender just to easily get rejected by the center. In those situations i wish it would automatically try to adjust or something. i also kinda dislike how they made the focus more on the shot stick (my controllers are old so the sticks are a bit loosey goosey) instead of the xbutton.

I think ultmately its just a learning curve (or new controllers) things and once i get used to it, it wont bother me as much. I really should use roses jumper a bit more to set up my drive as well, so maybe thats how the game was intended.