teebee's Blog
After a few days the overall newness has worn off and little things are just mystifying me about the direction this game went in 2013. Everyone knows Jay-Z is the "producer" or whatever that means and threw in a ton of his own music and a few others which is fine with me. What i do have a problem with is the absolute horror the presentation has become this year.
Did Jay-Z or whoever let him influence everything (just assuming this here, no clue if he did anything other than send music in) look at the other 2k's and say "This looks entirely too much like a TV broadcast" or "This looks way too much like what we see on TV every game we watch"? Now we have low-res player pics on intros with who knows what those swirly-tattoo style designs are growing across the screen.
What happened to legit realistic presentation to make it think you are watching a real game? ESPN/TNT licenses be damned, it looks like NBA 2k13 is using a sponsorship from the local Black Lotus Tattoo parlor. I know it's just a video game but it has lost a lot of legitimacy and professionalism by going for the "artistic" aesthetic this season.
Again, no clue if Jay-Z really had any input or just sent a check and let his name be put on the front but 2kSports has to remember, less is more when it comes to overlay design. Take the sequins and flashing X-mas lights off this game for 2k14 and you are scratching close to a perfect product.
# 32
DBMcGee3 @ Oct 8
Thank you teebee you have made my day. I was more bummed about that than I let on.
# 34
piccolomair @ Oct 8
a couple of things ive noticed from this thread i want to address
picking up the problems in the presentation isnt the same as 'hating'. The game itself is awesome, the op pretty much bluntly stated that. I dont think its a farfetched idea to say that nba 2k12 was probably the best of all the 2k games thus far in terms of presentation. From the soundtrack to the little nuances they put in the game when playing in legends mode, to having it feel more like you were about to watch a broadcasted game as opposed to start a video game. It was much appreciated in terms of the overall look.
Bringing rap music, racial stereotypes, or 'ugly mugs' is stupid. I actually love that intro video when you start the game, and 2k has been rap-centric since the start...in fact i discovered lupe fiasco from 2k6. This soundtrack just seems way too mainstream. I like coldplay, i like jay z, i like kanye, but if i wanted to hear artists and songs ive heard before, id just rather play my songs from my media player. 2k12 for example introduced me to the song "Awesome" and that song started to get big after the game released...almost all of the songs on here have already been big or played out...
Its not like jay z didnt put any thought into the soundtrack, a lot of the songs have themes to them that resemble something you would witness on a basketball court. I just wish if they were going the mainstream route, they would have had a far more extensive library. The pendulum is way too far to the mainstream rap demographic, and if you arent into that stuff (or like me are just tired of those songs because you have heard him on for the last several years) you end up with a very limited selection. I also have a problem with some of the tracks being extra short or extra repetitive....the short ones make it so you end up hearing a song you heard a few minutes ago quickly, or increase the chance of hearing a song like "Major" which at first was cool, but is so repetitive its annoying.
I wish jay z impacted the menus a little, 2k needed to spice up that menu system quite a bit. I dont mind the presentation leading up to the games, the jay z stamp can be everywhere outside of the actual nba basketball games....problem is its not outside of the actual nba basketball games. The players showing up on 'tarot' cards, the constant gold flair flashing around the screen for no reason, it just takes away an element from the sim portion of gaming that 2k has been known for.
I dont think anyone really minds jay-z being part of the presentation, i dont think anyone questions his success or is really hating on him, but to me for all the fanfare jay-z was getting, i expected a far better soundtrack, and i wish his influence on the ingame stuff was far far less. In a perfect world i would combine 2k12's presentation with 2k13's gameplay
picking up the problems in the presentation isnt the same as 'hating'. The game itself is awesome, the op pretty much bluntly stated that. I dont think its a farfetched idea to say that nba 2k12 was probably the best of all the 2k games thus far in terms of presentation. From the soundtrack to the little nuances they put in the game when playing in legends mode, to having it feel more like you were about to watch a broadcasted game as opposed to start a video game. It was much appreciated in terms of the overall look.
Bringing rap music, racial stereotypes, or 'ugly mugs' is stupid. I actually love that intro video when you start the game, and 2k has been rap-centric since the start...in fact i discovered lupe fiasco from 2k6. This soundtrack just seems way too mainstream. I like coldplay, i like jay z, i like kanye, but if i wanted to hear artists and songs ive heard before, id just rather play my songs from my media player. 2k12 for example introduced me to the song "Awesome" and that song started to get big after the game released...almost all of the songs on here have already been big or played out...
Its not like jay z didnt put any thought into the soundtrack, a lot of the songs have themes to them that resemble something you would witness on a basketball court. I just wish if they were going the mainstream route, they would have had a far more extensive library. The pendulum is way too far to the mainstream rap demographic, and if you arent into that stuff (or like me are just tired of those songs because you have heard him on for the last several years) you end up with a very limited selection. I also have a problem with some of the tracks being extra short or extra repetitive....the short ones make it so you end up hearing a song you heard a few minutes ago quickly, or increase the chance of hearing a song like "Major" which at first was cool, but is so repetitive its annoying.
I wish jay z impacted the menus a little, 2k needed to spice up that menu system quite a bit. I dont mind the presentation leading up to the games, the jay z stamp can be everywhere outside of the actual nba basketball games....problem is its not outside of the actual nba basketball games. The players showing up on 'tarot' cards, the constant gold flair flashing around the screen for no reason, it just takes away an element from the sim portion of gaming that 2k has been known for.
I dont think anyone really minds jay-z being part of the presentation, i dont think anyone questions his success or is really hating on him, but to me for all the fanfare jay-z was getting, i expected a far better soundtrack, and i wish his influence on the ingame stuff was far far less. In a perfect world i would combine 2k12's presentation with 2k13's gameplay
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I'm just shocked to read some of these comments in here involving race/stereotypes, man, I guess I shouldn't be surprised but still it's pretty eye opening.
Basketball is beautiful, it's not a black or white or green sport, it's a game that everyone of any race/gender/planet can enjoy, limiting it to one group of fans is pretty damned ignorant